UK Game Developers

[ramboondiea]

what course do you have your eye on? as it could over transferable skills,
also a quick question, do you fund your own course now or use student loans?

The name of the course is "Computer Games Arts" but accoridng to the information on my University's website it's not just designing art. It goes into coding, general design and areas of theory.
And I use student loans for it, since there's no way I can afford to fund it myself.

well in that case make sure its credited, and see what other prospects that are available to you are, (anyone in the department or career areas should have pamplets and the likes) this could help you legitimise taking it to your mother,

well if your currently using student loans how are you planning on funding your change if youve already used two years of it? most loans will not grant more the 4 maximum?

No matter how legitimate it is (and it is due to links with Lionhead Studios and 2 other companies), nothing will help convince my mum of it. Her thinking is 'you're already in your second year, so you should stick with it'. She doesn't really know how much I hate the course and how much more difficult the 3rd year is."

She even told me to talk to the University counsellor about this, but I know how it'll go. The counsellor will tell me to do what I feel is best for me and my future in the long run, but then when I tell my mum that she'll just disagree and stick to her own standpoint. It's as if she thinks the UK film industry is a guaranteed shot at a stable job.

and I don't think my Uni's student loans work like that. When I was first looking for accommodation in town I met a guy who'd been a student for 7 years and was living from student loans. They do it on a year-by-year basis as long as you're there. as long as you eventually pay it back once you leave and get a job that pays above a certain amount, they don't really limit the number of years.

at least I'm pretty sure that's how it works...

well you could put it to her that with your current attitude towards the course, its more then likely you will fail overall and thus waste the entire 3 years.

and you should really check with your finance before you even contemplate this, i want to do a four year at my uni, and the rigmarole i will need to go through to get the finance is outstanding (par the course for student finance really) and i know people doing there second course but they are financed differently (finance only supplements them) so just make sure they will finance you and for the course you want.

 

[ReservoirAngel]

what course do you have your eye on? as it could over transferable skills,
also a quick question, do you fund your own course now or use student loans?

The name of the course is "Computer Games Arts" but accoridng to the information on my University's website it's not just designing art. It goes into coding, general design and areas of theory.
And I use student loans for it, since there's no way I can afford to fund it myself.

well in that case make sure its credited, and see what other prospects that are available to you are, (anyone in the department or career areas should have pamplets and the likes) this could help you legitimise taking it to your mother,

well if your currently using student loans how are you planning on funding your change if youve already used two years of it? most loans will not grant more the 4 maximum?

No matter how legitimate it is (and it is due to links with Lionhead Studios and 2 other companies), nothing will help convince my mum of it. Her thinking is 'you're already in your second year, so you should stick with it'. She doesn't really know how much I hate the course and how much more difficult the 3rd year is."

She even told me to talk to the University counsellor about this, but I know how it'll go. The counsellor will tell me to do what I feel is best for me and my future in the long run, but then when I tell my mum that she'll just disagree and stick to her own standpoint. It's as if she thinks the UK film industry is a guaranteed shot at a stable job.

and I don't think my Uni's student loans work like that. When I was first looking for accommodation in town I met a guy who'd been a student for 7 years and was living from student loans. They do it on a year-by-year basis as long as you're there. as long as you eventually pay it back once you leave and get a job that pays above a certain amount, they don't really limit the number of years.

at least I'm pretty sure that's how it works...

well you could put it to her that with your current attitude towards the course, its more then likely you will fail overall and thus waste the entire 3 years.

and you should really check with your finance before you even contemplate this, i want to do a four year at my uni, and the rigmarole i will need to go through to get the finance is outstanding (par the course for student finance really) and i know people doing there second course but they are financed differently (finance only supplements them) so just make sure they will finance you and for the course you want.

I tried that argument. Her response: "You have a brain, You're not stupid, you won't fail."

And I'm obviously going to investigate the specifics of the financing before looking into applying to the course.

 

[ramboondiea]

what course do you have your eye on? as it could over transferable skills,
also a quick question, do you fund your own course now or use student loans?

