A Problem I have with Games Industry today 1/16/2016

Games Industry Today
The games industry is becoming greedier and greedier. No longer is about the content of a game but about how much money they can squeeze out of us by dissecting the game.
 Today games will offer downloadable content (DLC) separate to the game at a slightly smaller price. This I do not have a problem with as it gives me things to do once the game is finished. These days you can pre order the game and get the DLC with it for a slightly higher price. Why would they not just put the DLC on the game? They haven't even finished the game and they want me to buy add-ons already?
 Here is an example of the community being outraged by DLC being ready for pre order purchasers when the game itself is not out until April. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLFztSaD908
For people who are fans of the Warhammer Universe they are outraged that a core faction of the game has been taken out and sold separate.

 A similar problem is developers selling "Early Access" when you pay for the game early and you can play the game before it has come out. There will be bugs and the game is unfinished of course and I expect the experience to not be of a quality to release just yet. The problem I have is when developers change there mind and don't give up. This leaves people like myself with a half finished game which we paid extra for. I don't understand why this isn't then treated as stealing.  It is daylight robbery with a fancy name and is not being addressed. Fortunately we have all learnt our lesson and early access has become very unpopular but that doesn't mean it has stopped.

To conclude game prices have gotten more expensive with every generation. I would think £20 was a lot for a Playstation 1 game. Then £30 for Playstation 2, £40 for Playstation 3 and now you can pay up to £60 for a Playstation 4 game. With these prices rising we nearly don't need micro transactions and early access taking over the market. I don't want to leave University into a environment like this, if people don't stand against it, it will never change. These issues need to be recognized or developers will become greedier and greedier and gaming could become a luxury for the rich instead of entertainment for families, A sport for professionals and memories for all.

Government Budget for the Creative Industry 1/15/2016

Government Budget for Creative Industries

In 2015 the Government released some figures as apart of a budget they have for Creative Industries. This is big for the Industry as its a clear sign of its growth. Music has been massive and self sufficient for along time but Film has such a huge following and the UK is home to a lot of great actors and directors. 

 They have released a 25% tax relief for all qualifying expenditure in films. They have also lowered the minimum required budget for any television series from 25% to 10%. This is good news for people like myself know want to make a name for ourselves but don't have the portfolio to justify such a big investment.  

 The 25% to 10% tax  relief also applies to video games which is a huge deal for the industry as it is often getting a negative press in the media outside its own. This means the Government has recognized its following, place in society and the influence it has on generations of people. They are also committing 4 million pounds to a video games prototype fund. This is to aid access to fiance and business support as well as finding new talent in the industry. 

This is an exciting time to get into the creative industry in the UK as it is finally being recognized by the Government and older generations. This was only a part of the budget and a far bigger picture. Hopefully over the next couple of years there will be a lot more jobs around the country and opportunities for students and newcomers to make a name for themselves.

Here is my source: http://www.thecreativeindustries.co.uk/uk-creative-overview/news-and-views/news-budget-includes-new-support-for-creative-industries

Google Presentation 1/15/2016

Google Presentation
Raj came in to talk to us about his experience working with google. Google is probably what most would consider a dream job in our industry of choice. I expected to hear about  a very professional environment with offices and elevators. To my surprise he spoke of a giant slide that goes from the top floor all the way down. He also mentioned a cog shaped room with hammocks for people to sleep in. Raj said that since his time at google he has been aloud to travel all around the world.
 He spoke a lot about web development which is something that does not interest me but I defiantly loved the vibe he was giving about the working for the company and would defiantly be interested in a more creative role.

 Google have a very simple visual design and user friendly interface. They have set the trend and can be overlooked because of the simple fact that they are Google. If another company were to brand themselves like Google and have a home page as simple and empty as Google they would probably be called out dated. That said, I think Google have also spearheaded the idea that less is more in digital design. More Digital Artists and Business Identities are using clean, smart and simple images to brand themselves.

Client Pitch 1/14/2016

Client Pitch

My Client pitch was on a game idea I have had since secondary school which is for Android and IOS. It is about a character being fired out of a cannon and has to get as high as possible using bombs as elevation. 

