As new 满帆 grads embark on careers in the video game industry, it’s important for them to know where the industry has been, 目前的位置, and where it’s headed next. In a recent Game Industry Panel hosted on the 满帆 campus, grads and industry professionals shared their takes on game development throughout the years, telling students how to prepare for learning and working in a new, fast-paced environment and how to stand out in a competitive field.

With an impressive list of credits between them, the panel welcomed two graduates – Senior Account Manager with Virtuos 游戏 马特hew Schulz (真人快打1 & II, 马登21) and Playstation Senior Animator 扎克 Gillespie (最后生还者, 模拟人生) – as well as Redemption 游戏 艺术 Director RJ Keates (Batman: The Telltale Series).

游戏引擎, 开发工具, and applications change over time as technology develops, but so does the nature of the games industry itself. While 2020 saw a boom in remote opportunities for game designers, 开发人员, 和艺术家, the industry is now returning to smaller teams and on-site positions. In some situations, working in the office is a must. “[Some studios] need to work in-house," said 马特. "If all of your seniors, 你的领导, your art directors are all remote, [your staff] is not going to get the support that they need or that we got when we first got into the industry."

对于所有三位小组成员, one important thing that hasn’t changed about the game industry is the ability to learn on the job, 自动起动, 和解决问题. “The learning curve is always going to be there,” said 扎克. “Companies have their proprietary software, workflows you’ve never seen before, things like that. But being able to interact with people and knowing how to ask questions and knowing that it’s okay that you don’t know ... that’s an [important] trait [to have].”

“What’s great about [满帆] is that you’re all proven problem-solvers at this point,” 扎克 added. “The people I appreciate working with the most are the ones who will try for 15 minutes and say ‘I tried x, y, 和z. Do you know what’s the matter here?’ and I feel like we gained those skills by coming [to school] here.”

在小组讨论期间, 马特, 扎克, and RJ shared their preferred tools for game development, from project management suites and data organizers to design engines including the current industry leader, 虚幻引擎5. “Unreal 5 has become the major player in the game, at least on the AAA side,” said 马特. “I know [game degrees at 满帆] have become more Unreal-focused which is good because again, this is what we’re leaning into.”

For more from our seasoned industry panelists and their takes on game development throughout the years, check out the full panel below.