The name of the course is "Computer Games Arts" but accoridng to the information on my University's website it's not just designing art. It goes into coding, general design and areas of theory.
And I use student loans for it, since there's no way I can afford to fund it myself.

well in that case make sure its credited, and see what other prospects that are available to you are, (anyone in the department or career areas should have pamplets and the likes) this could help you legitimise taking it to your mother,

well if your currently using student loans how are you planning on funding your change if youve already used two years of it? most loans will not grant more the 4 maximum?

No matter how legitimate it is (and it is due to links with Lionhead Studios and 2 other companies), nothing will help convince my mum of it. Her thinking is 'you're already in your second year, so you should stick with it'. She doesn't really know how much I hate the course and how much more difficult the 3rd year is."

She even told me to talk to the University counsellor about this, but I know how it'll go. The counsellor will tell me to do what I feel is best for me and my future in the long run, but then when I tell my mum that she'll just disagree and stick to her own standpoint. It's as if she thinks the UK film industry is a guaranteed shot at a stable job.

and I don't think my Uni's student loans work like that. When I was first looking for accommodation in town I met a guy who'd been a student for 7 years and was living from student loans. They do it on a year-by-year basis as long as you're there. as long as you eventually pay it back once you leave and get a job that pays above a certain amount, they don't really limit the number of years.

at least I'm pretty sure that's how it works...

well you could put it to her that with your current attitude towards the course, its more then likely you will fail overall and thus waste the entire 3 years.

and you should really check with your finance before you even contemplate this, i want to do a four year at my uni, and the rigmarole i will need to go through to get the finance is outstanding (par the course for student finance really) and i know people doing there second course but they are financed differently (finance only supplements them) so just make sure they will finance you and for the course you want.

I tried that argument. Her response: "You have a brain, You're not stupid, you won't fail."

And I'm obviously going to investigate the specifics of the financing before looking into applying to the course.

well ultimately it is your choice, its fundamentally your life and money, i know a lot of people who have changed/ dropped courses because they didnt like it, and its a better option then doing something you dont enjoy with no intention of pursuing it,
you may want to get a move on if your really thinking of changing, alot of course deadlines are approaching fast, and theres a slightly different method for those switching courses

 

[ReservoirAngel]

well ultimately it is your choice, its fundamentally your life and money, i know a lot of people who have changed/ dropped courses because they didnt like it, and its a better option then doing something you dont enjoy with no intention of pursuing it,

I know it's my choice, but I'm still hesitant because I have a history of my plans going disastrously wrong and me ending up screwed over by my own idiocy.

Plus you try preaching 'my choice' and any individualism to my mum and you'll be met with refusal. She still thinks she controls my life. Because...well, she still does unfortunately.

 

[Hennofletch]

As with most mothers she just wants what's best for you. I'd advise showing her the course website, explain your enthusiasm and plan out a three or four year plan of where you want to be and how to get there. Include stuff like work placements, possible career paths, further qualifications, etc.

Id also look at doing a similar thing for the film industry. Then you can show her the pros and cons of each and explain why you want to change. In my experience film and tv is anything but a sure shot but hey that's me.

Really you've got to show her you have a plan and that this decision isn't spur of the moment.

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

Well there are usually agencies of the bigger japanese companies in and around england.
Nintendo, Square Enix, Sony, that sorta thing.

UK only devs though, Eidos, Media Molecule, Lionhead, Rare, there are more than this too but I cant remember.

 

[Dectomax]

There isn't much of a story behind this query, I just want to know and Google is proving to be irritatingly unreliable about this.

Thing is, I'm considering a change of course at University, switching to 'Game Design' course. And obviously a big part of whether I finally do decide to risk that switch and go for it would be the availability of any jobs in that field.

Problem is, I don't really know of any game development companies that are based in the UK. All the ones you always hear about are based over in the States because...well because EVERY major company of any field is based in the states.

So since Google throws up nothing but unrelated crap articles that happen to contain "game" "developers" and "UK" somwhere in them whenever I search for this, I'm forced to ask here:

Are there any actual game development companies that are based in the UK?

EDIT: To help give me more back-up against my mum's resistance to my changing courses...how does the job rate for new game designers in the UK compare to the job rate for people in the film/TV business here?

