SWOT

Some of my Strengths in my views are being able to use unreal engine with some knowable of this i can however use maya Fairley well and i am able to uv unwrap object in maya however i would not say i am the best at it and i have a lot more to learn i am able to make a draft plan of projects i am working on and i have a good ability to research about topics that are relevant to my project at te time such as trying to find more context on my FMP i set on a talk to make a platform screen doors for a station on the elizabeth line i did find the dimenats needed however due to this being a key intret i had i understood otheres might so i gavred more infoation about the doors such as nthe why , how and what can they do this would allow for time to be saved if i planned on making this in to a game such as being able understand if more was needed to bring this form a model to functioal mkodded such as does it have local controls can doors be locked act where is the planal 

Some of my Weaknesses are time keeping and being able to see how long a task might take me and trying to plan this and i can tend to over or under estamate the time it might take me such as when i did the FMP last yaer i was told that i might not to be able to do it all in time so i had to make some revisions lowering the stander of work i had talked out having at the end overall this a core weaknesses of mine that i am working on improving over time and with every project i will be able to gain an instait into how long i can take to be able to use this when planning out a project this is a core skill i want to improve along with laek opf expirance this is something i can not help while at the some time if i keep doing smaller projects and plann them oput oer the yaer on the isde such as making a bus shelter and giving myself 4 weeks to plan and finish it so see how i do with this such as 2 days a week at home workong this project nand relaening how to moddel un bledner 

Some of my Opportunities i have in this time to laren on how to improve 3d modelling and coding suchn as in c,c++,c# java etc this is som,ething that i should take advage of this as well improving my skills that tend to let me down such as time this is something that is a big one as not being able see that something i want to do might take a lot longer than i think it will 

starting small using roblox as an explae i can use this to code and modeel ojects to try and make a small game such as a small town with story laed objectives like you need to find nthe mayor who is lost and this sends on quests all around the town talking to new players and finding nobjects to free,help and stop the bad this is just one Opportunitie i can take as this will start to build up a project list all be it that this is asomething small it shows i can laren and i am able to tap into all parts of games dev to make a small game as well as roblox being free to make and public games this will also give me exprinces in player free back as well over all this is just one way to improve on my weaknesses by setting a update date i will have given myself a dealine to stick to it with i will add some more context to this on a context page .

Some of my Threats  to improving might be time do i have time for side projects that mighyt help me work onmy skills i can use in projects as well when it comes to using 3d modelling software that is not maya as i have mainly used maya othere 3d software is something i might have to relaren how to use this is a Threat but something i can overcome with time , planning albe it i can make a plan i am unable to make a plan and stick ot it i keep looking at way i can add or improve and i end up with lots of un finshed work 

soft and hard skills 

hard skills 

1. i can model modern system buildings in maya such as train station like the stations on the Elizabeth line as well as texturing to bring a modern look as well as being able to make my own lights in unreal engine using a modifier and adding a reflection the floor 

2. i can model in maya and set faces on the model to be a different colour map to that in unreal texturing can be speed up 

3. I can use unreal engine to set up a environments  

4. I can gather all relevant researcher needed 

Soft skills 

1. I can work as part of a team 

2. I can deal with difficult people 

2. I adapt to learn to new skills 

What job would I want to go into?

i would like to go into a programming based role as this is something i have a grate i9ntrest in such as being able to learn C , c++ and c# and colbo (very very very old )

or make my own games company 

Games network programmer 

What is it?

This job role is programming the online and network side of a game, such as saving player data to the cloud or joining others in games like Minecraft, which comes with a built-in LAN (local area network) server. This would be down to a network programmer adding tools, such as being able to set a port 

Overall, for this job, you need a background in the main IT department, such as being able to build and deploy a server. In modern-day, you will need to be able to integrate cloud servers into this, as many big games will not just use one server, but a cluster of servers

What does a generalist programmer do?

as well getting a job they recommend having the above 

At school or college:
If you want to go to university:
Take A-levels, Highers or Level 3 BTECs from this list. Complement your science subjects with art ones, if you enjoy them:

• Maths

• Physics

• Computer science

• Graphic design

• Graphic communication

• Art and design

• BTEC Extended Diploma in Creative Digital Media Production

• BTEC Diploma in Computing

If you want to go straight into a job or apprenticeship:
The following Level 3 vocational qualifications would be relevant:

• BTEC Diploma in Computing for Creative Industries

• AQA Technical Level IT: Programming

• OCR Technical Level IT: Programming

This job is a overall programming job where the need to know a coding lanages but a genal coding ability overall this a job i would like to go into as i do like the side of how somethings works 

What does a games tester do?

