them the inside of the studio, you can turn some of that around on its head.”
ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE While the £9,000 scholarship is certainly a big deal to these students, what is arguably even more important is the mentorship they receive from Creative Assembly. Because while yes, financial issues are certainly a barrier to entering the industry, it’s not the only one that keeps disadvantaged communities from joining the industry. “Whilst we’re providing financial support,” says Smith,
“we’re also providing a mentor for the students all the way through that time, so that they’ve got someone in the industry to talk to.” “I think the students obviously appreciate the financial
support,” adds Fenton, “but they also recognise [the importance of] the mentorship. For someone from a disadvantaged background, it’s not just the money. It’s the connections, it’s the understanding of the industry. Of course, there’s the attraction of the money, but there’s also the attraction of the mentorship, having that connection all the way through. “A big issue we have with a lot of our students is
confidence – To be able to go up to an industry person at an event. But if they’ve already been assigned a mentor, it makes a massive difference. It’s an open door, they’re not going to be too nervous to talk, because it’s been set up for them. It’s not the same as having to create a new connection out of just being at an event. That’s massive when you’re from a disadvantaged background.”
REBECCA ARACHCHIAE, 18, FROM GATESHEAD
What was your reaction when you first heard you’d received the scholarship?
I was on the verge of tears when I first heard I had received the scholarship. I was just filled with so much happiness. The first thing I did was call my mum and tell her the good news.
Has working in games always been a goal of yours? Working in games has been a goal of mine ever since I was around 14 or 15 years old. I was honestly one of the last people to know what my major goal was in my friend group when it came to career paths.
What would be your dream job (and where)? I would love to work for a studio which focuses heavily on character design and clothing design styles and takes an interesting and unique approach with this.
Do you feel you would have been able to pursue a career in games without the scholarship?
It has had a huge impact on my life and I feel like it has given me the opportunity that not many people have to pursue a career in games. The scholarship will definitely help me to pursue my educational and
“It’s about self esteem” says Smith. “They can look at
themselves and say, ‘I can’t possibly deserve to go work in the games industry, I’m not good enough to get there.’ “But if they can meet people that have had a similar
journey, or are able to understand the journey that they want to take, they can bring that bit of self esteem out and say, ‘let’s try, let’s give it a go.’ “So many people think the games industry is just
about development, and it’s not. There’s the work I do, there’s our finance teams, PR and marketing, even games journalism… They can be a part of this much bigger world, it’s not just about being a programmer or an artist. It’s just about being a part of this great ecosystem.” Of course, two scholarships are not going to change the
industry overnight. But it’s certainly a good step in the right direction, and one that Creative Assembly seems keen to keep focusing on. “I would like to continue the scheme,” says Smith. “I
think it’s really valuable. Even just from the feedback we’ve had from one of the students, that they’re doing particularly well on a module. “They value having the mentorship from one of our
developers, and they feel like they don’t need to struggle with trying to balance their life as well as their studying. It’s really freed things up for them, so it’s already a success in that way. “Ideally, these two students do end up in our industry,
and maybe even join Creative Assembly – and maybe they’ll take that knowledge and take it somewhere else. And we’ll all be better off for it.”
career goals and pursue my passion for games design.
What attracts you to the games industry? I find the creativity of the games industry is what attracts me the most - and being able to be with people that have similar interests and hobbies too.
While the industry is
changing, it has historically been dominated by male, white and middle-class voices. Do you feel that your background could be an asset, providing a new, much-needed perspective in games? Already being a mixed race female, I feel like I could bring new perspectives into games, and maybe encourage other females and people of other races to pursue their dreams if they wanted to work in the games industry too.
March 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 43
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