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Hi, I’m a 5th year student in the south-east of Ireland who’s interested in getting into the computer games in Ireland and, as part of my LCVP course, I need to interview someone in the gaming industry.
So if any of the programmers on here could spare 5-10 minutes to post up some replys I would really appriciate it.What qualifications are needed to work in this industry?
What colleges offer good courses/Which college did you attend?
What is the training like(project intensive? etc.)?
How are you paid(hourly, based on performance, etc.)?
How much should a new entry into this industry expect to earn?
How much would this usually rise to after how many years?
What are the holidays like?
What are the job prospects like nationally/internationally?
Description of a typical days work:
What tasks do you carry out?
What areas are you responsible for?
What type of person would be good at this kind of work?
Thanks in advance.
BTW, mods, if this is in the wrong section feel free to move it. -
Sure thing dude i can fill this out for ya once i get a few moments later on this evening.
As for commenting on working in the Irish industry I can’t but I can tell you the difference between working in the UK and Canadian industries and give ya some background of each.
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Cheers mate, I really appriciate it.
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What qualifications are needed to work in this industry?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
You could get a degree in a computer games course but I would recommend that you get a BSc. in Computer Science or a similar course. If you want to increase your chances, you could follow on with a PgDip/MSc in a related course, possibly specialised in games here.What colleges offer good courses/Which college did you attend?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
I couldn’t answer that now as I graduated a while ago. I received a BSc in Computer Applications from DCU and a PgDip in Computer Games from the University of Abertay.What is the training like(project intensive? etc.)?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
Referring to the university? Both courses were project intensive but also had a stress on report writing and gaining a good understand of theories and good practices.How are you paid(hourly, based on performance, etc.)?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
Pay is an annual salary.How much should a new entry into this industry expect to earn?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
That’s a hard question to answer, as it should be based more on location that anything else I think. I would imagine that if a junior coder in the UK would start earning around 20K, maybe more if you were in London. Not sure what I would expect in Ireland at the moment.How much would this usually rise to after how many years?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
Another difficult question, that would depend on location, company and other perks and the position you are looking to evolve into. I would imagine a senior coder should be earning 30K+ in the UK.What are the holidays like?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
Same as any other job, it’s a legal right.What are the job prospects like nationally/internationally?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
Job prospects in Ireland aren’t great. I’ve stopped looking and have settled in the UK. There are lots of jobs in the UK, the rest of Europe and further afield ( USA / Japan / Australia )Description of a typical days work:
What tasks do you carry out?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
I spend a lot of my day tracking an co-ordinating work for my code team. A couple of meetings during the week coordinating with production and other leads to ensure everyone is working together in the best way. When I get time at my desk, its usually spent either help document something and finally getting to do coding. I try to get to do some coding each week, else you start to miss it.What areas are you responsible for?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
My responsibility is now to keep an eye on the multi-player side of the game we’re going on. I keep track of the work and ensure that everything is on track and flag any issues that the team may have. I now try to not take responsibility for critical features as I can’t devote full time to them and delegate these tasks. Previous to this, my role was that of a general dogs-body, turning my hand to anything that needed doing, tending towards working on game-play related code.What type of person would be good at this kind of work?[/quote:f7b193c5b6]
Someone who is hard working and not afraid of a challenge. You need to be able to work well with others but also and very importantly be able to work on your own when the need arises. A good understanding of code and how to work fast and smart. And probably most importantly, adaptable to any change that arises.Hope that helps.
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Cheers mate.
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Hi, I’m a 5th year student in the south-east of Ireland who’s interested in getting into the computer games in Ireland and, as part of my LCVP course, I need to interview someone in the gaming industry.
So if any of the programmers on here could spare 5-10 minutes to post up some replys I would really appriciate it.What qualifications are needed to work in this industry?
Well to be a programmer.Typically a degree or 3rd level educational background in Computer Science, Engineering, Maths or Physics.
What colleges offer good courses/Which college did you attend?
Dunno much about them these days. I did a BSc in Computer Science and a MSc in Computer Science. Both at U.C.C.
What is the training like(project intensive? etc.)?
Its your typical Comp Sci course. Lots of programming, computer architecture, algorithms, maths, problem solving, group projects etc.
How are you paid(hourly, based on performance, etc.)?
Paid like any other job. Monthly salary with performance bonuses and completion bonuses, depending on the studio/publisher and game your on.
How much should a new entry into this industry expect to earn?
In the UK in or around 20K slightly more in Canada/US if your eligible to work there. Typically, the companies in these countries will not take ppl from abroad fresh out of college, you’ll need a few shipped titles and some experience in your field. If you are eligible then you can apply for their internships etc.
How much would this usually rise to after how many years?
Depends on location and your personal skill. I’ve found typically the better the candidate the more they can earn regardless of location (within reason). Also salaries tend to be much higher in North America compared to Europe as IMO its a profession which commands alot more respect than it typically gets in Europe. I.e. You will always find fan boys who will do the job for peanuts, so why would you pay anymore, which is somewhat frustrating for everyone else. In my experience though you get what you pay for. So in conclusion if you work hard the money can be as good as most i.t. jobs these days.
What are the holidays like?
Same as any other job, although you typically get more in Europe (avg 25 + xmas), North America (15 + xmas).
What are the job prospects like nationally/internationally?
Very good. With experience in games you can pretty much get a job anywhere you want ( providing your very skilled in your area and visa’s arent a problem for them to acquire for you). USA is tricky as a foreigner, but Canada is very welcoming providing you have a number of years experience and a good degree. I would highly recommend working internationally if your up for it. You get to work with alot of new people, learn how things are done differently to Europe (pro/cons of course), maybe even learn/improve on a language or two.
Description of a typical days work:
Prior to Ubisoft I was a generalist system programmer. Writing low-level systems for PC/PS3/360. Covering everything from save/load systems, graphics, input systems, file systems, compression, shader effects, UI and even game play features/mechanics.
These days I’m a senior game play programmer and spend most of my day writing animation/physics/ai code and some optimization. As well as some other low-level bits and pieces. I work with about 5 other Game play coders and 2 designers. A very talented bunch indeed.
What tasks do you carry out?
Do lots of things in the above areas, luckily I’ve got alot of freedom to pick and choose tasks that interest me and allow me to expand my expertise. Also attend the usual bunch of design/code meetings.
What areas are you responsible for?
Mostly animation and physics.
What type of person would be good at this kind of work?
Someone who’s willing to work very hard. Doesnt give up easily, because its a hard frickin job. Likes to solve problems and someone who likes to do alot of varied work and willing to jump into various areas and make stuff work. Starting out in the industry theres nothing better than a fresh grad who wants to learn to make games (all areas of the code, ui,graphics, systems, networking etc) and every once in a while you get that rockstar grad who actually knows something you dont or presents a new way of approaching a problem.
Hope that helps.
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Thanks again man.
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