Tag Archives: Games Industry Jobs

Train2Game News: Aardvark Swift announce Search For A Star competition

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ASwift compAardvark Swift have announced the fourth annual Search For A Star competition will go ahead in January 2013.

The Search for a Star nationwide competition is designed to highlight and reward the UK’s most promising video games students. The competition spans the UK’s leading areas of higher education including; universities, colleges and blended learning courses such as Train2Game.

The competition takes the form of three stages and mirrors a typical recruitment process within the games industry: A technical test, preparation of a demo and finally a panel interview. Entrants are given a real taste of what it takes to make it in the games industry.

The competition process is designed to get students ready to work professionally and give them the first chance to enter games development companies in the UK. All entrants get CV and Portfolio advice from Aardvark Swift, with the aim to prepare them to apply for placements and permanent roles. Up for grabs for the winners will not only be physical prizes provided by Microsoft but also internships at some of the most prestigious games developers in the UK, including: Sony Evolution, Exient and Boss Alien.

Created by Aardvark Swift, the competition is contributed to by some of the UK Games Industry’s most respected video games developers including, The Blast Furnace, Headstrong Games, Rockstar Leeds, Microsoft, Sony Evolution and many more.

A spokesperson for Aardvark Swift, said: “The Search for a Star competition aims to make entrants more employable, raise their profile and hopefully lead to permanent employment. As a recruitment agency specialising in gaming we are looking to bridge that gap between education and employment, which is where many people struggle to make a final step into the industry. As part of the wider games industry it’s really important to us that the UK’s video games industry goes from strength to strength and students get opportunities for employment.”

Lizi Attwood, The Blast Furnace, said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for students to make their mark on the UK’s games industry and take steps towards gaining future employment. The competition spans the whole of the UK and any educational institution can put forward students to the competitive process. The competition creates a level playing field where each individual will be judged by working professionals, who know what knowledge and skills the industry is looking for.”

You can find out more about the competition and apply by visiting Aardvark swift, here.

Good luck to all those who enter and enjoy yourselves!

You can read the full press release in the file below

Search For A Star – Announce Final

Train2Game News: Train2Game Radio talks to Connor Adams

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Connor AdamsTrain2Game spoke to Connor Adams this week about how I went from a Train2Game student to working at Atomhawk up in Newcastle.

Connor is a brilliant Artist you can check out his DeviantART page HERE or his portfolio HERE.

You can listen to Connors radio interview here – http://audioboo.fm/boos/1114244-train2game-studio-radio-with-mark-talks-to-connor-adams

or read the transcript below:

Hello I’m Connor, I live in Gateshead but I’m from Weymouth and I took the Art & Animation course.

Hi Connor, how you doing bud?
I’m not too bad man, how are you?

I’m excellent, thank you
Awesome, it’s lovely to hear your voice again.

Yours too! So tell me, what’s your story Connor? What are the past experiences that have shaped your life to make you who you are now?
Oh wow, that is a deep question. I suppose I started off by playing a lot of video games when I was young, like everyone. I took quite a weird path, I left school after finishing my GCSE’s and I just started painting and drawing all day because I wanted to design all these games but I didn’t really know what path to take. So I was painting and things like that and then I saw the Train2Game course and joined up on that and I attended a lot of Game Jams whilst studying everyday on my own time and getting all that down. Then I applied for the internship up here and here I am. I’m sure there is probably a lot more to it, but that’s all I can remember for now!

So where is it you applied for an internship for?
I applied up to Atomhawk. It’s based in the Northern Design Centre in Newcastle.

What kind of games do they make there?
The guys at the studio, all of us are concept artists and illustrators, so we have no programmers, we have no designers or anything like that. So people come to us and they out source us for concept art and illustration. We do a lot of stuff before games are released like we worked on Mortal Kombat. We are working on a lot of stuff right now but none of it I can say because it’s all under NDA, which is typical. It’s a lot of stuff like Sony and Warner Brothers, people like that. So it’s quite big clients but we don’t actually work on the games, we just make the concepts and illustrations.

