Adeogo, a budding mobile game developer who has already released his first mobile game, joined us in the Ukie office for a week of work experience. Here's what he had to say about his time with the trade body.
My week
My week at Ukie was spectacular, I can easily say this has been one of the most meaningful and insightful weeks of my life so far in term of what I want to do in the games industry. I learnt things I would never have expected to learn about the industry as a whole until years later and did it all in just 5 days!
How it helped me
It helped me in many ways because I had an extremely naïve idea of the industry thinking it was just playing games, advertising games and making games. But Ukie taught me that there’s much more to the industry and how it works.
They presented me with opportunities that I am grateful for, opportunities I would never have gotten on my own. It also helped becaue their work ethic was inspiring and it improved my love of the industry.
What Ukie does and how important they are
Ukie is very much comparable to a swan or the legs of a swan. They work very hard behind the scenes to maintain the graceful look on the outside, as if they're floating. But they also work as the legs of the UK gaming industry as well, working incredibly hard to make sure you can see the industry's good work in the sector.
The environment
The people I’ve met at Ukie work hard. But that’s not all they do because they interact so well with each other because they are all genuine friends. They are casual entertaining people and their dynamic works so well. I genuinely felt welcomed by everyone. I didn’t just get new knowledge; I can say that I also got new friends. Their chemistry is so good and watching them is just fun, whether you’re a nerd like me or not.
What I learnt
I learnt much more than I expected to about the industry such as: the comms team and how they work to promote the great work the industry does and to defend it in the media; the research and data about the game industry and those who participate in it, the legal side (laws and policies), esports, advertising and education etc. They also showed how much work the industry needs to do to maintain its place as the fifth largest gaming market in the world (which I learnt about at Ukie).
Summary
All in all this was an amazing week and I will most definitely be coming back. It was more than “work experience for UCAS.” It was an experience, a learning curve and an amazing opportunity.
Do you want to spend a week on work experience at Ukie, the games industry trade body? Or do you know someone who might? Email kirstie@ukie.org.uk to enquire about availability for one week placements.