Category Archives: Games Artist and Animator

Train2Game News: Train2Game Radio talks to Chloe Martin

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You can hear the interview here:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1037414-train2game-students-chloe-talks-to-mark-on-t2g-radio

or read the transcript below:

Hello, could you tell me your name please?

Hi my names Chloe Martin

 

What course are you taking?

I’m currently studying Game Art & Animation

 

How did you find the experience of the world record winning game jam and how did it feel to win?

I found the experience unforgettable and it has really made an impact on me, rubbing shoulders with a wealth of knowledge. Being thrown into the deep end with people I had never met before and creating a team and a playable game was just overwhelming let alone winning the competition.

 

After finding out the theme, how did you get the idea for your game, Royal Rush?

We chucked around lots of ideas, mainly focusing on the theme but kept it as simple as possible, taking into account what the platform was and how to make it easy as possible to make within the time we got. We chose the final idea from working out which mechanics would be easy to develop, considering we only had one programmer, and making it as fun as possible. The idea came from an old-school game called Frogger. Trying to avoid traffic with a sense of urgency which gets players really excited.

 

Some people may know we worked together at The Gadget Show Live after winning the 2011 Game Jam. What do you think makes a winning game?

I think the limited time the Game Jam has, it needs to be as simple as possible but flexible enough to expand if you have time. Make sure the game is easy as possible to understand. However I think the enjoyment is a major factor, you need to grab the players attention, make them excited when playing so they want to come back to it again and again. Let’s not forget having a great time behind the scenes!

 

Who inspires your art work?

I love fantasy and technical design work. I don’t have a favourite at any one time. I get a lot of my inspiration from fellow students on the Train2Game course.

 

What is the most dramatic or exciting thing you have done in your life?

I would say probably the Game Jams run by Train2Game. Everyone of these events I have been to has been a great experience and I have learnt so much and met some great people.

 

What is your reason for getting into the gaming industry and how will the gaming industry change your life?

I just love games, being part of making ideas come to life for people to get enjoyment from the experience in games just gives me such a buzz. It has already changed my life being part of this course, it has opened up so many experiences; meeting people who inspire me, creating games from scratch and seeing people play your game and enjoying it is a great satisfaction that I want to take to the top.

 

What is your greatest ambition?

My greatest ambition is to inspire people with my work and to be part of the future of gaming.

 

What’s next for you and your career?

Well I am determined to find a job in the gaming industry in 2013.Successfully finish my course and work on improving the game Royal Rush ready for Windows 8 Marketplace.

 

What’s your story, what are the past experiences that have shaped your life?

I think the main reason is being brought up with the games consoles and the satisfaction of learning how to play a game and how the game makes you feel when you’re consumed in it. To this day I still think back on the games that made my childhood amazing. Before this I never thought games was a career I guess. I studied and enjoyed art through most of my education and one day just put my love of games and my talent together. It has opened up this path for me. My passion for games has driven me to what I want to become in the future.

 

Thank you very much Chloe. Good luck with everything you do in the future.

Thank you for having me.

The game Royal Rush will be available on all Windows 8 devices.

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 31.10.12

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Art

2D Marketing Illustrator

Jagex Ltd, in Cambridge, a world leading independent Online Games Studio, is looking for a highly motivated illustrator to produce art work to help market our games, including Transformers Universe and RuneScape.

Working within a team of illustrators, you will be responsible for producing highly polished & large scale pieces of creative fantasy art. Working on a large variety of projects including wallpapers, posters, adverts and websites you would have the creative freedom & time to produce outstanding images you can be proud of.

This highly rewarding & creative role will suit an exceptional illustrator with at least 2-3 years experience looking for a new challenge. The successful candidate should have an exceptional online portfolio demonstrating a large variety of art styles.

Key Duties Include:

  • Producing very high quality illustrations
  • Working on the company’s products and painting art assets for websites, advertising & print.
  • Working from a brief, from concept to final launch.
  • Working closely with the Lead designer and product brand managers.