What is the most dramatic or exciting thing you have done in your life previous to being at Atomhawk?
Oh god! All these questions Mark, I’m not sure I’m ready for them! I think the most scaring and exciting thing, was leaving school. Trying to take things in to my own hands. From leaving School and going straight to Train2Game that made things a lot easier. Going down that personal route was quite scary at first.

I know you were also part of Derp Studios as well. How was that experience?
I was part of Derp Studios, yeah. That was really, really great. I mean the Game Jam and the meeting with people and going up to Luton and doing all that was just great. The whole experience was fun and these guys I still talk to a lot of them today, Me and Amanda are mostly talking a lot and it’s great. It was a great bonding experience. It was great for contacts, it was great for skills, great experiences. Well I met you up at The Gadget Show which was a lovely experience.

It was indeed! We have been firm friends ever since.
Yeah absolutely, it was really great.

We touched on it before, what is your reason for getting into the gaming industry particularly?
It’s just games you know? It’s like what kind of guy can say they go to work and draw men shooting aliens and you know, Zombies and Monsters! It’s all fun and games. It is serious at the same time but it’s all play. It’s hard work but it’s play. To get paid to do that is just fantastic.

When did you actually get the job at Atomhawk that you have now?
My internship was 3 months ago, so back in September, August was when I was applying and got the internship but a few weeks ago they offered me a junior position which is going to last 6 months which is fantastic.

So you get a nice job just in time for Christmas then?
Absolutely yeah which is a real relief as Christmas is a horrible time.

What is your greatest ambition?
Oh OK, well I guess just to be the best, like a Pokemon trainer! I gotta keep on going and hit the top of your field, maybe one day in the future I will have my own Graphic Novel and I’ll be working on some AAA games. I dunno the future is very unpredictable so it’s hard to say really.

Finally then, if you could work for any studio what so ever, what would you work for?
Actually, genuinely I would rather work for my self. I think I would rather get some of my closest friends and make my own studio and make the games that we love.

So we should probably start working on that soon then?
Absolutely!

Thank you very much buddy!
No worries, cheers mate.

Train2Game News: Student Diaries – 13.12.11

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There are a few Train2Game students on work placement at DR Studios. Below is some diaries of how they are getting on.

Amanda Blatch week 12

Soooooo…. Diary this week. You know.. I think it’s kind of slipped my mind what I did last week, it passed by so quickly! There was a lot of work to do and that got done as we are sticking more strictly to our deadlines of getting  a new build out every Friday so we had a game to play over the weekend. With the latest build you can really tell the game is starting to come together and a couple of new features have been added into the game that helps move the game along at a speed that would be enjoyable for the player without being too easy. Overall, it’s looking very good atm with all the updates and changes to the game.

On top of that I have had more of a break in my usual UI making process, creating a couple new characters for the game which will form part of an exclusive content pack on release date. The splash screen itself has also had an almost completely new do-over and is much more polished and finalised, ready for promotion.

But apart from that there is not much more I can say, the game is close to being finished, we just need to keep pushing that little bit further to make the game the best we can make it! So, again, till next week.

Craig Moore Student Diary Week 55

What day is it?

It’s been a pretty intensive week here, trying to ensure that two builds go out a week while constantly improving and bug fixing is certainly akin to juggling cars. It’s been a smooth one though with very few hiccups and the build is going from strength to strength, I think our big focus next week will be to crush some of the gameplay blocking bugs that are really getting in the way of heavy play testing.

As with previous weeks I have been working closely with Tim to ensure new features get in to the game, it’s a really effective approach that ensures we are working on the same thing but each to our own abilities and insures rapid iteration and turnaround of features.

It feels like we have had this game under wraps for ages now, and in reality it is, it’s been a good six months and I cannot wait to show it to the world! I feel like we have taken everything that made My Sea Park cool and turned it up to 11 while adding some cool little features that I genuinely have never seen before in games of this genre.

Also don’t fret! This one is coming to both iOS and Android.

Getting this kind of experience and exposure is something I could never dreamed of getting 18 months ago, but here I am. It’s a lot of hard work but I would not change it for the world.

