COMPANY: PlayGen
TITLE: Lead Programmer
As a technical directory in a games company, my job is to manage teams of people who are responsible for creating the game. In my case, the job involves quite a bit of coding and structuring of an application. Often we are given designs and artworks from other departments in the company, and we have to bring those artworks to life. It’s a very rewarding feeling to watch a character go from design, through conceptual artwork and finally onto your screen as a character or feature of a game. In essence we are creating the behaviours and gameplay of the application.
RELATED DEGREE:
I got an Honours degree in Computer Game Programming at the University of Derby.
WORK EXPERIENCE:
To get this job, I have been very active in the programming community. When I was younger I took an interest in ‘modding’ already existing games, then later started teaching myself to program. I later went to Derby University to improve my coding skills further. I took an interest in 3D art and most importantly how to bring it to life. I worked very hard at university and created a lot of exposure for myself. I was in the Times magazine for my efforts and created a few small games to get my employers interested in what i had to bring to the company.
SKILLS REQUIRED:
You need to be eager to learn new things, and have an ability to adapt quite quickly. It’s always good to have a degree under your belt as well ;)
BENEFITS OF THE JOB:
You get to work in a very creative field for one... PlayGen has been a great experience because I have been exposed to so many interesting and diverse subjects. As a programmer you have the great fun of bringing programs to life.
CAREER GOALS:
To learn as much as I can – and to hopefully run my own company one day.