Finding a Role
In doing a degree in Games Design, I learned of the many industry standard roles that exist within the industry. I found that my skills excelled most in the “UI Designer” role. From here, I began to look for specific opportunities for my placement year that would allow be to gain valuable experience.
The search for a UI role in placement specifically is hard, as while there is no shortage of jobs available, many of the UI roles are for software development outside of games. However, I decided to anchor my research to a role in King, specifically their listing as a “UI Art Intern”. I chose them because of their colourful, vibrant style that their games hold, and their commitment to a supportive culture of workplace equality.
Cover Letter
My cover letter then centered around my knowledge of this. I consulted various examples and advice on the specifics of structuring a cover letter in Games Design.
From Indeed, a well-known job listing website, I learned the best way to structure the letter. One takeaway I found was that mentioning experience is only relevant if you use that experience to link to how you are qualified, in place of just randomly stating something you've made. I also consulted our course's presentation on tips for this cover letter, such as bringing where they can find more information about you to light, as well as describing what you, as a developer, can offer the employer. I also consulted a family member who reads CVs as a job, and they offered me advice on both wording and format, encouraging me to leave an address at the top and helping me avoid some awkward wording, having it so the viewer is able to comprehend it naturally.
Before actually writing my cover letter, I decided to structure it into five parts, the introduction of myself, my relation to the company, my project experience, my game jam experience, and signing off. I was careful not to mention things that were already listed in my CV without elaborating on them.
CV
For my CV, I wanted it to be clear and concise. I first researched what others have said before about Game Design CVs.
First of all, a reddit user broke down the way to write a resume and the hurdles that come with it. They mentioned the importance of keywords and making a completely perfect impression through a limited amount of space. Additionally, they also talked about how "less is more", and holding out on unnecessary sections that can either be condensed into other sections or with there being no reason to mention them at all is an important thing. The post can be here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/1httlq/breaking_into_game_design_part_4_write_your_resume/
I took this to heart in my CV, and instead opted to create a CV that conveys information easily, including a summary, the projects I've worked on, what I'm proficient in, my education and my contact details. Additionally, I included Game Jams under a separate heading in order to make the document easier to read and not have to squeeze a large amount of information under a single heading.
Business Card
In designing a business card, I found it important to look at how others in the industry made them. I found one showcased by "Thomas Wolfe", in which he used Pixel Art and a pixel-reminiscent font in order to theme his card around Game Development.
Being someone in a Design oriented role, I took inspiration and did the same. I decided to put my name on the front, and information on the back.
I had to mess around with the font and colours quite a bit so it was readable, but I feel the final product was both clear and had a nice theming.
Portfolio
In creating my portfolio, I made sure to reference industry standard portfolios in the place of going in myself. The first portfolio I took inspiration from was Chau Ho. Their portfolio on the opening page gives a clear and concise view at all the project's they've worked on. This is through the clear-cut view of a header, before giving an overview below and providing media relating to that project such as screenshots or a trailer, so the viewer doesn't have to look at a different page just to view content from that came.
https://www.chauhogamedesigner.com
Additionally, I looked at Mathias Takacs's Design Portfolio, and was impressed at how his front page immediately shows his design work with nothing intercepting it, so that any potential viewer doesn't have to look through pages to find his work. The clear presentation of this acted as inspiration in making my portfolio accessible for anyone who simply opens the page and wants to see my work.
https://www.squashandstretch.org
In making my portfolio itself, I made sure to showcase front and center the games I've made and what I've done for them, and allow the viewer to easily access these pages without having to go through the Portfolio subpage. I also made sure to give an overview about what I did for the project on the opening page.
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