Craig

Matty WS week 53

This week has been quite busy again as usual; I’ve been remaking a few assets here and there and redoing some older animations that weren’t up to scratch. Over the weekends I’ve been playtesting the game as well as other games for ‘market research’. I’m finding Hayday pretty fun annoyingly. I’ve also been playing chess more lately because of Social Chess on the iPad, but before that I used to play a game a day or more sometimes, so now it’s just a case of playing multiple games each day over time. I also caved and bought things on the iPad, Red alert and LSAW (land sea air warfare, tis an RTS). The store is so expensive though! Everything on android is cheap or free, cannot see why it’s not the same for iDevices.

The next project (although still up in the air) is starting to sound pretty awesome now and I really cannot wait for it to start!

MattyWS

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 11.12.12

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Train2Game has searched around to find you some of the entry level jobs in Art, Design, Development and QA.

ART

Job Title Junior Artist
Job Category Art / Animation
Skills Required Graduate Artist
Location Old Street, London, UK & Europe
Job Description Sports Interactive (SI) is the world’s leading developer of football management simulations through its Football Manager series of games, in its twentieth anniversary year. With one of the lowest staff turnover rates in the industry, and regular appearances at the top of the PC, PSP and App Store charts around Europe, this is a chance to join a winning team.

Position Overview
We are looking for an artist to join our graphics team in a junior role, helping with the creation and implementation of assets and graphical content in our games.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Dealing with licensing and asset creation for the game
  • Creating graphical content for the game
  • Assisting in the development of content across numerous platforms.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE  

  • Proficient with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
  • Experience creating graphical content for games (either professionally or within a gaming community)
  • Portfolio required

DESIRABLE

  • Basic knowledge of HTML and/or XML
  • Web design experience
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills
  • Interest in football.

You can apply HERE.

DEVELOPER

Job Title Games Programmer – iOS / Android
Job Category Programming
Skills Required AI / Artificial Intelligence, Tools, Gameplay, Mobile / iOS / Android, Graphics / Engine, Core Technology, UI / Front End, Graduate Programmer
Location Brighton
Job Description Boss Alien are a growing company working on exciting projects with small team sizes. We need programmers who are happy to work in whatever area is required of them – this could change on a daily basis!

We are looking for smart, energetic, friendly people to join us!

Required:

  • 2.1 degree in Maths, Physics, Computer Science or related, or equivalent industry experience
  • Excellent knowledge of C# or C++
  • Excellent knowledge of algorithms and data structures
  • Experience of creating games on desktop or mobile platforms
  • Desire to make great games
  • Great communication skills (verbal and written)
  • Happy to work as part of a team
  • Demonstrable love for some area of game technology
  • A passion for playing games and solving problems
  • Flexible and keen to learn new skills

Great to have:

  • Knowledge of two or more other programming languages (for example Java, Python, PHP, Clojure)
  • 1 or more years of games industry experience
  • 1 or more shipped titles on console, desktop or mobile platforms
  • Strong knowledge of console, desktop and mobile architectures
  • Knowledge of asynchronous engineering techniques
  • Experience of Unity, Unreal or XNA
  • SQL
  • Experience using digital content creation tools (for example Max, Maya, Photoshop)

    Find out more about us at www.bossalien.com

    Junior / Graduate Programmers with relevant demos and a positive attitude are encouraged to apply!

DESIGN

Job Title MMO Game Designer – Celtic Heroes – Groundbreaking MMORPG !
Job Category Game Design
Skills Required Games Designer, Level Designer, Graduate Game Designer
Location Glasgow
Job Description The team behind ‘Celtic Heroes’ are looking for a creative MMO Game Designer to join their team.

As MMO Game Designer you will have the responsibility of designing and evolving the very experiences our players engage in. You must have massive passion in the MMORPG genre and fully understand the successful game mechanics and quest design that equally challenges and rewards the player.

You must be a creative thinker with the ability to rationalise your ideas into practical game play experiences. You must be a strong communicator at ease working within a development team. A strong portfolio of game design examples in the same genre of ‘Celtic Heroes’ is a MUST!

If you have the skills, qualifications, experience and a passion for playing our kind of games, we would love to hear from you. To APPLY direct online simply follow this link http://bit.ly/joinourclan

Set in an exciting medieval Celtic world of combat, magic and mythology, ‘Celtic Heroes’ is a fully 3D MMORPG available for iPhone, iPod and iPad. Play as a customisable warrior, mage, rogue, ranger or druid. Gain powerful new weapons, armour and items as you explore the vast world of castles, dungeons and outdoor environments. Battle fearsome enemies and complete heroic quests!