Games testers don’t get paid just to play games all day, despite popular belief. They test specific aspects of a game, write detailed reports of each bug they find and then re-test when the development team has fixed it. They look for program bugs, spelling mistakes, graphical or audio glitches and even copyright issues.

Testers work to deadlines and understand how their role as a tester fits into the production schedule. They must be able to document their findings accurately, usually in a software quality management system. And they need great game stamina as they may play the same part of a game over and over again, long after it’s stopped being fun.

as i overview they test key parts of the game and tend not to play the full run though right away and also they might be spending a day testing a new game mechanic such as a new way to jump or move around and with a action at the same time or even testing to see if you can cheat the online severs (gameplay) online severs keeping player data safe is down the networkers and server minter 

Now, would I like to do this? Well, yes and no. This does sound like fun, but in reality, this will start to repeat and become boring over time. As if I were the person coding the stuff that needs testing, I would probably want to test as I code. Overall, this job role is a no for me 

more context afftre some more reasermaent into to this job role i have looked at some vidoes on youtube form those in this job role who explane what it is like doing this job and why it might be the job for you and why it might not be the job for you 

in the first vidoe they talk about a games tester as being a QA 

They talk about how very possitve but they there are some draw backs such as 

Indie Development

Who are some successful indie developers, and how did they start?

Tiny Glade was developed by Pounce Light in 2024. This was a very popular game on Steam 

What tools or engines are commonly used?

made by a two-person team using a custom game engine written in the Rust programming language, built on top of the Bevy engine's entities, components, and systems 

What challenges do indie devs face (funding, marketing, visibility)?

, Overall, making a new game engine and righting this from the ground up would have been the biggest challenge - covering core components like memory management etc 

How do indies usually get their games noticed?

Staem, reaching out to individuals online who review and play games by giving them a free copy of the game, most software distribution platforms can manage and control builds with custom keys 

Online Courses

What platforms offer game development/design courses (e.g., Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning)?

Find Games Design, Animation & VFX Degrees and Courses- MetStudios 

offers a wide range of online courses that you can sign up to - this is just one site that offers courses; many of these sites will use a custom web-based learning system 

What skills do they cover, and what do they cost?

They can cover anything from animation to programming ,however for software programming you might as well go to uni to laren this in a more advace way 

How are they viewed by employers?

Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and edX offer game development/design courses. Employers view these courses positively, especially those from Coursera and edX , however, a uni degree might give you a better chance over someone who did not go to uni 

How could online courses help someone build a portfolio?

It can give them skills to make an indie game or a prototype, etc, and they can also get the new skills to make something like a web-based game or a 3d website that you can have a user walk around to get to the pages they want 

Networking & Jobs

What entry-level roles exist in the games industry?

game tester, designer, software engineer, Progamer (newer games, websites, apps etc. make use of libs that have been made over 10+ ;years. This speeds up the dev time, although they do need to know as make )

Where are jobs typically advertised?

networking events, company sites, job hiring platforms, sometimes it's a studio like Rockstar is hiring, it might be in the news, but in the gaming categories as well as some indie studios might be looking to expand and take more staff on into their team 

What events help with networking?

conferences, career fairs, and workshops, as well as more casual gatherings such as happy hours, luncheons, and business mixers 

, there are lots of different ways 

What makes an application stand out to employers?

going to uni,  networking, having experience in the field in which you want to go into, such as working for an indie studio, having a portfolio can help, but do not have a clinically clean website, make it show off who you are if you are able to code the webiste yourself, do this and add a part to the site explaining how you built the webiste what you used doing things such as working for indde studios list what you did how you did and did you come away knowing more than you did beofre joining them what are you looking to improve as showing rom for stable devlopmaent can show an employer you might be a good fit and you can mold your self and skill set yo a ever growing and eveloing instrey and you will are not liky to fall behind 

You might want to show that you are able to lead a team and help the team grow, as well as add past jobs that might not be related to gaming, but can show how you are able to develop in life. These are a few ways you can make your application stand out. 

