Games industry expert 'blown away' by passion and talent at South Devon College

South Devon College are nurturing the next generation of games industry talent - that's the verdict of an industry recruitment expert.

Epic Games’ lead recruiter Joe Burridge visited the college's Paignton campus to advise students about securing a career in the games industry, as someone who handles picking the right people for that industry every day.

Simon Thorpe, head of digital and computing, said: “The high-quality presentation from Joe was a real eye-opener for our students to the employment opportunities in the gaming and digital industry. It also inspired our students to develop their skills further so they can succeed in what is a high-profile and dynamic sector.”

Following the talk, and answering questions from both students and staff, Joe said: “I was blown away by the passion and talent not just from the students but the staff too. Also, the facilities and technology available to students is incredible. It’s clear to me that the team at South Devon College are truly nurturing the next generation of talent.”

South Devon College recently celebrated becoming the first college in Devon to strike a partnership with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine Academic Partner Programme. This came with a wide range of benefits that improve the experience of studying both at the college and University Centre South Devon.

This connection with the industry-leading video game and software developer and publisher led to an encouraging start for students when they discovered Joe lives in Newton Abbot.

Joe highlighted the diversity of roles within the games industry. He told students it is largely the development of games which is the most thought about but, like any other businesses, there’s much more to it. Joe broke this down into engineering and corporate roles.

Engineering includes roles focused on gameplay, UI, cyber security, animation, data, machine learning, online and more. However, corporate includes roles in account management, marketing, data analysis, HR, community operations, sales, and finance.

After university, Joe worked at a couple of tech companies and as a recruitment consultant for data science professionals before joining EA Games and making his way into working in the games industry. After three-and-a-half years, he moved to Epic, developers of video games such as Fortnite and the Gears of War series.

Joe said: “The games industry is a fun, unique combination of art and science and this industry is still growing rapidly. Games make more money than films and music combined.

“Our role isn’t just limited to games either. We’re keeping an eye on what the next generation of the internet will look like where our talent and technology in creating in 3D will become even more valuable too.”

Joe talked about the internship programme at Epic Games and how many interns return to work at Epic after completing their internship.

Epic Internships happen year-round with work terms ranging from three to 12 months. "It’s a great way to break into the industry after achieving a qualification," said Joe.

For details of all courses available at South Devon College, visit www.southdevon.ac.uk