NOTE: Must be able to demonstrate eligibility and VALID WORKING VISA to work in the United Kingdom and be willing to relocate / commute to the Glasgow area

QA

Job Title Games Tester
Job Category QA / Localisation
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 will need to be available to start by December 2012.
PLEASE ENSURE A COVERING LETTER IS INCLUDED WITH YOUR CV APPLICATION

 

You can apply HERE.

Train2Game News: Microsoft opening new Development Centre in London

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Tech CityThe Train2Game researchers have found that Microsoft is opening up a new Development centre in the heart of London.

Prime Minister David Cameron today announced a major Government investment in Tech City. The Government will put £50m towards a visionary project to regenerate the Old Street roundabout, which will see it transformed into Europe’s largest indoor civic space, dedicated to start-ups and entrepreneurs in East London. This new civic building will host classrooms, co-working spaces and workshops equipped with the latest 3D printing technology, for use by both the local start-ups and the wider community.

One of the new additions to Tech City will be from Microsoft. They are establishing a Technology Development Centre in the heart of Tech City as part of their commitment to the cluster and will support local technology development. Microsoft’s hope is to work to inspire innovation and provide expertise and guidance to those with new and innovative ideas. They will create packages of support for Developer Apprentices and are working on a new Apprenticeship to support young people in and around Tech City.

Prime Minister David Cameron said “Two years ago I set out my commitment to help Tech City become one of the world’s great technology centres. Today we are seeing it continue to grow and go from strength to strength – and that is down to the talented, creative entrepreneurs who have set up there. The UK is in a global race and I am determined that we as a Government continue doing everything we can to equip the UK to compete and thrive in that race. As well as backing the businesses of today, we are creating an aspiration nation and also backing the innovative, high-growth businesses of the future.”

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added “The time is right to lay solid foundations in Tech City for London’s digital revolution, and this list of major new firms committing to the area is a testament to the confidence leading tech entrepreneurs have in the capital. Our new centre will provide not only a vital resource to nurture upcoming technology and creative superstars from around the world, it will drive huge investment into the capital and help create thousands of jobs.”

You can find out more about Tech City at their website.

Train2Game News: Student Diaries – 06.12.12

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Amanda Blatch Week 11

Another diary, another week! Not really sure what there is to say. It was a very long  week full of hard work and more UI! Fortunately I have had my week mixed up a little by being given some new characters for additional game content to design, vector, cut and rig. They’re coming along very nicely now and I’m just about to finish work on my second of what I believe to be at least four new additions to the final game. Friday was very exciting though, we all had a big group meeting with everyone making the game to have their say about what we have achieved so far and how to improve on top of that, we did more work, went home then went out for a meal with everyone.

Unfortunately not much else on the in-studio stuff to talk about and I haven’t been working on too much in my spare time since I reignited the desperate need to get through Section 2 of my course so to remain on track and continue learning other game-making techniques that I may not see in the studio on a daily basis. But that’s it for now.. Maybe next week I’ll have something new to chat about. Tarra for now!

Craig Moore Week 54

It’s Friday, and everything is a bit of a blur!

Firstly work, it’s been an incredibly busy week; the pressure is really on to get the many aspects of the game finished and the time left to do them is getting ever so smaller.

We have had a really productive week bouncing between myself and two of the other guys to crack down a certain element of the game and get it well and truly finished. As with the way development goes, I guess, we just fell short but we did get a lot done and it is much better for it.

Next week the plan is to continue this three pronged approach and hit two more aspects of the game on the head. It really is at the stage where there are a few elements that just need tying together to really make it shine!

In other news I managed to snag myself a brand new Wii-U yesterday, a day before release; thanks to Shopto.net’s awesome pre-order service. I got the ZombiU special edition, but have only managed to play it for an hour or so. My Initial thoughts are positive, I’m certainly looking forward to what they come up with and the underlying potential is incredible! I read somewhere about Unity being a developer option and would love to take advantage of that somewhere down the line.

