WEBVTT

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Was there a pivotal
moment that made

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you decide to take this course
or pursue a job in games?

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Everybody has to
start somewhere.

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I started at the
XX plus Game Jam

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in Bristol, which is
where I met my teammate.

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And after a 24-hour
game jam, our game

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won Audience Choice
Award, which meant

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it was the game people most
wanted to see finished.

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And that's how I became
an indie game developer.

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Here are some other developers
talking about a pivotal moment

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that got them into games.

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Well, firstly I did
a summer internship

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at a software company.

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And I just got to realise,
that's not what I want to do.

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Yeah, I want to
make games, I want

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to make things I care about.

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I want to take part
in a competition

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and get into the finals, which
involves an interview, a panel

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interview with people
from different companies,

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including here.

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Yeah, I don't think there was a
pivotal moment where I thought

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I would get into industry.

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It was more like lots of
different events that kind

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of occurred where I realised it
was a career I could go into.

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Because I don't know about you
guys, but for me, it was like,

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is this even a
viable career option?

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Are there a lot of
jobs for it in the UK?

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Like, are we able to go into it?

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Do I need a degree?

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Do I need this special thing?

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Do I need to have gone
to a certain school?

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Also for me, it was
kind of the realisation

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that these games are
created by someone.

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They don't just magically
appear, you know?

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Someone has to make them.

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And you're seeing that, yeah, it
is a career that people can do.

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I got a call to say there
was an interview at Gremlin

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interactive, who were a
video games developer.

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The idea of working in video
games really excited me.

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It was something that
I'd never done before.

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So really, there
wasn't a pivotal moment

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of getting into
games, but I suppose

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the bigger question is,
that's why I've stayed

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in games for such a long time.

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You know, for me, video
games, it's not a job,

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it's more a way of life.

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I was very fortunate
in that there

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was a team within the company
that needed a producer.

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And I wasn't a producer,
but they needed a person

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and they knew that I
was a good cultural fit.

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So I was given this
terrifying opportunity

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to run a project myself.

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And I decided to
just say yes to that.

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When I graduated, I worked
for an advertising agency.

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And I found the way
they worked and working

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with clients quite depressing
and slightly soul-destroying

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for myself.

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So I set up an
independent game studio

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because I found the
freedom I had was brilliant

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compared to that.

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So I wanted to
continue doing that.

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I saw a job advert
for a map builder.

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And I thought it would be
using my AutoCAD skills

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and so I turned
up to the company.

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And it turned out to
be a games company.

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And they were creating
Train Simulator.

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And I ended up placing trees.

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I tried to go into the film
and TV industry thinking that

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would be a great combination
of sort of creativeness

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and my love of organising
things as well.

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And it wasn't really until I was
working at the BBC as a project

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manager as well that I realised
that film and TV wasn't going

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to happen.

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I didn't really
know how to get in.

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And so I just decided to
switch my focus to games.

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And everything sort of just
clicked into place after that.

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If you're just setting out
on a path and thinking maybe

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it's for you, then the
key to it is research.

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I think you need
to understand how

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games are made,
what types of people

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make the games, what
skills are required,

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whether that's art
skills, whether it's

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programming skills, whether
it's being a producer.

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Try and find out what
the different roles

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are within the industry.

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Then you need to look
at your educational path

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because there definitely
needs to be one.

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It is a tough
industry to get into.

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You do need to get
qualified in different ways

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and you do need to
learn lots of skills

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to get to the different roles.

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The industry is so competitive.

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There are so many
graduates every year

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looking for an opportunity
to get into games.

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My advice would be, do
your best to stand out.

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Go for it.

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It's not as daunting
as it seems.

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Yeah.

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I think I have to take
active participation in it.

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You have to be persistent.

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Definitely let your passion
translate into actively getting

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involved in the games industry.

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You know, speaking to people,
reaching out on LinkedIn.

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Really try and make as
many contacts as you can,

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as many things as you can do
sort of like outside of looking

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for work.

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Getting involved in
communities, doing game jams,

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and really try and
demonstrate your passion

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and your want to get into games.

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And as much as you
can do outside,

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that will always, always
stand you in good stead.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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