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Career profile
Meet Jane, a studio operations lead for a video games studio.
Jane believes that the video game industry has the potential to connect audiences with environmental messages through the characters, stories and worlds it creates.
Find out about Jane’s career and how she considers the environment within her role.
Jane: I'm Jane Campbell, I'm the studio operations lead at a games development studio. And here's why I love my green career.
I make sure that as a company we're sticking to some pledges that we made at the beginning of the year, to reduce our carbon footprint. That might be through things like checking our water and energy suppliers and making sure that we're using renewable sources.
It might be that I am testing our latest game, or I could be doing something like speaking at the G20 event about how games can be used to promote more green messaging. Games really have the power to reach a huge audience around the globe, and so it's a really good opportunity to talk about themes that are really important, like the environment.
One of our games called Alba: A Wildlife Adventure has got lots of these environmental themes throughout. As a player you get to play as Alba picking up litter off the beach, helping to clean up the local island and help protect the wildlife. We're really proud that our players have got in touch to tell us that they've been able to change some of their habits in the real world. They've gone out and done litter pick ups, beach clean ups, and they've been more aware of their natural habitat and the wildlife that's in it.
I did my A levels in quite creative subjects. English, art and product design and then I went on to university afterwards, and did a course called visual culture, which was an art history course. I knew I wanted to get into the creative industries.
I think it's important to know that although there are jobs in the game industry that requires certain skills, like programming or art and design. There are business roles, like the operations role that I do today, that doesn't need specific skills and they are equally as important for game development.
If you don't choose an academic route, things like starting your career as an intern, or working your way up through work experiences in different kind of business roles, like administration or secretarial or office management, there are definitely ways you can access the industry by building up your skills and learning whilst you're on the job.
My top tip if you're looking for a job in the game industry is don't let a lack of knowledge about games hold you back, or maybe a lack of experience in programming or art. There are definitely some really exciting roles out there, and if you're really passionate about the environment there are great ways to spread that message through games.
Games have the power to reach a huge audience around the globe and so it’s a really good opportunity to talk about themes that are really important, like the environment.
Jane, studio operations lead
- Jane was interested in creative subjects at school, studying A-levels in English, art and product design. She then went on to university to study a degree in Visual Culture.
- Video games studios need business support roles alongside technical roles to bring amazing virtual worlds to life. These positions help to coordinate the day-to-day running of the studios to keep teams and productions working efficiently.
Green gaming
Gaming might not be the most obvious green industry. However, with almost 3 billion global players, games have the potential to engage users with green issues and imagine a sustainable future.
The technology we use and the waste it generates has an impact on the environment. Many companies across the video games industry have pledged to reduce their emissions and use sustainable materials.
Experts say we can all reduce our impact by changing our individual habits around technology. For example owning devices for longer, buying second-hand and streaming content at lower definition.
Salary and hours
A studio operations lead is a varied role and the exact work will depend on the production or size of the company you work for.
The information below relates to an associate producer, a role that shares some similar responsibilities.
- Associate producer salary: Variable
- Associate producer working hours: 35 to 40 hours per week. You may have to work extra hours when deadlines approach.
Entry requirements
Although you can become a studio operations lead with any degree subject, employers often look for a degree, HND or foundation degree in computer games (development or design), computer science or games technology.
Alternatively, a degree in a subject such as animation, interactive media, games design and art or graphic design may be useful. Although having a postgraduate qualification isn't essential, it might be useful if your first degree or HND doesn't involve a games specialism.
Work experience, gained for example through a placement during your degree, is also valuable and may help you to network.
The Independent Games Developers' Association (TIGA) accredits a number of games courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
This information is a guide (source: Prospects.co.uk)
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