Craig

Matty WS Week 52

This week has been a bit mad, lots of things to do. I’m now going through all of the images in the game and “unifying” them, making them all the correct sizes and removing the background solid colour. We had a late night on Thursday and had some takeaway. Suffice to say there are a lot of images in the game so I’ve been kept busy. I still need to continue on Monday morning to get it all done.

In other news, I got hold of an iPad mini this week which is very nice indeed, it means I can play the games we make regardless of what devices I have or if they aren’t compatible, and it will help me see what competition is out there. So I am a happy Matty this week!

I went home to Southampton this weekend and played many games (including our own). The game we’re making as we speak is plodding along nicely and will be out very soon hopefully. I’m sure you’ll all be just as excited as we are when the game hits the metaphorical shelves. More next week!

MattyWS

Train2Game News: Games Industry Jobs – 5.12.12

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The Train2Game blog has found more jobs for you to apply for to hopefully get that foot in the door.

Art

Job Title     Junior 3D Artist
Job Category     Art / Animation
Skills Required     Character Artist, Vehicle Artist, Environment Artist, 2D / Concept / Texture Artist, Technical Artist
Location     Brighton
Job Description     Come and join the Futur!

The team behind the critically acclaimed Velocity is looking for a talented Junior 3D Artist!

We are primarily looking for someone with demonstrable experience modeling and texturing of vehicles for use in a game engine such as Unity.

As Junior Artist you will be required to concept and model a number of vehicles as well as adopting the in house art style to create 2D game assets. You will therefore need to demonstrate a strong ability in both 3D asset creation and 2D illustration skills. The role will require closely working with all other members of the team to ensure high standards of presentation are maintained across each project.

This role is suited towards a highly motivated and talented recent graduate. While industry experience is not required, working knowledge of industry standard art creation software is.

Requirements include:

Excellent 3D modeling and texturing ability.
A strong interest in sci-fi and predominately vehicle design.
Strong 2D illustration skills a must.
Animation skills a plus.
General understanding of game design and development.
Ability to work both individually and in a small team.
Excellent communication skills with a friendly and positive demeanour.
Self motivating and diligent.

You must be excited about working in the sci-fi genre and have a strong portfolio that demonstrates both 3D vehicles and 2D illustrative skills. (Please note that if your portfolio does not contain examples of both then unfortunately, it will be automatically rejected without reply).

If you have the demonstrable skills, experience and passion for futuristic games then please get in touch as we’d love to hear from you! Please email your latest CV and a cover letter along with your portfolio to jobs@futurlab.co.uk. Please be aware that all suitable candidates will be asked to take an art test.

We’re a small and friendly team and we’re about to grow. This is a great opportunity for someone to be involved right at the beginning of the next exciting chapter of our story.

Design

Job Title     Game Designer – IEB Microsoft Studios Soho (818909) Job
Job Category     Game Design
Skills Required     Game Design
Division Interactive Entertainment Business
Location Soho, London

Role Purpose
Do you love designing fun high quality games and experiences?
We are looking for an enthusiastic and talented game designer to join our growing multi-disciplinary team. The game designer will have the opportunity to engage in the exciting process of creating and maintaining games (including new IP). The game designer will be a member of the creative team working with the creative director. The ideal candidate must have a full understanding of the design vision and business model, be able to communicate it to the team and be responsible for the creation and maintenance of all game design documents and their execution.

Team/Department Mission
This role is part of a Microsoft Studios team creating games and entertainment services influenced by changing consumer consumption and emerging business models. Part of its purpose will be to showcase functionality of Microsoft platforms but the primary goal is to establish new entertainment franchises. The ethos of this team is to be distinctive, deliberate and disruptive. It has large ambitions.

Key Accountabilities:
– Drive game design and communicate across the team. Know the game inside out.
– Communicate major design decisions and issues with the creative director and executive producer.
– Work with technical, art and audio leads to realize the game design vision.
– Produce and roll out prototypes and design documents.
– Review work as it is implemented to ensure that it fits the design vision and is of the quality desired.
– Assist with the development of design team systems and tools.
– Test the game to ensure it is playable and fun.
– Support user testing and data gathering to continually improve the game.

