Arthur Parsons is the game director at TT Games, he came to the University to discuss working with IP’s. Arthur has experience working on many different IP’s, more recently he has worked on the Lego games which have proved popular with hardcore gamers, casual gamers, non-fans and fans of the IP alike.

He began by talking about the main words usually used to describe a licensed game such as they are rushed, disappointing, lazy and sometimes cash in’s. He advised us that while we on licensed products we should also involve the key shareholders, have a greater understanding of the IP and know how to use it. He also mentioned that while developing you should always think as a fan of the IP would think. If you love the brand then the developing process will be alot smoother which will result in a better end product.Working closely with IP holders can ensure the best representation of the IP in game.

Beverly Bright is a Freelance Art Consultant who came to the University to discuss outsourcing.  She discussed the costs and reasons for outsourcing and how these have changed as consoles and PC's have progressed.  i

Beverly also highlighted the strengths and weaknesses in outsourcing, such as fewer communication opportunities. She also explained that as projects grow larger the amount of outsourcing will increase, this can incur a lot of extra time for management team which can hinder projects.

Beverly spoke about some key issues with both UK and overseas outsourcing, as this was a subject I was fairly new to I found this informative when thinking about a freelancing role as a career.

Nick Davies is the founder of Lucid Games who previously worked at Bizarre Creations. His credits include 007:Bloodstone, The Club and others. Nick's lecture was based around the entire design process, what it takes for a game to go from the ideas stages until the final product. 

As a producer Nick focuses on project management and scheduling, he also handles hiring and relations such as publisher and external. Nick explained that the bigger a company gets then the more focused roles get, this however limits the role.

Nick Davies then went on to talk about the process of pitching a game and the different ways of doing so, highlighting that the best way is visual, which usually consists of a prototype or video.

Nick also covered topics on IP retention, how you can go about getting your game signed and budgeting costs. He then talked about development costs, this was very useful towards gaining a better understanding of a game is made, the in depth breakdown of the costs on 007 was very useful insight into how larger games are made.

The highlight of the talk for me was the pro's and con's of developing at a smaller studio versus a larger studio. As I was curious about which type of studio I would be suited for, this really helped my knowledge on the subject and has probably lead me towards an indie role as opposed to a large team.

Guest Lecture : Mark Craig
Today's guest lecturer was Mark Craig who is the programming director at Lucid Games, he was also previously the lead programmer at Bizarre. The main focus of the lecture was aimed at programmers who wish to develop for mobile devices, this was helpful as I have an interest in developing games for Android.

The lecturer discussed the pro's and con's of developing for mobile devices such as iOS and Android, Mark suggested that iOS was easier to develop for due to the fragmentation found in Android devices. Mark also touched upon payment models for releasing titles, and ideal team sizing.

 Mark then followed with an in depth discussion of programming tips for all devices, the idea of middle ware to speed the development process up and the best way of approaching a programming interview.

He then gave some general interview tips such as researching the company beforehand and asking questions during the interview. He also suggested that the best way to get a job in the industry is to have a good CV which always includes a demo of your work.