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A career as a games developer

A games developer is responsible for coming up with new ideas for entertainment programmes for computers and producing that software for a range of electronic devices.

Those who are employed in this position will either work on the artwork and design of the game or the more technical side of programming the software - it is rare for a games developer to perform both roles on one project.

Often developers work in large teams of up to 200 people on a project, with members of the group assigned different roles, such as dealing with audience testing, being a concept artist or taking on the position of 3D modeller.

Those applying for an online job as a games developer should be able to perform at least two of the following tasks: be able to generate game scripts, develop designs and initial concept ideas for games, be proficient using 2D and 3D modelling alongside animation software, such as Maya, and be able to produce audio features.

Applicants seeking employment in the programming side of the process should also be able to use computer languages such as C++, be familiar with solving complex technical problems, understanding complex written information and be able to find bugs with software.

All candidates will need to demonstrate the ability to work under pressure and previous success performing as part of a team.

Those taking their first job as a games developer can expect to receive a starting salary of between £12,000 and £25,000, with lower-level salaries reserved for quality assurance testers and high pay figures for the programmers - artists fall somewhere in the middle.

After ten to 15 years in the business, games developers can expect to bring home between £35,000 and £70,000, with the higher number reserved for technical directors and managers.

Somebody in this line of work can expect to work flexible hours - as there is little need to interact with the rest of the nine to five world for the most part. However, hours can be long and as deadlines approach they may be increasingly longer.

The role is largely office-based with a huge scope for freelancing as the games developer becomes more experienced and carves out a reputation.

Employers in this field tend to look for candidates with a degree or HND in computer games development, computer games design, multimedia design, software engineering, mathematics, physics or animation.

Work experience in the field is also a massive bonus for those seeking their first role in the industry - this can either be gained through a sandwich placement year during degree studies or from shorter stints of unpaid work.