I love it when people say "studying game design". There are no jobs for "Game design". There are however jobs for animators, Concept artists, marketers, business practitioners and those kind of fields. If you want to get into the game industry, think about what "PART" you would love to do and I say "LOVE" because you need to have a PASSION for this career to make it in the industry. Before you change course, think more about what you'd like to do within the industry and then have a look for courses related to that.

and to answer the original question, yes there are plenty of UK game developers.

 

[MrGalactus]

Rockstar.
Ruffian.
Splash Damage.
Lionhead.
Proper.
Crytek UK.
Codemasters.
Criterion.
Team 17.

Cant think of any more right now.

 

[RUINER ACTUAL]

Are there any actual game development companies that are based in the UK?

Yes, many.

http://www.gamedevmap.com/

I live in the US, but would really like to move to the UK when I graduate. Change of pace/lifestyle/scenery/people, everything really.

and better healthcare ^^

lol. Offer poor people in the US govt healthcare and they say "NO, COMMI!" People here are dumb, and I don't like them.

 

[Wicky_42]

what course do you have your eye on? as it could over transferable skills,
also a quick question, do you fund your own course now or use student loans?

The name of the course is "Computer Games Arts" but accoridng to the information on my University's website it's not just designing art. It goes into coding, general design and areas of theory.
And I use student loans for it, since there's no way I can afford to fund it myself.

well in that case make sure its credited, and see what other prospects that are available to you are, (anyone in the department or career areas should have pamplets and the likes) this could help you legitimise taking it to your mother,

well if your currently using student loans how are you planning on funding your change if youve already used two years of it? most loans will not grant more the 4 maximum?

No matter how legitimate it is (and it is due to links with Lionhead Studios and 2 other companies), nothing will help convince my mum of it. Her thinking is 'you're already in your second year, so you should stick with it'. She doesn't really know how much I hate the course and how much more difficult the 3rd year is."

She even told me to talk to the University counsellor about this, but I know how it'll go. The counsellor will tell me to do what I feel is best for me and my future in the long run, but then when I tell my mum that she'll just disagree and stick to her own standpoint. It's as if she thinks the UK film industry is a guaranteed shot at a stable job.

and I don't think my Uni's student loans work like that. When I was first looking for accommodation in town I met a guy who'd been a student for 7 years and was living from student loans. They do it on a year-by-year basis as long as you're there. as long as you eventually pay it back once you leave and get a job that pays above a certain amount, they don't really limit the number of years.

at least I'm pretty sure that's how it works...

With regards to the last part, as long as you don't fail a year you can take student loans for as long as you're in further education, so no worries there :3

I had a friend try Newcastle's Game Design course - he loved the character design, plot-writing and stuff aspects and did quite well in those modules, but didn't like the coding aspect and failed too many of those modules.

If you're happy with having to, at least to begin with, deal will all aspect of game design then go for it. If the course you'er currently on is some sort of film industry thing then you're not really losing out on opportunities, to be brutally honest, and after the games design course you're going to have a wide range of skills that could be applied to a whole range of alternative creative and tech related industries. First year or so I think is jack-of-all trading, you specialise later I believe.

Parental support is nice but not necessary. If you think you would enjoy it more, go for it! Like I say, more options coming out of the course, broader range of skills learnt etc etc.

Of course, there's always the option to complete your current degree (if it's only the one more year) and not have wasted the last two years completely. After all, the more qualifications you have the easier it is to sell yourself at an interview, and third year is where shit happens.

 

[Zantos]

As far as I know from my flatmate the student finance uk will fund you for 5 years providing you don't graduate. She'd done 2 years then switched onto another and done 3 years (couldn't do the integrated masters because that would have been the 6th year and that wasn't allowed) so you should be fine. The only difference is that her course got cancelled (or something like that) and not that she didn't like it, but that's the sort of difference that will affect the uni not the finance.

Only thing is that you'll probably have to drop out and reapply, and with it being so late in the day you might have to take the year out and apply for next year. When the whole thing gets overhauled and rules might change anyway.