Personal Statement

I am aspiring Games Design student who would like to follow my dream of becoming a Games Designer for a games company or to run my own games company. I have always taken an interest in the world of visual design and gaming; I enjoy playing games, learning about how they work and how they are created. From a very early age I have used my imaginative flair to create; from drawings of imaginary worlds and characters as a little boy to writing imaginative narratives, creating film clips using real life and scenes from games, writing scripts for short film productions and more recently developing 2D and 3D characters and environments for games. I am learning many skills and techniques as I progress. The turning point of when I knew I wanted to focus on Games Design was when I started playing Dark Souls; I was inspired and fascinated by how it tells a story through the environment/world using a show-not-tell method. Presently I am studying Games Design. I am learning how to develop, design, plan and create game ideas and concepts. During my first year I have developed my skills in 2D and 3D modelling, concept art and programming using the following software; 3D Max, Unreal Engine, Unity and Photoshop. During the second year I am applying and building on my skills and at the moment focussing on designing and developing a fantasy-themed graveyard environment for a game. For my final first year project I achieved 3 merits and a pass. During my second year I am working to achieve a distinction in all the modules. I am an aspirational, motivated, reliable and conscientious student. In April 2018 I undertook two weeks of work experience with Alternative Software Ltd, a local leading independent developer, publisher and distributor of games for console, PC, mobile and TV which has published classics such as ‘Skool Daze’ and the bestselling Rugby Management Series. My primary task was to test their games that were in development and to report any feedback and bugs in the database system. Because of my interest in graphics and design I was also tasked with creating icons for achievements using Photoshop which were to be used in the game. Working within the team gave me the opportunity to develop my interpersonal and communication skills and it gave me insight into the importance of working collaboratively as a team when designing and producing games. To keep me up to date I enjoy attending gaming festivals, the most recent one I attended was Insomnia 63 in August 2018 at the NEC in Birmingham. It gave me insight into the up and coming new games and platforms, keeping me informed about new technologies, techniques and ideas about what I can include in my designs. I am very much looking forward to becoming an undergraduate so that I can acquire and develop the skills, experience and knowledge to pursue my future career. I am a motivated and hardworking person who enjoys challenge, creating and learning new things. I believe that I have the creative and academic ability, personality and enthusiasm that will put me in a great position to study Games Design at university and to reach my aspiration of becoming a Games Designer.