Essential Requirements:

  • Expert use of Photoshop and other advanced painting tools.
  • Excellent understanding of anatomy.
  • A good understanding of colour, light & composition.
  • A strong sense of vision.
  • Experience of preparing artwork for print & web
  • Ability to show good initiative, judgement and excellent attention to detail
  • Excellent communication skills

Desirable Requirements:

  • An interest in computer games
  • An interest in fantasy art
  • Experience of working within the computer games industry

You can apply HERE.

Design

Game Designer (RuneScape)

Jagex Ltd, in Cambridge, the UK’s largest developer and publisher of online games, is looking for an exceptional individual to play a major role in shaping its world renowned, Guinness World Record holding MMO, RuneScape.

Reporting to the Lead Designer & Design Manager, the successful candidate will be responsible for the design of key game features; guiding the production of their systems and content from original concept, to creation & prototyping, through final polish and community feedback.

This amazing opportunity to be a key contributor to a world class MMO from a successful and stable developer/publisher demands the highest levels of expertise, experience, passion and commitment.

Key Duties:

  • Channel the lead designer’s creative vision and management’s product strategy into everyday project development.
  • Design systems, features and game content. Create and maintain high quality documentation.
  • Set project aims, use collaborative design and feedback to ensure all projects achieve the best quality, stay within scope and are coherent with the wider game.
  • Coordinate across development disciplines to design and refine game features.
  • Be a champion of design practice, have a solid knowledge of RuneScape and maintain awareness of the games industry, the online games market and monetisation strategies.
  • Collaborate with the Lead Designer and Monetisation Manager in the creation and maintenance of RuneScape’s commercial strategy.

 Requirements:

  • Proven and demonstrable expertise in game systems design, including creativity, technical aptitude, commercial awareness and MMO genre knowledge.
  • Must have sound creative judgment and a solid understanding of broad design principles including social design, commercial design, economics, interface design, usability, balancing, monetisation and analytics.
  • An understanding of monetization principles and commercial dynamics.
  • Strong communication & people skills. Able to work effectively with a diverse team, to give insightful feedback, to be able to write design specifications to high standard and able to verbally articulate ideas with passion, clarity and confidence.
  • A good general technical proficiency with game construction. Experience in game scripting, coding or development tools is also very beneficial.
  • Driven, organized and reliable. A positive attitude, steady under pressure, adapts to constructive feedback. Works in a thorough, timely and considerate manner.
  • A love of games & design, a broad knowledge of gameplay styles and an expansive yet insightful understanding of game mechanics.

You can apply HERE.

Developer

Games Programmer

Dubit make Virtual Worlds, Casual MMOs and Games for kids.
We’ve created many successful titles built on our own Platform for Cartoon Network, BBC, Dorothy of Oz, Diesel, Monty Python and many more.
We are currently working on a number of exciting projects for 2012 and 2013 and we’re looking for team members with the drive, passion and ambition that will help us make those projects the best they can be.
The Role:
We have opportunities currently for talented Programmers with a passion for games. You will be proficient in object oriented programming and have an eye for detail with experience of working from game design and wireframe documentation and user interface designs. You will also be expected to work on associated gaming websites.
Essential Job Functions: (You should have experience in one of more of the following)

  • Action Script 3 and Flex.
  • Unity
  • Java and Java Script.
  • Node.js
  • RoR (HTML, CSS, PHP)
  • HTML5
  • C# / C++

Knowledge Requirements:

  • Experience in games or a strong desire to move into games after strong experience gained in another field.
  • Familiarity with concurrent programming standards.
  • Awareness of Open Source tools and developments around them.
  • Any familiarity with the Spring Framework would be exceedingly useful.
  • Understanding of MVC architecture.
  • Knowledge of OO design patterns and best practice techniques.
  • Working with game-ready assets for use in user interfaces, such as textures, icons, and fonts.
  • Working closely with Design direction to ensure clear communication of essential information to the player.
  • Working closely with UI designers to ensure correct functionality and visual fidelity.

Demonstrated Ability To:

  • Deliver highly creative Games and be able to demonstrate work from a variety of media and platforms.
  • Communicate ideas through unique and inspired ideas.
  • Harness a broad range of influences and think laterally to bring different perspectives to tackle a brief.
  • Show a ‘can do’ attitude and relish new technical and creative challenges.
  • Work to individual and team deadlines.
  • Effectively communicate within a large group/multiple project environment.
  • Be passionate about good programming techniques and have a love of computer games.

