Monday 29 March
The Grads In Games Student Conference is back for 2021 as part of Games Careers Week, with a lineup packed with games professionals talking to you about life in the games industry!
Including in-depth discussion on what first roles are really like, how future game technology will influence the skills you need, glimpses behind the scenes on how leading games are made, and how to develop and improve your own ideas and approaches towards game development.
Conference Schedule
10:00: Welcome to the Grads In Games Conference! Grads In Games Team
10.15: The Art of Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout! Alexander McKinney-Raphelt, Art Director, Mediatonic
This keynote orbits around the process of visual development for FallGuys: Ultimate Knockout – The different stages of ideation, our approach to concept art, 3D, and VFX, and nourishing those ideas to ultimately become a big fat global phenomenon.
11.00: An insight into developing a career in the games industry – Jessie Thomson, Animation Programmer, Cloud Imperium Games
In this talk I follow my journey from university graduate through to animation programmer at Cloud Imperium Games. I aim to offer my personal insight and knowledge from my experiences that have helped me along the way.
11.45: Impostor Syndrome – Infiltrating the Workplace – Zoe Sams, Tools Programmer, Rockstar North
Your first day at work can be a daunting experience. An estimated 70% of us will experience Impostor Syndrome at some point during our professional lives, but very few of us talk about it. Zoë Sams goes over her path into the games industry, her first day in the office, and combatting impostor syndrome in the workplace.
12.30: Create the perfect CV for the Games Industry – Andy Driver, Operations Manager, Grads In Games
Andy takes you on a masterclass on creating the type of CV that will help you get in the door of a games studio, based directly on what studios are looking for. We’ve worked with hundreds of studios (and seen many thousands of CVs…) over the years, so this is a great insight into how to maximise your approach when applying for games industry jobs.
13.30: Unreal for next generation gaming – Mark Flanagan, Education Partner Manager, Epic Games
Looking at how the latest advances in realtime technology in the Unreal Engine will influence game development.
14.15: Conscious Character Design – Lucy Kyriakidou, Art Director + Freelance Artist
Lucy will break down her character design process and provide practical advice to improve as an artist while exploring important steps of concept art and visual storytelling. The talk will also introduce ways to diversify your work and build a character design portfolio.
15.00: Finding the Fun without Falling Flat! – Sitara Shefta, Head of Studio, No Brakes Games
Sitara will discuss different processes and experiences she’s encountered working on games including Human: Fall Flat, to make the best player experiences. This talk will include key tips for best processes to use and learnings from her career.
15.45: The Creative Process – Fawzi Mesmar, Head of Design, EA DICE
The talk tries to describe what are ideas, where do they come from, how can we come up with better ideas and what is originality and how can we become more original in creating video games and present key ways to become more creative in our work.
16.30: The importance of soft skills and how they are strengthened through diversity – Hannah Bradshaw, Senior Production Coordinator, Rockstar Games
The gaming industry can sometimes feel like a very hard skill focused workplace. Hannah will talk about the importance of soft skills and how working and networking with a diverse group of people can improve those skills.
17.15: How to create a perfect animation showreel – Diana Donado & Chris Tuck, Animation Director & Junior Animator, Starbreeze Studios
In this talk you will learn the steps and work needed in order to make a good animation showreel, from both the perspective of a successful candidate as well as an experienced hiring manager.
18.00: The power of networking & an insight to starting your own indie games venture – Orthors Team
Discussing the importance of being confident in your skills, identity & narrative you want to portray, also how to creatively think outside the box when showcasing your content or games. Furthermore the impact of creating a space for people to enjoy and learn about different gaming experiences.
18.45: Conference Review & Chat – Grads In Games Team
19.00: Close