Portfolio Building

Making a Portfolio for a job in the creative industry needs some outside-of-the-box thinking. A lot of people's portfolios might use Wix.com or Google Sites to make theirs, and this is fine, but you may have to pay for features to show off your work in a creative way. That's why coding your website will allow you to make it work how you want, and you are not limited to any usage limits 

You can start coding a website in ReactJS. This site can allow you to do a lot more than an HTML page can; you can make a 3d page showing off any modelling you have done by making a city in Maya or Blender, and a car allows the page view to drive around, and the camera to zoom in on your work and zoom back out 

as well as the main page showing off what you have done, such as a CV on the home page with an email and contact number, with an online website, you are able to show off anything you have done in almost any way. You can also add a comment section to the page with your work and show that you can improve based on feedback, or explain why you did not make the change and why 

What should a strong portfolio include (projects, code, artwork, video demos)?

Yes, as reading text can be very boring, and if employers are looking at a lot of websites, they might run through them until one grabs their attention, make more than one home page, so that the one you give to an employer will have all the core bits they are looking for. This way, you can still show off your work how you wish and also keep it ready for an employer to view as a one-page website set will work best 

Where should portfolios be hosted (ArtStation, GitHub, itch.io, personal website)?

wbeiste on GitHub has a 5 GB cap, but this keeps the code safe, or get a Raspberry Pi and host yourself for free using Cloudflare tunnels, keeping your IP safe 

Find an example of a strong graduate or junior portfolio. 

Ori Lazar is one portfolio that I had found 

Why do portfolios often matter more than CVs in games? 

This is because in this type of work, you will have a better chance by showing your past work and skill set as overall text on a screen does not say a lot about who you are, but your work will as you can add a lot to a online website about you if you are a programmer, you can show your skill set and rpove this or if you 3d moddel you can show your work prosesse 

Get better unreal engine is one key thing id like to get better at to maybe make my own game i would also like to go into uni, moving form a full time job after my education - looking into the railway as a train driver or a lorry or bus driver i would also add that i would like to start driving lessons again and pass my test this year or next year 

such as working on the Train Sim World 5 editor on pc steam to make a DLC for the game, this would also be a great portfolio as this will involve coding, modelling and texturing and would be a good source of income on the side. If I did go to uni, it would help with money, but it would slow down an employer. I have the skill set needed, and I can say what I want to get better at 

weekly 

college | part-time job | driving lessons | owning a car are the things I am currently working on, as well as working and spending my money in a more efficient way

college, working on Unreal Engine to improve my understanding of how it works and looking at Blender, as when I am done with college, I will not have access to Maya, and Maya is not an affordable option in more detail i want to be able to understand the most commen used part to the point i feel like i dont need to google them and then starting to laren the more advaces parts of the engine as well as linking in maya and blender into this self delovpmaent 

mouthly 

doing the same as above, but also trying new things, such as doing more outside of work, college and home, so that I am not following the same routine that can become very long, and I feel as if the time is moving very slowly 

Looking at doing more outside of my day-to-day, I will look at trying out new things I have not planned on, but something 

Back in 2024/5 i did do _________________, and i plan to go back and do ________________________, however i might be not be able to do ___________________, due to _________________.

Starting uni is one outcome, but in 2 years, there can be 2 very different outcomes 

outcome 1 

had started uni doing computers or games dev, more on the servers and network side, but will more than likely go into the games route just due to my past and current grades, but this is a reflection on myself as a person  to cut a long story short, essentially I should relearn some topics and resit some exams as this would give me a better chance to get on to a uni coure i want so maybe a take a gap yaer before uni to get this all upto a good leval for uni but this is something i really need to look into 

But if I got onto a uni course, i would be in the start of the 1st year working towards getting a job full-time in a studio, any studio, but I would like to work for Dovel Tail Games, they make Train Sim World  

tbd (to be done) - will be completed later 

UCAS

CV & Covering letter

rename me

ucas STAMENT V1

UCAS - Statement - final draft 

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

This is your opportunity to showcase your passion and knowledge of your chosen subject area and to demonstrate to universities and colleges why they are a good fit for you and your future ambitions.

https://www.artstation.com/cjgunstone2016
I wish to study game development at your university because after studying at College I have really enjoyed what I've learnt and I'm passionate to further my knowledge through studying for a bachelor degree. I have always been passionate about games, not only playing them but also in how they are developed. I am particularly interested in environment art, I want to further my skills to be able to work as part of a team in industry after I finish this degree course.
I'm invested in furthering my learning specifically with story based games, where there's a changing narrative based on the players actions. During my time at College, I have been using industry standard software, including Unreal Engine, Maya and Substance Painter 3D.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

This is your chance to shout about the relevant or transferable skills you’ve gained from your education and highlight your understanding of how they will help you succeed in this subject area.

