Ed Bartlett

Speedball Arena

Speedball Arena

Current project:
Speedball Arena. My role is varied, ranging from core concept and design tasks such as preparing detailed design documentation, through to researching relevant technology and pitching the game to prospective publishers and strategic partners. I am also producing the external conversions of our back catalogue to Game Boy Advance.

Academic Info

College: Plymouth College of Art and Design, England
Degree: BTEC ND Graphic Design and Print Production

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
I had always been an avid games player but I saw the market as being incredibly niche, and therefore unattainable. It was during my time at college that I stumbled upon a number of media degree courses that were partially focused on videogame-related skills, and realized that this was a potential path to a career in the games industry.

Did you do any internships?
No.

Career Info

Tell us about your first job in the industry. How did you get the job? What was it like? What were your responsibilities?
Unfortunately the most relevant media course was fully subscribed for the year following college, so I decided to take time out to work, and then reapply for the course the following year. However, during this time out a friend of mine who was working for a rapidly developing software house contacted me to see if I would be interested in working for them in a game testing capacity. The pay was appalling and it meant relocating away from home, but I figured it would give me a valuable years insight into the workings of a development studio as well as access to all the software and advice I could handle!

Within two months I received my first pay rise, and was already contributing ideas for new features as well as simple bug testing. As I was still pretty tight financially, I spent most of my spare time learning new software, researching the different aspects of the development process and writing up some of the design ideas I had come up with over the years.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
Having started off as a game tester in a small QA department, I worked my way via Lead Tester through to QA manager, overseeing a team of around 15 testers on several different products for several different platforms simultaneously, conceiving and implementing test plans and liaising with internal and external development staff.

During a lull in test cycles I was offered a sideways step into production as an assistant producer. It was during this time that my passion for game design came to the forefront, and I requested a full-time move into the design department. Within a year of the transition I had been promoted to Lead Designer, working on three products simultaneously. I am currently a Lead Designer for The Bitmap Brothers.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
There are an ever-increasing number of design-related degree and foundation courses establishing themselves across the globe, and many of them have the official backing of high-profile game development and publishing companies who use the courses as a kind of nursery for new talent, and help out with work placements and even the design of the courses themselves.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
An accurate chart predicting hardware and software trends for the next decade would have been nice! As for doing anything differently, I would suggest keeping salary details to yourself, stay out of office politics (something that is rife in the games industry) and don't take out loans on the promise of large completion bonuses! Also be sure to get everything in writing on company letterhead paper, signed by the relevant department head.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
I don't necessarily think there will be new job types needed, as such. What I do think is that companies will be looking for people with a wider range of skills. For example a designer not only needs to have a good knowledge of game mechanics, but it is also becoming increasingly important for them to know the various limitations and opportunities afforded by the different gaming platforms, as well as a rough idea of marketability, target audience, competitors etc. This is particularly true of small to medium-sized companies that do not have a dedicated department for every different aspect of development.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
Passion. This is not a typical 9 to 5 job, and anyone that approaches it as such may find it hard, even working for the most corporate companies. Like most creative industries, if you want the best from your job you need an all-consuming passion for your subject matter. You also need to be prepared to be extremely flexible, both in your job description and your working hours, as it can (and will) be necessary to give up occasional evenings and weekends when deadlines loom large on the horizon. Again, this applies even to the most corporate of companies. However the rewards can be fantastic, both financially and on a personal level.