About Us:

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits and a generous holiday entitlement. The environment itself is relaxed, friendly and built upon the basis of every team member having ownership and a realisable input into the games we create.

We are located in Leeds, just off the M621.

If you have a passion for making and playing games, have excellent skills and experience, dedication and, most importantly, the talent we need – then we really want to hear from you.

You can apply HERE.

Train2Game News: Eurogamer reports on Game Jam

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With the release of Windows 8 and the student games being published on the Store, Eurogamer has done a story on the World Record Game Jam.
You can read the article below

The Microsoft-sponsored game jam

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 24.10.12

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ART

Creative Assembly

Job Title Animator
Skills Required Animator
Location UK & Europe
Job Description Position Overview:The animator will need to create and deliver top-quality animation from in-game content to in-game cinematics. With the focus on quality, the candidate will need to use various techniques from hand-keyed animation to motion capture to deliver the desired results as set by the animation and project leads. The right candidate will need to be exceptionally skilled and it’s important that they are a motivated team player.

Key responsibilities:

  • Full responsibility of producing high quality animation for in-game animations and cinematics as set by the animation lead.
  • Deliver work in the required time.
  • Make sure all work is implemented correctly, providing feedback to other members of the production team so all issues are driven to closure.
  • Reports to the Lead Animator

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

  • Have an excellent understanding of animation principles – timing, weight and staging
  • Must be self-motivated, enthusiastic and a team player
  • Good knowledge of a 3D package (Motionbuilder, Maya, Max, XSI)
  • Good knowledge of human and animal anatomy
  • A strong passion and enthusiasm for animation and video games
  • Critical analysis and problem solving

You can apply HERE.

Developer

Jagex

Job Title Content Developer – (Games Studio) – Cambridge
Skills Required Lead Programmer, Java / Browser, Gameplay, Graphics / Engine, Build Engineer, Core Technology
Location Cambridge, Cambridgeshire (CB1), Cambridge
Job Description CONTENT DEVELOPER – (GAMES STUDIO) – CAMBRIDGEWe are seeking a Content Developer to brainstorm and create new MMO game element ideas (quests, mini-games, skills etc.) for one of world’s largest independent Online Games Studios.

With 3 Guinness world records; a Queen’s Award for Enterprise (2011) a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 (2010); a Sunday Times Top 100 company to work for (2008) and countless other awards to their name, this multi-award winning business employ over 450 people and sit at the very forefront of the online games industry, developing and publishing mini games and leading titles interacted by millions worldwide!

Pivotal in creating new game element ideas (quests, mini-games, skills, etc.) you will work with graphic artists, testers and other professionals to produce the best content possible.  You should be the type of Content Developer who can write high quality code (using an internal scripting language), communicate complex ideas effectively and cope with the thrilling challenges of releasing new game elements several times per month.

In short, this role would suit a passionate gamer (ideally role playing games) with strong creative skills and a deep motivation to create games.

To qualify… We are seeking a Content Developer who can demonstrate:

  • Good programming or game scripting skills (basic C++ or Java or game scripting).
  • Proven track record of content development within the games industry.
  • Good creative writing skills and imaginative storyline ideas.
  • Clear understanding of game design terminology and realistic game design ideas.
  • Very strong and proven communication skills.
  • Experience of working to deadlines and in a project based environment.
  • Keen interest in role playing games.

Prior experience of writing quests (levels) for RPGs, MUDs or similar is advantageous, as is experience of multiple MMORPGs/online games and a technical degree, however this isn’t essential if good programming and/or scripting skills can be demonstrated.

Joining a team of talented and enthusiastic people you will get to work with one of the largest independent games Studios in the World so expect a great working environment and superb benefits to match, including: Bonuses, private healthcare, flexible working, gym membership and loads more.

You can apply HERE.

Feral Interactive

Job Title Junior Developer
Skills Required Gameplay, Graduate Programmer, Mac / OSX
Location South East
Job Description Feral Interactive, a publisher and developer of “Triple-A” Macintosh Games are in the process of expanding their internal development team for both Mac and iPhone based games.As part of this recruitment, we are seeking a number of new and recent graduates to fill several development roles. Joining a small and agile international company, the successful candidates will quickly become key members of our team.

