nDreams
April 09 / 2021

Games Careers Week Recap

At nDreams, we have a deep desire to support, grow, educate, and give back to our industry. We understand the need to create a clear talent pipeline, and part of that is ensuring that the sector, and how you break into it, is demystified to anyone who wants to pursue a career in games, no matter who they are.

Participating in Games Careers Week was a natural fit for us and what an incredible, cross-industry week it was! Intended to better map out career pathways within games to those who may be interested in them, and packed full of practical and actionable careers advice and guidance, we took part in a number of events throughout the week, hosting several talks and collaborating with the likes of Grads in Games and The BGI:

  • My Journey – Fresh from winning Graduate Impact at the Grads in Games Awards (due to his outreach work which has helped the next generation of game developers) Ridgie Cools (Level Designer) hosted a talk and Q&A session on how his journey into the games industry started. It covered what is expected of candidates, as well as what it’s actually like working in games.
  • Get Your Foot in The Door – Daniel Woodward (L&D Manager) and Katie McFetridge (Internal Recruiter) presented a workshop on how to get noticed by games studios. They covered everything from how to present your best self, to what an amazing cover letter looks like. Looking for feedback on your own CV? Be sure to send it across to academy@ndreams.com before the 14th of April.
  • Grads in Games Career Connector - Richard Copperwaite (Principal Programmer) and Mark Rendle (Art Manager) provided practical advice and support to students looking to bridge the gap between education and employment.
  • Mentorships and Games Careers – Dave Price (Level Designer) took part in a session with The BGI which discussed the value of mentorships, covering his time with us and what a career in games is like.


As well as the careers talks that were hosted throughout the week, Sean Gorman (Level Designer) also ran the Flex Your Skills level design competition! The brief was simple. Create a top-down level design map layout from a video game of your choosing. Entrants could use whatever they wished to complete the task, from top-of-the-range rendering software to the humble pen and paper. It was important to us to make sure this competition was as accessible as possible!

We had LOTS of incredible submissions, from a variety of designers and genres. It was a difficult job, but we’ve managed to narrow down the winners to just three people. Check out our winners below:

Pablo Navarro – Their brilliant Ghosts of Tsushima-inspired map provided multiple angles for player approach, had real consideration for gameplay elements from the specified game, and had a clearly communicated layout which makes for a credible arena design. A tremendous job!

Kornelia Sunshine – This was a wonderful open/world, game map submission. It showed careful attention to detail, defining specific areas from one another, whilst expressing natural player progression across the map. There is clear care, love, and attention poured into this submission. Great job and congratulations, Kornelia!

Jacob Crawford - Their RPG-inspired map layout showed scale, player pathing, as well as a well-used Key, which was fit for purpose and had clear symbols used throughout the design. They showed consideration for encounter design with enemy placement, as well as particular attention paid to the spacing of resources across the map. It made for a great submission. Great job, Jacob!

Although submissions for the competition are now closed, you can still get professional feedback on your designs from Sean if you submit them to our Discord before the 14th of April. Join the conversation - https://discord.gg/gSJmUJKdsu

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