The second in our three-part guide to securing a job in the games industry

Community Editor
A new kind of social networking
Believe it or not, your knowledge of Bebo, Facebook and Twitter could end up helping you get a job as a Community Editor. That’s no excuse to update your status every five seconds, but, as Tom and James from Media Molecule explain, the internet is a great resource for wannabe community editors.

James and Tom are Community Managers for LittleBigPlanet.

Tom
Tom is a community manager at Media Molecule. He has worked in videogames for four years on titles such as City Of Heroes, Guild Wars, Tabula Rasa and LittleBigPlanet.

James
James is also a community manager at Media Molecule. He’s worked in videogames for nine years, first as a QA tester then in content and community roles for Guild Wars, City Of Heroes and Tabula Rasa.

How did you get your job?
James: While working in QA gave me a useful grounding in general games industry know-how, to get my first paid position as a community co-ordinator I impressed mainly with my long history of online community experience. I’ve spent most of my spare time, since the age of 16, building and running fansites, or writing and editing as part of a troupe of online videogames journalist types. I also played games all the time. To get a job at Media Molecule I needed an edge, and it was my work with my buddy Tom on LBP fansite LittleBigPlanetoid that got us in the door!

What skills should a wannabe community manager have?
Tom: Good communication skills. A good knowledge of the games industry and a passion for games will serve you well, too. In addition to this, being aware of current trends in online technologies – both in games and on the web – is important, too.
James: A good knowledge of the internet, how it’s put together and how people use it to shout at one another is very handy. Couple that with some good diplomacy, blogging and a passion for videogames, and you’re done.

If you like blogging, chances are you'll like the role of Community Manager.

How do I get work experience?
James: Do it yourself – join a forum, get involved in a community, start contents, blog news, make a website. Most of the skills involved can be forged at home on your computer. If you aren’t doing these things, someone else will be!
Tom: Get out there and make yourself known, build up contacts and set your sights high.

It’s not all about the money, but what’s the starting salary like?
James: Community roles can differ between companies, and some places pay more than others. I’d say between 18-25K to start with, depending on what the role involves.

Further reading: www.mediamolecule.com

Composer
If you love the sound of music as much as videogames then this could be the job for you

Music is very complex; it adds weight to a scene and emphasises the writer’s vision. Therefore writing music for games involves working closely with the client and following a brief – creating the wrong piece for a title could change the tone of it entirely. If you’re up for the challenge and want to hear your music in your favourite videogame franchise then keep reading.

James Hannigan
James has been a composer for 14 years. His music’s been in various FIFA, Harry Potter and LOTR games, plus Red Alert 3.

… continued

Additional Resources

A roundup of a few handy sites, books and courses to help you with your research…

Useful websites
www.skillset.org/ – Offers career advice, information on the various accredited courses, plus news of government initiatives that may be applicable to the videogames industry.
www.ucas.ac.uk – Here you can search for uni courses and send off your application for processing, too.
www.gamesrecruit.co.uk – It’s an ideal place to start searching for jobs in the industry. Adverts are for employment positions all over the world, and are for both developers and publishers in the videogames industry.
www.datascope.co.uk – Another great website advertising jobs worldwide in videogames, internet and new media.
http://games.ign.com/companies – A database of all the videogames companies, which features a short description of them, plus contact details.
www.gameindustrymap.com – David Perry’s Game Industry Map enables you to type in a game name, press Search, then view where in the world the title was made. It even includes the contact details of the companies. An excellent resource.
www.wordpress.com – A great free blogging site to get you started.
www.blogger.com – Another great free blogging site to help you get started in the world of videogames.

Helpful books:
Game Development Essentials – Jeannie Novak
Price: £41.45

The Ultimate Guide to Videogame Writing And Design – Flint Dille
Price: £9.99

3ds Max Modelling For Games – Andrew Gahan
Price: £22.69

Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.0: Learning Programming Now!
– Rob Miles
Price: £15.59