Full training and support will be provided for what will be an exciting, rewarding and varied career in the games industry.

Requirements

  • A new or recent graduate
  • Achieved or projected to achieve a 1st class or an upper second class degree in a technical discipline
  • Strong C/C++ skills
  • Up to 3 years software development experience
  • Can demonstrate a strong work ethic and ability to be productive without direct supervision
  • Good problem solving ability
  • Resourcefulness
  • Good written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work as part of a growing team
  • Well organized and self disciplined

Also advantageous

  • 3D programming skills
  • Macintosh experience
  • Objective C and C#
  • An interest in gaming

You can apply by emailing a CV to recruiting@feralinteractive.com

QA

Creative Assembly

Job Title Games Tester
Skills Required QA Tester
Location UK & Europe
Job Description Position Overview:The Games Tester position is a responsible job; reporting bugs and providing quality feedback for our titles in development.These fixed term contracts are for our established Total Warteam, testing our project currently in development.

  • Test games in development for  software bugs
  • Enter bugs clearly and accurately into our bug database
  • Verify and recreate bugs as required
  • Report additional balancing, design and accessibility problems
  • Specific support and general roles available

Essential

  • A clear understanding of QA process
  • A keen enthusiasm for gaming
  • Good communication and  reporting skills
  • Driven and flexible approach

Desirable

  • A clear understanding of QA process
  • A keen enthusiasm for gaming
  • Good communication and  reporting skills
  • Driven and flexible approach
  • Experience of testing one full shipped title
  • A good  understanding of Strategy games (Total War)
  • Games industry related degree (e.g. audio, art, design, etc.) or expertise in a specific  game area is an asset (e.g. audio, technical, PC hardware, design or scripting etc.)
  • Fluent in one or more of the following languages: French, German, Italian or Spanish
  • Strong technical knowledge/skills (e.g. programming, scripting)

You can apply HERE.

Train2Game News: DR Student Diaries – 22.10.12

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The latest student diaries from Craig Moore, Matty Wyett-Simmonds, Ezekiel Morris and Amanda Blatch can be found in the link below.There has been more hard work and the return of an old friend.

Train2Game Student Diaries Dateline 22 October 2012

Train2Game News: Games industry jobs – 17.10.12

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Developer

SEGA are looking for a mobile games engineer for their studio in the Midlands.

Studio Overview:
Hardlight is SEGA’s third UK based studio and is focused exclusively on creating high quality, innovative game experiences for mobile and handheld platforms.

The Studio comprises small, agile teams working on new IP & well-known SEGA IP. Project durations are 5-10 months, with their first projects due for late 2012.

The team follows an ethos of staying compact, agile and focused – combining talent from a variety of game genres and backgrounds, and welcomes applications from candidates of all levels of experience.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Work with other members of the team on creating high quality mobile titles
  • Implement game features in partnership with artists and designers
  • Learn and help develop various areas of features going into mobile handheld titles
  • Constantly develop your skillset and experience in the mobile space

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

  • Development experience in C/C++
  • Experience developing titles for mobile devices (either independently or as part of a larger studio)
  • Comfortable with game design and implementation
  • Examples of own demos, with source code, very beneficial dependent on past professional experience

Pluses:

  • Passion for computer games highly advantageous
  • Development experience with C# or HTML5
  • Knowledge of OpenGL ES and other graphical development libraries

You can find out more HERE.

Art

Fullfat Games are looking for a UI Artist for their studio in Coventry.

Position Overview:
• This position involves designing and creating 2D Artwork and Graphics for the UI Interface as well as other 2D items on various mobile and console platforms, which include Wii, DS and iphone.

Key Responsibilities:
• Working with the entire Development team to design and implement focussed, practical solutions within a realistic time frame.
• Design Icons and logos within the style constraints of the product.
• Work efficiently and at a speed representative of the platform.
• To be responsible for all 2D art aspects of any given project
• Be able to create all levels of Art from palette controlled pixel sprites up to hi Res Marketing Assets.

