Aardvark Swift

Breaking into the Games Industry

Agenda

• Introduction to Aardvark Swift• Developer Survey• The Recruitment Process• Maximising your chances• Q+A

Aardvark Swift

• Established 1989

• Games industry specialist

• UK and overseas

• Graduate to board level

• All disciplines of games development covered

Who we work with...

Developer Survey

• UK Development Studios Polled

• 40 leading studios took part

• Kuju, Codemasters, Blitz, Ubisoft, Rebellion, Relentless, Bizarre Creations and more.

Developer Survey

What are the top 5 skills you look for in graduate programmers?

Number 1 Answer

C++

• Top ranked skill for 33 / 40 studios• 2nd most important for 3 studios• 3rd most important for 1 studio• 4th most important for 2 studios

Number 2 Answer

Maths

• Top ranked skill for 3 studios• 2nd most important skill for 15 studios• Well over half the studios felt it was crucial• Core maths, 3d maths, Algebra,

Trigonometry, Vector Maths, Algorithm design

Number 3 Answer

Problem Solving Ability

Other Notable AnswersMemory AllocationDe bugging skills

People who develop games in their spare timeSTL / UML

Open GL / Direct X AI

Rendering techniques C

C# Optimization

Communication / Team working

Where do graduates go wrong?

• Poor grasp of C++• Math's• Weakness on Object Oriented

Methods• Communication

Qualifications

As a studio on a scale of 1 – 10 how importantly do you rate qualifications when deciding whether to interview / offer?

6.75 / 10

Demo

As a studio on a scale of 1 – 10 how importantly do you rate qualifications when deciding whether to interview / offer?

7.75 / 10

Graduate Training

• 32 / 40 trained graduates on the job

• Average time taken for a graduate to be productive - 6 to 12 months

CV

• Crucial in getting you noticed

• Judged very quickly

• Ideal length - 2 Pages

Structure

• Introduction• Skill Section• Education• Employment• Hobbies and interests

Demo

• Technical Level• Programming Skills • Sets you apart• Invest the time now.

Checklist

• Test it on different spec PC’s• Min. System/software requirements• Non Standard Dll’s included• Are the controls obvious?• Does it quit cleanly• Source code included – well

documented? • You Tube video

Applications

• First job is hardest to get • Flexibility is the key• Location• Project• Could an agency help?

Agencies• Try to choose a specialist• Ask them about their track record at

graduate level• Make sure they are open about

where your CV will be sent• Only use a maximum or 1 or 2 at a

time • Keep in contact

Interview

• Varies from company to company• Face to face interview• Technical questions• Your demo• Interest in the games industry• Games you play• Test (code or maths)

Salary Negotiation

• Junior Programmer £18k - £22k• Experienced Programmer £25k –

£35k+• Senior Programmer £33k – £40k+• Lead Programmer £35k - £50k+• Technical Director £45k - £70k+

• Aardvark Swift, Relentless Software and Develop Magazine

• Showcase for most promising graduate of the year

• 1st stage – programming test• 2nd stage – programming assignment• 3rd stage – panel interview

• Excellent practise for real life applications

• Prize – a Develop Award

Email : hollie@aswift.com 01709 876 877