“Work placements are so valuable if you want to get a job in games,” says Jack Couvela, art director of Newcastle studio Ubisoft Reflections . “If someone has done a year in the industry they know what it’s like to get up every day and go to a studio to work. It makes you miles more valuable as an employee.”
That’s sound advice. But landing an internship, work placement or even good, old-fashioned work experience is not easy and it’s by no means a guarantee of a full-time job making games. Here, we side-step the horror stories of free bar abuse, employers who leave newbies to rot in the corner and interns with a swollen sense of entitlement to offer insider tips on how to make your work placement count.
Your guides are three experts who are all connected with Teesside University, an institution which boasts strong ties with industry and a track record of placing students in AAA development studios for that all-important work experience.
Bafta-winning artist Andrew Walker is a senior lecturer in games art at Teesside. He fought his way into the game industry without a degree to head up art teams at Rockstar, Team17 and SCEE.
Nigel Kitching is another Teesside senior lecturer specialising in concept art. He runs the uni’s games Masters programme and has helped students land placements at the likes of Disney Interactive and Microsoft.
And our final expert is Couvela, who has also taught at Teesside on a secondment thanks to strong ties between the two institutions. Here are their top tips for making an impression - for the right reasons - while on a game job placement.
Just do it
“Yes, it is very competitive, but don’t be put off by the competition - apply for work placements,” says Kitching. “You can guarantee that up to 75 per cent of applicants don’t know what they are doing.” Couvela adds that Reflections tends to recruit university students who have been vetted by lecturers over individual applicants. He advises students to get to know the person responsible for placements. “Make yourself impressive to the placements officer and then they’ll have the confidence to push you to industry,” he says.
Be human
All three agree that the number one way to make an impression on a work placement is by showing your personality without getting on people’s nerves. That’s not easy if you are overawed by the experience – and who wouldn’t be, given a taste of their dream job? But remember that being shy can come across as being disinterested. “Personality is so critical. In fact, it’s at least as important as skills,” says Couvela. “Yes, join in with the occasional celebrations after work. But exercise a bit of caution while getting to know to people at a free bar.”
Push yourself forward
“The worst thing you can do is to sit back and expect to be fed high quality, flashy work,” says Couvela. “It’s not about the hero work some people think the industry is built on. The huge bulk of the work is fairly mundane. Get a reputation for being a useful person and you’ll end up with staff fighting over you. If you are serious you need to be incredibly enthusiastic and driven as there are people behind you who will be more keen.” Walker offers some practical advice: “If you want to be an artist, for instance, grab a task off the artist’s schedule and try to do it at home, then show them the results.”
Be humble
“You are not going to a placement to change a company,” Kitching says. “The arrogance of youth sometimes means some people feel they could revolutionise a company. You are there to contribute to what they are doing. Don’t go in with an arrogant attitude.” That means being cautious about how you show off your own ideas and work you’ve done outside your placement, Walker tells us. “It’s often hard to judge how technically precise someone’s work is – even if it looks amazing. Yes, show diversity, but don’t bang on about your other work."
Listen and contribute ideas
Walker advises students to seek out criticism, provided you can show you have acted upon advice. “Don’t be afraid to add your thoughts and ideas," he says. "Remember this is teamwork, which means collective problem solving. Being too quiet can sometimes be a flaw in this respect.”
Ask for help
“Asking for help when you need it is always the right thing to do,” says Couvela. “The hardest thing to manage at any level is when people are afraid to say they don’t understand or don’t know what is expected. It’s better to say ‘I need some help to do what you are asking.’”
“Be honest,” Walker adds. “Say when something is out of your skillset, and ask if there is something you can be more useful with.”
Do your homework
Kitching explains that it is imperative to know not just the last few games a studio has produced, but to understand the culture. Walker agrees, saying it’s important to know what a company does to see if it fits with your passion. “You should be prepared to work on projects outside your experience too,” he adds.
Be helpful and flexible
“Make sure you are noticed without being a nuisance,” says Couvela. “By far the best people are those who – when left to it by busy staff who might not see the benefit of investing in people there for a short spell – simply talk to people on other projects. They get to know the staff and are friendly and helpful. They may end up in a completely different department, but they always find there is some work that will need doing somewhere.”
Get exposure, but don’t expose yourself…
Walker warns of managing your social media reputation when seeking and carrying out placements. “In the industry I had a programmer I wanted to get in touch with and find out more about,” he says. “I went on Facebook and his profile was a bare backside. It’s not so bad when people have a sense of humour about it and can deal with the question if I put it to them in an interview. It’s good to get exposure, but don’t expose yourself.”
Be professional
Finally, remember to treat game industry work experience as a real job. The advice from Walker is straightforward, but invaluable. He says, “Turn up on time, do more than what is expected of you and be keen to learn.”
See all our advice on how to get a game industry job on our Get Into Games topic page.