Week Ninteen

I think the most striking thing I found when I tried to research this task was that I could find any graduate level art jobs for the game industry advertised anywhere online. That and DMU was the only Game Art course I turned up, but that surely can't be right. Still, its the only one you can find using Google.

On the one hand, some companies prefer you're highly trained, very specialised and technology savvy artists who also perhaps know a little programming. These artists should require little training on the job, and the employer can be sure of the quality and the efficiency of the person whom they are employing. This person fits neatly into a specialised role, and will work to the briefs they are given. On the other hand, some companies would prefer a creative individual with a more Liberal Arts background (really? The internet lies!) who would bring to their company a different perspective. A different perspective, as we've learnt, often leads to more creative ideas, and can add more marketable uniqueness to their final product.

This poses a challenge to the people educating graduates to fill these entry level positions (of which there are not enough.) To do so, a course would have to be continually updating its content to keep up with the current trends of industry, or risk being left behind. Being bang on the current game movement will give their graduates the edge to hopefully get positions over less prepared persons applying for the same position. Only a course that keeps up with movements within the industry, that can change and redirect its programme, could possibly hope to do so.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/jobs
http://www.aswift.com/html/graduates/
http://www.workingames.co.uk/ViewPage.aspx?PageID=100027