Programmers

The demo is a valuable tool and lets you show potential employers your current standard of coding. This is especially important if you are a graduate looking to get your first job in the industry, or a programmer looking to make a move into games from another sector.

Our clients are generally looking for people with strong technical skills, but also a real passion for games. Candidates who have invested time and effort developing their own hobbyist projects carry much more weight than those without.

We have included some general programming demo advice below

1. Which languages and tools should I use?

C/C++ - If you are looking to get into PC or Console development you really need to be able to demonstrate strong C/C++ skills. You can easily get hold of MS Visual C++ and download or order the DirectX SDK (or another compiler and/or OpenGL) and get started. Programming books and websites are great ways to improve your knowledge and get inspiration. You should aim to get your demo to run on a typical Windows PC.

Java - The mobile phone market is becoming increasingly important and offers a great way for people with Java skills to make an impact in the games industry. Learning J2ME and making a small game targeted at mobile phones can be a very good idea.

2. What should my demo consist of?
    
It really is up to you! We have seen great demos that are playable games with several levels, but our clients can be equally impressed with polished graphics simulations with well implemented algorithms or demos of particle effects.

Try to focus on areas that you are interested in - 3D Graphics, Physics, Networking, Tools etc and use your demo to highlight your abilities in your chosen field. If you are stuck for inspiration you could always offer a clone of a classic game, but bear in mind that games companies do see plenty of this type of thing, so you will need to make sure yours stands out.

The main thing to remember is that the company will generally want to see source code. They will be looking for tight, efficient, well documented code from you. Working in a large games development team means you need to be able to work well with other people's code - and most importantly they need to be able to work easily with yours!

Creating a demo with a small team can be a great idea. If you team up with an artist for example you will not get distracted by trying to create artwork for your demo and will be able to focus all of your energies on the code base. If this is not possible try to get textures etc from the web. Remember to make it clear which elements are your own work though.

Things to look out for:-

Does your demo work on PCs with differing specs? Test it on as many machines as possible to make it as bug-free as possible you can.

Someone looking at your demo is likely to be busy - Try to make sure your demo gets their attention straight away. A game could have a demo mode which plays automatically after a few idle seconds on the title or menu screen.

Does it require any non-standard DLLs? If so make sure they are included to make it as easy as possible for the viewer to get it to run.

Does pressing 'Esc' quit cleanly?

Have you supplied a readme file, or instructions within the program? Make sure this covers:-
- How to run / start it
- Any controls that are needed
- Minimum System / software requirements - e.g. does it need a particular type of graphics card?

Art Demos

For all Artists and designers it will significantly enhance your application if you can send samples of your work to accompany your CV. This is the case even with experienced developers.

Typically employers are interested in viewing low poly 3d models (vehicles, inanimate objects, rooms etc), cartoon characters for artists, small pixel texture maps, and any sketches or concept work. Animators should aim for approximately 2 minutes of basic key frame skills (walk cycle) and portray emotion (anger, surprise). 3D Studio Max, Maya and Photoshop are the skills we are most frequently asked for.

One word of advice, try to think of something original to include in your portfolio. Dozens of people each year demonstrate their animation skills by animating a spaceship. Try something a bit trickier such as an animal etc. It is much better to include a small sample of quality work, than lots of average work.

The format of your work is also left open. Some candidates choose to produce a fully interactive CD / DVD with intro’s etc, whereas others will send a CD filled with images / animations.

Upon initial application you may choose to send a zip file containing a small sample of your work to “tantalise” the employer. We can then supplement this by sending across a complete CD. It is fine to keep the CD simple – you could have a series of folders containing work such as; 3d models, animations, 2d work, concepts etc – thus making navigation as simple as possible.

Please clearly mark the packaging of any samples that you submit with your name and contact number so that we can match them with your CV. Generally there is no need to include a CV on your show reel. Also, it would assist us greatly if you would not include your contact details in the content of any images submitted.

Web sites are also acceptable for displaying samples of your work. (Again if possible without contact details on).

How should I present and submit my work?

Our website allows you to upload relatively large files via our intranet system.

If your files are over 20MB You could send them by post Link to contact details