Feature: 'What Game Companies Want From Graduates'

Author: by Beth A.

Game education site Game Career Guide has a new feature talking to recruiters from notable game companies like EA, Insomniac Games, and THQ about the best university courses and qualifications for getting hired to be a game developer. In it, there's plenty of relevant feedback, with the following exchange illustrating some of the issues at play in the game school market at current: "EA's Colleen McCreary notes that she feels "not all students are suited for the traditional academic experience and it's nice for those students to have options," though adds that EA encourages students "to pursue more traditional academic degrees that allow for an emphasis on game development." She also comments of the rise of some TV-advertised mass market 'game schools': "Our concern with for-profit institutions is that students may not learn the fundamental the tools for understanding and solving complex issues," she says. "We are most likely to hire someone who has a BFA or MFA from a traditional art college and a BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science for our entry level artist and software engineer positions."" In addition, Insomniac's Angela Baker also weighed in on ways that they recruit developers: "According to Baker, one of the most important qualities for a graduate applicant to have when applying for work at Insomniac is "talent." Like THQ, the company place ads for entry level positions on their website, as well as "reaching out to the schools," as a way of reaching the most promising candidates. "Talent is talent," she reiterates. "I would hate to think that we are passing up someone fantastic because they are new to the video games industry. We have all our candidates that we are interested in take a test, and that tends to equalize the playing field. An applicant's skills are going to be on display, not a fancy resume. Of course though nothing is better than actual studio experience - so internships are always a great way to start. That is why Insomniac offers a summer internship program." You can now read the full Game Career Guide feature on the subject, with more from notable HR professionals on what they look for when hiring into the game industry (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).