Games, Film and Animation students at BCU have the exciting opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of their studies. Work placements are a great way of gaining real industry experience before graduating and making you stand out in the job market. We caught up with BA (Hons) Video Game Digital Art student, Emily Evans, who told us all about her placement at game development studio, Games Interactive.
What company did you do your placement with?
I did my work placement with Games Interactive, a small game development studio, founded in May 2020, and based in Birmingham. They specialise in the development of multi-player online games for PC, mobile, and VR.
What did your placement involve?
I was given full asset packs and asked to design levels for their game, Siege Worlds. This involved me coming up with different ways of storytelling through props and solidified my knowledge of Modular Environments. Every Monday, I had a progress meeting where we’d discuss what I had achieved and what was expected of me the following week.
What was the most valuable thing you learned?
It was interesting understanding what is required of a technical artist to help bring the art and code elements together. The importance of positioning certain props within a game, such as trees, has a real impact on the code used in the game. These were things that, up until my placement, I hadn’t really thought about.
Did you face any significant challenges during your placement?
All games require some form of engine to run, with the two main industry standards being Unreal or Unity. In my course, we focus our attention on Unreal, as it's the most user-friendly for Video Game Artists and generally provides the best-looking game assets. Games Interactive used Unity as their chosen engine, and at first I was concerned I might not be able to transfer my skills. After being given my own copy of the game and the freedom to try out new techniques, I quickly learnt how to use Unity as well. It was a learning curve, but it reinforced the value of the transferrable skills I had developed on my course.
What was the highlight of your placement?
Definitely getting to see my level designs come to life in a working pre-alpha of the game. Having made a Modular Environment during my first year, it was interesting to see how it would work in industry. The variations that you can achieve with the same pieces are astounding and thoroughly enjoyable. I knew I wanted to go into Environment Art before, but my work placement solidified it for me. I don't think creating virtual worlds for people to enjoy could ever be boring!
How did BCU help you in undertaking your placement?
My course modules were very helpful in securing my placement and the coursework that I was able to produce displayed a variety of capabilities that were all relevant to the industry.
Do you think your placement has benefitted your career prospects?
I am currently working part-time with Games Interactive and have been offered a full-time position once I graduate. Working at the same time as completing university assignments is hard, but completely doable, and knowing that I have a job at the end of my degree is really reassuring. The Video Games industry isn’t always easy to break into, so being given the opportunity to gain real work experience has been great.
Do you have any advice for students considering a work placement or wanting to pursue a career in Games, Film and Animation?
For a work placement, my advice would be to make sure that it is relevant to what you want to do when you graduate and ask as many questions as you can. You’re there to learn and improve.
In terms of career, I would advise to maintain a professional social media presence on Instagram and LinkedIn. Companies may not always have positions open to apply for, but if someone is scrolling and sees something you've done that they like, there is a good chance they will contact you – that’s exactly what happened with me!