In association with: BETA | CAMBRIDGE FOCUS
“I think what we find in Cambridge specifically is there’s more of us taking the long view,” says Gerhard. “We’re hiring in IQ and teaching them
everything. We know that the people we’re hiring today really only become our rockstars in three or four years time at the earliest. For most other companies that’s just uneconomical.”
Geomerics take this philosophy a step
further, and Precious says that whilst universities provide an excellent education to students and a great recruiting ground for them, it should not be down to these institutions to train industry specialists. “We do not believe it is their
responsibility to train people in the specialist techniques used in the games industry,” he states. “We prefer to recruit bright, well-rounded
problem solvers with good coding skills. It is our job to train them in the specialist field of games development.” He goes on to explain, though, that with the help of local organisations such as Games Eden, the business network for the games industry in Cambridge, the studio is working with universities to design courses with the right kind of training. “We are working with the universities to
design the courses and work experience necessary to produce appropriate and production ready talent for the games industry,” he explains. “We are of course not totally happy with
RuneScape remains one of the Cambridge dev hub’s most famous exports
LACKING EDUCATION Despite having a famous reputation as a distinguished university town, with the University of Cambridge up there with the best in the world, many studio developers claim that there are not enough games related courses in the area. In fact, whilst the University does teach
computer science, which many developers such as David Braben have stated as their preference for students to study, it does not teach any courses specifically tailored to games development.
Although another higher education
institute, Anglia Ruskin University, does run undergraduate programs in computer gaming technology and interactive games design, many developers at the local studios believe much more needs to be done to truly take advantage of the large potential talent pool the town offers. Universally Speaking’s Fueyo says: “At the moment there are just a handful of universities that offer games development programs or that even have modules on game development on their degrees. “This number of courses must increase to
drive up the quality of the courses through competition. At the same time, an increase in the number of courses would enable specialisation within those programs.” Despite this, Ball claims that Cambridge
University excels at many of the traditional courses it offers, such as computer science, engineering, maths and physics. “Graduates leaving these courses are easily able to get up to speed with the
40 | FEBRUARY 2012
requirements needed for games development and hence they become really strong members of the team.” Braben feels the same, stating that he is
“definitely happy” with the contribution of local academic institutions in providing top quality graduates.
“At the moment there are just a
handful of universities that offer games development courses or
modules. Loreto Sanz Fueyo, USS
“We have a really good track record of
employing graduates and giving them the right individual mix of support and responsibility, and that has forged good links with Cambridge University and Anglia Ruskin,” he says.
IN-HOUSE TRAINING
But with the lack of game specific courses in the university town, and the perceived lack of quality in those programs across most of the country, many of the studios in Cambridge have taken it upon themselves to train up young graduates, where perhaps other companies may not have found this financially viable.
where we are currently but it is going in the right direction and will continue to improve as all the Games Eden member companies put more time and resource into developing our links with academia.” Games Eden chair Cooke says that
through its work and the backing of local studios, the Cambridge University Computer Lab and Engineering department are increasingly open to the advances of the local industry, but warns that “prising the doors open further still requires work”.
A BRIGHT FUTURE Despite the lack of game-specific related courses in the area and the various challenges facing Cambridge and the global industry, local studios are extremely positive about the future of the resilient town. “There are certainly challenges ahead, but that is nothing new,” says Shepherd. “The industry has grown locally through some pretty tough times so I see no reason why it cannot continue to do so.” Ninja Theory’s Ball concludes: “The
industry will continue to increase in Cambridge because, simply put, it’s a great place to develop games. There are already many successful developers in the area that work on very disparate projects. Whatever a developer is looking for, good opportunities exist here.” It seems clear then, if local studios
continue to take risks and innovate with new IP, content and technology, for which the town is famous for, a bright future lies ahead for this booming development hub, and one the rest of the UK would do well to learn from.
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