 I feel I covered all points in the brief and the markers only had one small question about the cost which I had covered in my pitch. Unfortunately I was really nervous and went through my pitch very quickly. Despite rehearsing and always going a little bit over time I managed to finish the pitch a whole minute early. I asked a lot of people what they thought about my Logo Designs as I was conscious about them due to some feedback I received on a previous pitch. Despite positive feedback the markers did not like my app logo which probably cost me marks. 

If I were to do this again I would rehearse in front of someone instead of by myself as it clearly wasn't an accurate way of keeping time. I will also get my artwork done quicker so that I can get feedback from my markers and have time to change this. 

RBP Design 01/11/2016

RBP Design

Peter Micklewright is a free lance graphic designer with over 30 years experience. He pitched the idea than going straight from University into being a freelance was a strong option. I was skeptical at first as I don't understand how it can be a viable career plan.

He went through Pros and Cons of the career path and went into every detail imaginable. Literally spoke about how to set up a home office and the lighting of the room to give a positive vibe. He spoke about how it is a good idea to know lawyers and accountants for the future. Even gave us an equation on how to work out our expenditure.

At the end of the lecture he told us to ask ourselves 5 questions.
1. What is it that I do?
2. Is there a need for what i'm offering?
3. Why should my client care?
4. Will there be sufficient demand?
5.Will that generate sufficient reward for me to move my business forwards?

He gave us a seminar later than day and I personally had many questions to ask him. While the class would write down what he was saying I would be having debates with him as I really tried to get every possible detail from him. I asked him how much I could be making in a good year. How he could support his job for the first few years. How he got himself out there and Is it easier or harder now than it was then.

Peter Micklewright was my favorite speaker to come to us in Professional Practice and made sure to connect with him on Linkedin.

Gforce Presentation 01/11/2016

Gforce Presentation 

Gforce was the my favorite presentation to date. It was so impressively delivered and showed clear and inspiring evidence of how the interns had improved over a short period of time. The job roles were working within a digital team to produce adverts for car businesses. They have worked with a lot of recognizable clients and showed some of there work that has been on TV. They mentioned the software they used are After Effects, Premiere Pro and Maya. These are three of my favorite software we have learnt so far at University.

What I wanted to know is what does it take to get a internship like this.
Stephen Loyd Marlow constantly kept coming back to his core values he looks for in undergrads.

• Integrity
• Innovation
• Intelligence
• Initiative  

I was so inspired by this presentation and excited to get on with my course and apply myself to earn this internship. I linkedIn with Stephen and thanked him for his presentation and asked what I could include in my portfolio. He was grateful and told me to create a 3D photo-realistic show reel demonstrating my 3D modelling ability. 

I was very impressed with the student interns who helped him present as they were both given there own part to talk about. They were both well dressed and had very good communication skills. I think it is very inspirational to see students of my level who are more relatable doing something I am interested in.

Presentation with Simon Wood 11/25/2015

Managing your online presence

What is an online presence?

An online presence is having a voice on the internet that shares your ideas with anybody who is interested.  It is also a way to get in touch with your community and industry. Keeping up to date with important information and hearing other ideas from people with similar situations to your own. You will be able to find out about your specialist field and see what you can do to stay relevant. 

Why does having an online presence matter?

 Simon talked about employers googling the applicant before interview and even admitted to doing it himself. I was under the assumption that this was not allowed but apparently it is rather common.  

Managing your profile is just as important as keeping your CV up to date. Simon even went on to say CVs are becoming less and less relevant which sort of contradicts what our career adviser tells us. This is interesting and something I think you have to work out with personal experiences. 

Offline presence?

At first I had no idea what this meant or imagined it would be helpful. Simon himself admitted to never thinking much of an offline presence until the last 5 years. What he means by this term is going to exhibitions, meetings, socials with people in your industry. Get your name out there and gain contacts by meeting people in person. It is a lot easier give off a stronger more accurate impression in person.  This leads on to another point he made with how important profile pictures are. This allows you to present yourself online and then be recognized offline. Having a simple picture of yourself rather than a graphic or art allows you to become recognizable at events of which people may be looking out for you.

Conclusion

Simon Wood was a good talker and really sold me on what he was talking about. He also spoke about a job offer that seemed rather interesting. I have become more aware of online presence and have already made changes and tried new things as a result of this presentation.