Skills and Experience:
• Excellent 2D background, including ideally pixel work.
• Use of Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Willing to work with Engineers to work within the technical limitations of the platform.
• Self Organised and willing to participate in team meetings.
• The ability to draught out a variety of concepts styles at speed to fit within the design constraints before game assets are created.

You can find out more HERE.

 

QA

Fullfat games are looking for a Mobile Test Engineer for their studio in Coventry. They unfortunately had no information on the position on the website but you can email them and find out more from HERE.

Train2Game News: Matty Wyett-Simmonds – Week 45

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Week 45! Weeks are getting faster and faster I think. I’ve had a pretty awesome weekend as it was my birthday. I went out in Southampton for the night and hung out with some friends and my girlfriend flew down from Leeds as well which was cool! One of my birthday presents is a trip to Sea Life centre! Since I was only little I’ve always liked sharks, they’re awesome! Also it’s shark week there so bonus!

PlanetSide2 has been awesome too, Craig got a beta key as well now so we’ve been attempting to play it at the same time but Craig has a crappy computer at home and the servers are down every day during lunch time at work so I’ve still been playing on my own. If anyone actually has the beta come join in!

Not too much to say about work yet, sorry! It’s been the same as always, tight deadlines and what not. I had two late nights (10pm ish) and got my work done pretty quickly so that I could go home early on Friday to get home to Southampton. The release date for the current project is set and it’s very soon so you’ll all get your hands on it soon if you have a smart device of some sort. It’s a very tight deadline and we are probably going to be working nonstop to get everything done on time!

We have a new person coming to work for us soon that used to be here before, I think he’s jumping right in to this project asap which will be good! This project will be a bit bigger than My Sea Park hopefully, as it will be for a wider audience and a wider range of devices.

So yea, more late nights, more takeaway food and less sleep for me over the next month or so I think.

Til 46!

MattyWS

Train2Game News: Ezekiel Morris student diary – Week 18

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So what have I been doing this week? Well I’ve finished animating characters and now I’m going back to doing vector art again. The project manager wanted me and Amanda to change our roles, my task for this week was animating characters and Amanda’s task was to create character costumes in vector art, so we mixed up, she does one animation and I do one character costume.

Matty and I were helping Amanda to use the tools in Maya so hopefully she will pick it up, I will be there to guide her if she needs any help.

I was knackered working late on Wednesday and also Thursday but the end result is that all the animation for this week is completed and now I’m starting to create one costume for the character.

I know there’s a tight deadline coming soon but I feel confident that all my sprints will be done before the deadline hits. I’m glad that I’m getting my work done and I’m learning a lot since working at DR Studios.

Train2Game News: Craig Moore student diary – week 47

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We now have a date for when this next title is due to be available, and we have a lot of work that needs doing. I’m not going to let it slip yet, but it’s still coming on in leaps and bounds edging closer and closer to a releasable game.

Due to the nature of the title release will be a minor milestone. We are looking to further support it after release and add content, modifications and updates as we go.

I keep saying it but work is still incredibly busy, I would never lie to anyone and say this job is easy because it simply isn’t. There is no slacking, no twiddling of thumbs, if work isn’t done it is your fault and everyone is responsible for their own work and workload. It’s great as long as everyone knows this, thankfully everyone here does and it seems to flow pretty well.

Next week we have more work to do, polishing, fixing, tweaking, updating, and balancing. All the fun of the fair!

Craig

Train2Game News: Amanda Blatch Student Diary – Week 4

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This week has been a productive week once more, creating five characters and a single animated sequence for one character in it’s home environment as given to me by our project lead as he wanted to see me and another colleague try something different to see how easily we adapted to different roles.

It was a tough start on the animation of the characters as I had never animated in Maya before and barely scratched the surface with animating in 3Ds Max. I  was fortunate however that I have had a lot of experience in animating traditionally and in film-software packages so it was very easy to pick up once I learnt the processes.

With the combined efforts of Eze, Matty and good old online tutorials I managed to grasp the basics of it overnight and was about to complete my animation by the end of the next day. Overall not a bad turnaround methinks! Also… two more awesome characters coming into the game that I am pretty happy with and hopefully you guys will be too! Anyways.. back to work with me.