Week Nineteen Task

‘Whether you're an industry n00b looking for your 1st fantastic job or a jaded veteran in need of a jumpstart, we're interested in talking to you.’ - Big Huge Games—Timonium, MD, USA (Advert for Senior/Lead Artist on Gamasutra)

The way in which Job Adverts are composed varies across the different websites I have looked at. I found that the adverts on Gamasutra were very informal, there didn’t seem to be many qualifications required and they were mostly situated in the USA and Canada. Another website I looked at was Datascope. Most of the Adverts on Datascope are much more detailed, they ask for qualifications, and are situated in various locations in the UK and other places in the world. OPM is another good site for jobs based mainly in the UK. The layout of the site is very efficient, and the job descriptions have a good amount of detail.

I think doing a degree would highly benefit the individual and the industry they are entering. This is because you can learn important skills and gain experience, which means you will require little training upon entering a job saving time and money for the company. On the other hand, if you manage to get into the industry with no degree, then you obviously a keen interest in your chosen field, and have put a lot of personal time into your work.

Our Game Art Design course works closely with the industry. As well as expanding our knowledge we get to share our interests with others. Nurturing this interest will ensure a better performance in the work place, as employees will enjoy their work more and be more productive as a result.

Week Eighteen Task

Thinking about sound in games instantly conjures thoughts of memorable soundtracks e.g. final fantasy. Although this is an aspects of sound being used in games, it is definitely not the most important one.

Sound is necessary to create a realistic environment for the player using things like footsteps or dripping taps. This will help the player to understand and imagine the kind of place they are in, what materials are there and how large a space is. Another vital way in which sound is used is to create mood. Certain noises can be used to stimulate emotions to create fear, happiness, anger, tension etc. Sound can be used to manipulate the player into feeling something or believing something.

Mark Knight is an electric violinist. He has worked on and off for EA and done some freelance work. Nobuo Uematsu will probably get mentioned in most peoples Blogs, he composed music for Squaresoft's Final Fantasy series.

I never payed much attention to the sound used in games, in the same way i don't pay much attention to it in reality. A footstep is a footstep, you take in these things subconsciously. The knowledge of your surroundings through sounds comes subconsciously. I enjoy listening to music, but i never analyse it too deeply because it spoils the magic. Recently i have started to focus more on the music in a game, and how it is affecting me as a player. I have realised that sound doesn't need to be a noticeable aspect of a game, if it blends subtly with other elements of the gameplay then it has been executed correctly.