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visual effects (VFX), management, music, art, Course leaders will also want to see evidence command around £55,000 whilst entry-level 2D or 3D; or have a wider skill set that includes
and design. of your interest prior to admitting you onto a positions like Quality Assurance Technicians are design and animation.
The video game industry includes the design, development, marketing, and degree course or apprenticeship; so don’t wait paid an average of £14,000.
sales of video games and interactive experiences across all digital platforms 14% of employees entered the industry through Experience is an important step in starting
to start building your skills and networks.
vocational or alternative non-degree routes but Choose a game industry career that you will your career; read trade magazines, enter
from arcade machines to computers, home and handheld consoles, mobiles less than 1% entered industry as an apprentice. love and that is well suited to your skills competitions, attend events, and join forums.
and tablets, along with new technologies like virtual reality (VR). Video Game industry apprenticeships are currently Game Industry Skills and Jobs because you will most likely be working long Being part of a creative community will help you
games are one of the UK’s most important creative industries worth over in development and are likely to become The skills needed to work in the game industry hours (average 44 hours pw); doing something to find opportunities to gain experience and to
£4 billion in annual consumer spend. increasingly popular with employers. are broad and varied, with large and small that you will enjoy and can stay focused on is develop and showcase your skills
development studios needing different skills to crucial. The better you become at whatever you (try hiive.co.uk).
The course you choose will need to be industry
UK Game Industry Who Works in Games? relevant. Creative Skillset’s ‘Tick’ recognises publishers or distributors. do, the greater your earning potential will be.
Be enterprising. You could get a customer
The UK game industry dates back to the 1970s It is estimated that 30,000 people work in the university courses that have demonstrated their In general, the smaller the studio the broader instead of getting a job. There are lots of ways
when home computers were first introduced; UK game industry across roles in development, relevance to industry (www.creativeskillset.org/
Getting Started in the Industry to use your skills as a freelancer, sole trader or
the set of skills that you will need because
since then is has grown into a multi-billion publishing and retail; approximately 5,000 courses); but whichever route you are planning employees often fulfil a range of jobs which Most game jobs have several levels of seniority, start-up; so don’t overlook setting up
pound sector that is one of the fastest growing people are employed in the mobile app to follow, look into the destinations of other might include design, programming, or even for example, programming roles may include: by yourself.
in the UK economy, growing by 7% each year. development sector alone. students who have taken that route before (sites production. The more responsibilities a single • junior programmer (entry level)
like Linked-In or hiive.co.uk can help). If those person has, the broader the set of skills,
More than 33 million people play video games The game industry has the youngest workforce • programmer
you are following are employed in the kind of knowledge, and experience they require, but
in the UK, with 57% of us engaging in some in the creative media sector with 68% of
86%
jobs that interest you, then you are probably on • senior programmer
way. Girls are just as keen to play as boys with employees under 35 years (79% for women), also the more scope they will have to develop
the right track. new skills and impact on the game as a whole. • principal programmer (technical)
more than 43% of players being female. The compared with 35% of the UK workforce as
• lead programmer (scheduling/production)
Of workforce
££
growth of mobile applications (apps) and new a whole. In a larger game development company, job
There is also a wide range of specialisms within
technologies like VR, have increased the range
and popularity of games worldwide.
The sector is increasingly diverse with 29%
£34,000 roles tend to be more specific like 3D Artist,
Shading, or Animation. Employers will want you each field like character, environment, and have degrees
of current Higher Education games course
texturing artists who may specialise further in
Where is the UK Game Industry?
students being female and 22% from a BAME
background.
Average to excel at something that they really need done
well, so don’t spread your skills too broadly and
The video game industry is flourishing across the
In 2014 permanent staff accounted for 84% of
Income keep developing your main areas of expertise.
UK with around 2,000 companies engaged in Roles in business management, publishing,
Looking for Further Advice?
jobs, with freelancing lower than in any other
development, publishing, and distribution. 95% and distribution require administration, legal, If the game industry sounds like the perfect career for you, there is a lot more information
creative media sector just at 16%.
of companies are micro or small businesses with Develop Yourself finance, marketing, and sales skills in place online, these websites are a great place to start:
50 or less employees. of the technical and artistic skills demanded
Getting Qualified & Choosing the Whichever route you choose to follow, Creative Skillset, the creative industries skills body & Tick accreditation:
More than half of the UK game industry developing your skills, experiences, and in development. Game companies are rarely
Right Course conventional corporate workplaces, so they can
http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games
(54%) is located in London and the South networks will be just as important as gaining
East, but the Midlands, North of England and The game industry has a highly qualified qualifications. be a great place to grow your career, no matter BAFTA Games Guru website: http://guru.bafta.org/skills/games
Scotland are also major centres, and there are workforce with 86% holding a degree. Of these what interests or expertise you may have.
49% hold a creative media related degree and Game designers, artists, and programmers UKIE – The UK Interactive Entertainment trade body: www.ukie.org.uk @iamdavegray
also high concentrations (20+ companies) in
29% hold a post-graduate qualification. can start honing their skills from an early age
Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff, Surrey, Liverpool,
through the wide availability of free industry-
What do Game Employees Earn? TIGA – The Interactive Games Association: www.tiga.org
Manchester, Oxford, Sheffield, and Warwickshire. More than 60 UK universities/colleges provide The average pay across the game industry is Thanks to: Alex Darby and Marcia Deakin
standard software like the Unity and Unreal NextGen – The NextGen Skills Academy, courses and apprenticeships:
undergraduate video game courses (+40 game engines. These enable you to develop and at just over £34,000, however, there are wide www.nextgenskillsacademy.com Commissioned by Yen Yau. Funded by the Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund, as part of A Bigger Future
masters level courses), with more than 3,000
30,000 share your creations through forums, blogs and variations depending on job role and level of 2, a response to the Next Gen Report (a review of the skills needs of the UK’s video games and visual
students studying game related courses video sharing sites. seniority. Lead programmers regularly earn Game Dev Map, shows games development companies around the world effects industries).
each year. above £50,000, those leading design, art or and whether they are hiring: http://www.gamedevmap.com
Employed in Other qualifications common in the game
All employers will want to see a portfolio of
animation earn an average of £36,000, and
Skills Fusion is a VFX careers outreach programme funded by the Creative Skillset Film Skills Fund
your work or examples of code that you have London Creative Edge, free software list: www.theedge.london/resources
this sector industry include computer programming/ written in addition to your qualifications.
senior producers can earn in excess of £50,000. Statistics courtesy of Creative Skillset and UKIE
computer science, physics, maths, animation, Specialist roles like audio programming Follow us on Twitter: @intofilm_edu & @getintofilm Original concept © 2016 Ian Murphy and Allan Burrell. Additional design by Dave Gray. All rights reserved.