I am extremely thankful for the guest speakers visiting and sharing their experiences, advice, and tips regarding the Games Industry. I have previously struggled with establishing the route I’d like to take upon graduating however, I now have a better understanding of my options and these talks have allowed me to reflect upon my own skills, career possibilities and what might benefit me along the way.
Networking
A vital aspect of the industry is establishing relationships with those in a similar field. Networking allows you to build connections with industry specialists, it offers you avenues for new opportunities and influences growth.
Applying this to my own practice
Talks from Noemi Pischedda and Lucy Kyriakidou informed me on the importance of networking and the benefits of this before establishing yourself in the industry. We were encouraged to be consistent with posting and to take advantage of the numerous social channels we have available, to reach a wide audience and gain recognition for our work.
This has encouraged me to take control of my Games Instagram page by applying both what I know and what I’ve learned to gain engagement and make connections through the benefits of social media. I am determined to build my image online and I believe it’s the perfect time to begin my engagement journey.
It’s Important to…
Post final outcomes as well as the process to capture and showcase your skills
Keep it professional and relevant
Take advantage of interactive features – stories, like and comment on other creator’s work
Use relevant hashtags to reach an audience with similar interests to what I post
Identify others that work in the same field
Be consistent to show I am passionate for what I do
The Journey
I will further enhance my social platforms by using their suggestions and gradually establish myself through Instagram and LinkedIn. I’ll be documenting my insights for both professional profiles and using what I have learned, hopefully by the end of this reflection I will have seen a major improvement overtime.
Goals
I expect to see an increase in followers and reach on Instagram
Increase number of LinkedIn connections by reaching out to alumni, guest talkers and industry specialists
Post at least 3-4 times a week
Constantly update my audience - use polls and Q&A features
I intend to showcase a range of skills in my content to suggest I have experience in a variety of areas
Image shows hashtags used beneath each post and a short descriptive caption of my work, intended to excite, and engage readers.
Image shows Instagram's interactive feature allowing the audience to vote through 'stories' and provide me with User Research.
Progress
Over the course of a few weeks, I have been applying these techniques to my engagement journey and you can see from the statistics below a healthy increase in reach due to using game-related hashtags and taking advantage of interactive features – allowing audiences to answer polls and get involved in research surveys.
My Instagram has elevated from 224 accounts reached to 471 in the space of a few days! If I continue at this pace, I can enhance my image online and begin to gain recognition from industry contacts. Similarly, I have continued to approach industry specialists via LinkedIn and my number of connections are increasing daily.
Images show the kind of content I have been posting, including ideation methods, field trips and experimentation with different technologies.
Throughout the duration of this course and upon graduating, I intend to keep up with my social platforms to accommodate my journey into the industry, as well as to create a name for myself and create a network of peers. I have already managed to talk to previous Southampton alumni regarding my current project and I aim to continue this long-term. To prepare myself for networking events such as the Arcade in the new year, I plan to create physical promotional material to encourage guests to get in contact and reach out. During Week 1, Course Leader Adam touched on professional practice and ways to ‘brand yourself’ to some degree. This included business cards, portfolios, and even physical artefacts. To ensure I have this material ready, I have created a basic idea for how I’d like my business card to appear:
I plan to have this material produced in time for studio visits and the summer Arcade Event.
Direction of travel
These series of reflections have helped me establish potential routes for after university and I am grateful that we have been provided with the guidance to do so. Thankfully, I feel much more reassured and less uneasy regarding what I’ll do in terms of long-term work. Throughout this module I have been considering my options and am still in the process of determining my future path, however, I have certainly adjusted my direction of travel and have a clearer idea of my career prospects.
Starting a Business
I aspire to start a business whether that’s straight out of university or somewhere down the line and I believe it’s the perfect time to create a plan for an idea I am extremely passionate about. Mark Rands informed me of ways I can take forward a potential business idea and the steps needed to fulfil before approaching Barclays Eagle Lab. To reflect on this, I will be forming a basic business model for my current Project Proposal which is focused on a topic I’d love to develop further upon graduating.
Using the business model canvas, I can be much clearer about my intentions, the purpose of the project and the reason behind my design choices. This will also benefit the way I write my Project Proposal and allow me to be more direct with my objectives.
Business Model Canvas
This has allowed me to expand on each aspect of my Project Proposal and provided me with the tools and support to take my business idea further. I did this by considering the user of my product as well as the key resources needed to develop and achieve my proposition. Knowing I have a business plan in place, I am confident in my choice of direction, and I feel more optimistic towards my future plans.
Conclusion
To conclude, I am comfortable in my current position and I’m mindful of the actions I need to take to secure employment after my successful graduation. I intend to demonstrate and showcase my capabilities within a portfolio in an orderly and sophisticated manner, as well as updating my CV and cover letter to highlight my strengths. It’s also necessary for me to begin identifying workplaces with a similar passion to create games with greater purpose and continue reaching out to potential employers, via social media platforms. To communicate my ambitions, I will focus on sharing my desire to make positive change, to raise awareness, to educate others and to provide people with support regarding mental health.
This reflective process has had a huge impact on my perspective of the industry as well as my direction in my current modules, encouraging me to be more direct with my objectives and have clearer intentions. Additionally, understanding the importance of self-promotion has influenced me to enhance my social platforms and produce material which I can use throughout my career. Overall, this reflection has allowed me to evaluate the possibilities of my future and I am excited to see where the world takes me!
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there” – Theodore Roosevelt
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