Key Success Criteria:
– Be a positive, active, and contributing team member.
– Create presentations that outline plans for game design.
– Be able to pitch/communicate new concepts, mechanics and business models.
– Liaise closely with other disciplines to realise a shared vision.
– Communicate complex dependencies falling out of design into art, tech, audio and UI.
– Continuously evaluate games in development and make tough decisions to focus on, iterate on or cut features in order to make the game better.
– Continuously familiarize yourself and the team with important developments in game design and production outside of the team/project.
– Work with gameplay developers to develop systems that support desired gameplay.
– Work with tools developers to develop tools and workflows that enable inspired creativity on the design team.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
– Strong communication skills across all disciplines and at all levels.
– Design experience on shipped AAA console products and/or Mobile/F2P.
– Strong technical skills and a basic understanding of programming or scripting.
– Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
– Strong relationship-management skills.
– Passion for gaming, with excellent design insights across genres.
– Ability to produce articulate design documentation detailing innovative gameplay mechanics, character biographies, control systems, interface design, story lines and asset inventories.
– Willing to accept and provide direction, work well under pressure, and handle multiple tasks.
– Ability to work closely with all core development functions, as well as supporting functions.
– Comfortable with Unity, MS Word, MS Visio, MS Power Point.

You can apply HERE.

Developer

Job Title     Games Programmer – iOS / Android
Job Category     Programming
Skills Required     AI / Artificial Intelligence, Tools, Gameplay, Mobile / iOS / Android, Graphics / Engine, Core Technology, UI / Front End, Graduate Programmer
Location     Brighton
Job Description     Boss Alien are a growing company working on exciting projects with small team sizes. We need programmers who are happy to work in whatever area is required of them – this could change on a daily basis!

We are looking for smart, energetic, friendly people to join us!

Required:

2.1 degree in Maths, Physics, Computer Science or related, or equivalent industry experience
Excellent knowledge of C# or C++
Excellent knowledge of algorithms and data structures
Experience of creating games on desktop or mobile platforms
Desire to make great games
Great communication skills (verbal and written)
Happy to work as part of a team
Demonstrable love for some area of game technology
A passion for playing games and solving problems
Flexible and keen to learn new skills
Great to have:

Knowledge of two or more other programming languages (for example Java, Python, PHP, Clojure)
1 or more years of games industry experience
1 or more shipped titles on console, desktop or mobile platforms
Strong knowledge of console, desktop and mobile architectures
Knowledge of asynchronous engineering techniques
Experience of Unity, Unreal or XNA
SQL
Experience using digital content creation tools (for example Max, Maya, Photoshop)

Find out more about us and apply at www.bossalien.com

Junior / Graduate Programmers with relevant demos and a positive attitude are encouraged to apply!

QA

Location: Edinburgh
Salary: Competitive
Company: Rockstar North

Rockstar North is looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals to join our Games Test teams in Edinburgh. You will be expected to play through our latest games looking for problems and reporting errors, to ensure game quality before release.

Responsibilities
You will be finding and reproducing bugs, errors or problems in-game as directed. The role will require accurate, detailed and complete reporting to the required standards and subsequent revision of those errors or problems.

Qualifications
Successful applicants will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and enjoy working as part of a team. You will have good general computer skills and be a confident learner working with word processing, databases and spreadsheets. You will be able to show consistent attention to detail and have the ability to remain focussed when approaching repetitive tasks. We will be looking for flexibility regarding unsociable and extended working hours to meet the demands of the role.

Additional Information
Candidates must be 18 years of age and above and provide two references. The position will be a full-time short term contract. Applicants will preferably be educated to further or higher education standards.

This is a two stage application process. You will first be asked to complete an application pack from which you may be asked to attend an interview.

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE VIA www.rockstargames.com/jobs

Train2Game News: Game Industry Jobs – 28.11.12

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DEVELOPER

Job Title Tools Programmer

Job Category Programming

Location Midlands, UK, Oxford

Job Description My client is a leading game developer with offices in 3 different locations. With over 30 million downloads of their games to date, they are one of the fastest growing social mobile publishers on iOS and Android.

Focussing on creating innovative ultra-high-quality titles, using their own proprietary technology and with their cutting-edge art and design teams, their standards are second to none – making their entire work original, never copied.

