THE GAMING INDUSTRY

Summer. 1994. Super Mario had just broken open a Yoshi egg and was happily waddling along on his faithful steed when BHAM! One of King Bowser's evil minions knocked him off Yoshi and Mario fell to his untimely death. Thus, the passion for gaming began and ever since, warlords and knights, Koopas and Italian plumbers have been at the edge of world domination and destruction in the fight for good v evil. Whether you're a Playstation purist or will only play RPG's the gaming industry is a hive of inter galactic and mega bit madness- the perfect place to release your inner Jedi or action avatar. 

These fantasy characters and lands are made by real, somewhat down to earth people, who need real life skills to be able to engage audiences in their millions and suck them (like a gaping black hole) in to the franchises that are proving to be, oh so popular. Here at Revolution Media we embrace our inner gaming geek and shout proudly from the rooftops about our retro gaming fantasies where swapping lives with Princess Peach is not just an illusion or fantasy and we aim to equip you with the map packs, power ups and supplies to ensure that your gaming career is not just a fantasy either. So, what skills do you need?

In general you will have to be able to:

• be able to work in collaboration with different teams

• be able to communicate your vision to artists, programmers, producers, marketing staff, and others involved in the development process

• be able to accept constructive feedback on your work

• be able to present your ideas both verbally and on paper

• be imaginative and creative

• have good written and verbal communication skills 

• have good basic visual design and drawing skills

• be reasonably fluent in a range of 2D and 3D graphics and animation

• have some programming skills at least at ‘scripting’ level 

• have an awareness of the various games platforms and technologies

• possess a thorough understanding of game play theory

• have storytelling and narrative development skills

• be skilled in information design and user interface design

• be able to think systematically and strategically

Luckily, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop these skills through Revolution Media. At GCSE we study Gaming Promotion as one of our coursework units, you will design your own game as well as the susequent marketing materials for a TV promo advert and website homepage. At AS you will build on your collaboration and concept design skills, making sure that you're communicating your vision clearly for design work, and at A2, your coursework and linked investigation is entirely your own. If you're passionate about gaming and want to begin building your portfolio, there are also opportunities to become a Digital Leader with Mrs Cardno or see the friendly staff at the LRC to discuss how to begin coding.

See you on the other side, soldier.