Due to their continued success they are now looking for a Software Engineer / C++ Tool Developer to help build their content creation pipeline.

The ideal candidate will have developed software that is used by artists in a production environment in the games industry.

Candidates without relevant experience who meet the other requirements are still encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities:

– Work with artists and engineers to design and implement software features and applications

– Work on our existing 3D rendering systems to produce new tools

– Contribute to software reviews and product documentation

Skills / experience required:

– Experience of Mel script

– Knowledge of 3d Maths

– Experience with real-time 3D graphics techniques (OpenGL or DirectX)

Also Desirable:

– Experience with common modelling / texturing / animation techniques

– A good understanding of concurrency

– A good understanding of UI design

– Application scripting experience in C#, Lua, MEL or Python

For more information or to apply for this role please contact Sam Keywood direct on:  01709 834777  or at: sam@aswift.com

DESIGN

Job Title Car Handling Designer

Job Category Game Design

Location Midlands, Midlands

Job Description: Are you someone who is fanatical about cars? Do you have a Mechanical, Engineering or Software background? This is a brilliant opportunity to take your passion and use it to kick-start a career in the Games Industry!

This role is for a leading UK studio that have already shown their high calibre with their first major release going straight to No. 1! They develop big budget titles aimed at a truly global audience. The studio is both young and dynamic and gives you the opportunity to work on AAA games!

The studio is looking for a Car Handling designer who will be responsible for using proprietary tools to create authentic, believable and fun vehicle handling for licensed cars. You will research, implement and tune each car, ensuring it handles in-game in the same way it does in the real world.

You must be very passionate about cars and car culture, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the auto industry. In addition, you must have a strong working knowledge of vehicle mechanics and car setup.

You must be flexible, highly motivated, meticulous and a fast learner.

You should have:

•Excellent communication skills

•Strong Computer Software skills

•Demonstrable game design skills

•An excellent knowledge of cars, tuning and car culture

•An excellent working knowledge of, and a real passion for, the racing genre

•A genuine passion for games

This is an opportunity to join a highly experienced team and help shape the core experience of a genre-leading game.

The studio is located in a very sought after area of the UK. They will offer a competitive salary and great benefits. If you or anyone you know is interested feel free to contact me and send your CV to richard.balding@amiqus.com .

ART

Job Title 3D Artist (Games)

Job Category Art / Animation

Location London

Job Description We are looking for a passionate multi-skilled artist to join our growing dedicated games team in our London studio.

The ustwo™ games team is looking to build on its success with Whale Trail and release new titles for iOS and Android with stand-out production values, heart and broad appeal.

The company prides itself on allowing staff the opportunity to grow by offering an environment in which staff can produce the best work of their careers. We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate their desire to shine and grow in an atmosphere of creativity and collaboration.

If you are a talented and passionate artist who wants to be part of an exciting team then join us and help make games for the world to love.

Job requirements

  • Excellent 3D modeling, texturing and animation skills
  • Strong 2D visualisation skills
  • Ability to work in a range of styles
  • Experience creating game assets.
  • Excellent communication skills with a friendly and positive demeanor
  • Highly motivated and driven to make stand-out games
  • Interest in variety of art styles and influences
  • Passion for gaming

You can apply by emailing work@ustwo.co.uk

QA

Job Title: QA Tester

Job Category: QA

Location: Oxford

Job Description:

NaturalMotion, is looking for a tester to work on its upcoming mobile platform titles. This is a full time, contract position with an expected minimum duration of 3 months.

Daily duties will include testing and reporting issues discovered, working to use and improve test cases and working with small, project-based teams to ensure efficient testing throughout a project’s life.

While extensive testing experience is ideal, it is not strictly necessary and a little testing experience combined with enthusiasm and additional transferable skills is welcome and there will be a chance to learn and train with the testing team.

Testing will cover such areas as the user interface, menu items, inspecting the 3D assets for errors, gameplay, progression, and all other non-gameplay areas in addition to the game itself. Diligence and the ability to commit to repetitive tasks will be required in these roles.

Requirements:

– Excellent verbal and written English skills as you will be required to communicate with staff from all disciplines (both technical and non-technical) and to write clear bug reports.

– Self-motivation and enthusiasm.

– Diligence in conducting sometimes-repetitive tests and bug isolation.

– Ability to quickly learn new software tools.

– Knowledge of current generation games and hardware.

– Knowledge and use of mobile platforms (such as iOS and Android)

– Previous experience of software testing (including mobile and/or social games)

Desirable additional Skills/Experience:

– Experience of software testing on several different titles.

– Familiarity with testing on the iOS and Android platforms.

– Experience in using bug-tracking and test management tools.

– Experience testing in an Agile environment.

– Understanding of and design of Test Cases.

-Working knowledge of a programming or scripting languages

You can apply HERE.

Train2Game News: Eurogamer 2012 Video

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At the end of September Train2Game were at Eurogamer held in London’s Earls Court.

Below is the video from the event which has interviews with several students talking about their experiences with Train2Game and the Microsoft world record winning Game Jam.

Train2Game News: Sam Hawkins talks to Train2Game Radio

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Sam Hawkins, level designer for Derp Studios spoke to me about his life and where he wants to go with his career.

You can listen to the interview here: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1073130-train2game-student-sam-hawkins-talks-to-mark-on-t2g-radio

Or read the transcript below:

Hi, I’m Sam Hawkins. I’m from Chelmsford, Essex and I am on the Designer Course.

What’s your story Sam, what are the past experiences that have shaped your life?
Well starting from the beginning, I used to do a lot of Bmxing back in my original home town of Dagenham. It was a big group of us that used to do it, we used to go around streets of Dagenham and Romford, originally just around Essex at first, just doing street Bmxing.  Eventually we just started getting around the UK, it was really good fun. After that, I moved to Chelmsford, where I am now where I did a bit of college for a year, doing Engineering. After that I took a real passion for music, it was relit from school. Music has always been a passion of mine and I played drums for a rock band for about 2 or 3 years. Then I found this course and I’ve been doing this ever since.

You’re also the main level designer for Derp Studios, had you done much level design before that?
Prior to the Game Jam that we had last year, no. None at all I have kind of just taken to it really well, it’s like finding my calling.

Do you think that’s what you are going to go on to in the industry its self. You want to aim for more level design stuff?
Yeah 100%.

Do you think that stems from your Engineering in college?
Possibly, yeah.  When I was doing Engineering at college it was drummed into me that everything I made was 100% perfect. I loved the feeling of actually building something and getting my hands in to it. I’ve always admired the way levels have been played out in front of me, how they’ve been designed or engineered. I think it’s fascinating.

So out of all the things you’ve done with the Bmxing and everything like that, what do you thinks the most dramatic or exciting thing you have done through your life?
Being in the band, prior to The Gadget Show that was in the beginning of this year that was the pinnacle of what I have been doing so far. Before that it was being in the band. At one point we actually got signed for a little bit.

How’s Dire Consequences doing on the iOS store now?
I think it’s doing OK, It’s been received quite well. We actually do have a patch coming out for it very soon, to add new levels. There’s also been a lot of people giving us some really good feedback, some really good creative criticism, that we can take from and build on it.

Yeah, so are you happy with the game then and how it’s all turned out?
Yeah I am. It’s been really good fun working for it, also stressful at the same time, as most projects probably will be.

So how does it feel to be published?
It’s fantastic, it’s absolutely fantastic! I couldn’t believe it when I heard it

Do you think it will open up your gaming prospects and your prospects for your career and everything?
Oh definitely.  When you look at applying for a job in the industry, a lot of people want Designers or Programmers or whatever to have experience. With this behind my belt it is going to be a lot easier if I do venture out to look at other studios.

What’s your big game plan for the future Sam?
For the time being I am just concentrating on getting the course done and a lot of portfolio work that needs doing. Other than that I am going to be working for Derp Studios for a lot longer, get as many games under my belt as I can and really try and establish ourselves as a company as well. If we can do that and be really successful then I’ll just take it from there really! I may venture off into a much bigger studio but at the moment I’ll stay with Derp.

Well I think that’s all we’ve got time for today Sam, so thank you very much!
Thank you very much for your time Mark. Thank you

Cheers Buddy
Bye