During my time at College, I've taken two level 2 courses. The 1st was computer studies and the second was creative media. I am studying Games Development at level 3.
I gained a number of skills from the Creative Media course, research, videography, using Photoshop,
Premier Pro and Final Cut Pro and Adobe Audition recording and editing.
During my Computer Studies course, I learnt some very basic coding, React JS this was in preparation for building a website. I had to follow a brief to create a website for a client.
On my Games Development course, year 1 I did a final major project. I decided to make an environment, during which I set out to make canary wharf (a train station on the Elizabeth line in central London). I was able to show the skills I had learnt so far. I had to plan, research - pre-production, then move onto production. I was able to demonstrate my ability to take feedback and act upon it. I pitched my proposed project to my class, once I had finished everyone had the opportunity to ask me questions. E.G. why I chose this subject matter, it's a passion of mine. I enjoy the Train Sim World game and also the railway. I was asked about time scales, how long I believed this project would take and also give feedback such as commenting on good ideas.
I completed a secondary and primary research in preparation for my project. Next came the production stage. I utilised Microsoft Forms to gain feedback from my peers at pre defined points. I used this to further improve my work. I stated why I believed their points were positive or negative. I responded to the feedback evaluating the points. I worked on different versions of the platform, this was to compare different designs and layouts. The modern futuristic station I created was based on Canary Wharf. I went in this direction so I could include platform screen doors & to make a modular layout. On my final evaluation, I focused on reflection of what went well, what did not go well and what I would change if I was to carry out this project again. I explained all of this in detail. I thought about what changes I would make in year 2.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

This is your chance to reflect on any other activities you have undertaken outside of your education, or personal experiences which further demonstrate your suitability for the course. This section is likely to be deeply personal to you, so anything you include should be meaningful and relevant to you.

Redacted 

(There will be spelling errors due to the 4,000-character limit.)

ucas STAMENT V2

box 1

https://www.artstation.com/cjgunstone2016
I want to study game development at your university because after studying at College I have really enjoyed what I've learnt and I'm passionate to further my knowledge through studying for a bachelor’s degree. I have always been passionate about games, not only playing them but also in how they are developed. 

I’m interested in environment art, especially when it comes to creating architecture and simulation-based work as I have aspirations to work at studios such as Dovetail games. I'm interested in furthering my learning specifically with story-based games, where there's a changing narrative based on the player actions. During my time at College, I have been using industry standard software, including Unreal Engine, Maya and Substance Painter 3D.

-box 2

During my time at college, I’ve completed two level 2 courses, Computer Studies and Creative Media respectively. I am studying Games Development level 3. I gained a number of skills from the Creative Media course, research and Final Cut Pro. During my Computer Studies course, I learnt some coding and React JS in preparation for building a website. I was able to follow a brief to create a website for a client which can be accessed on Art Station. 

On my Games Development course, year 1 for my final major project I decided to make an environment. I set out to make canary wharf (a train station on the Elizabeth line). As you can see from my portfolio piece, shown on ArtStation, I 3d modelled the station using Maya I uv unwrapped the models and then imported them into Unreal engine. Using Unreal engine I started to learn how to make materials as well as adding textures. I made decals in Photoshop as well learning about setting up lighting. This was all based off real-world location images. I worked on different versions of the platform; this was to compare different designs and layouts. During this project I gained the ability to research and present my project. This built on my skills to speak publicly and I was able to demonstrate my ability to take feedback and act upon it.

During year 2 I completed a HOUSE project, this can seen on ArtStation. Using Maya this project allowed me to focus on improving and receiving feedback I was given from my previous project, Canary Wharf. I focussed on the modelling aspect for this project. I wanted to create a greater refinement which would give a higher overall quality. I have improved my skills in the uv editor within Maya ensuring the faces are the right rotation in the 1x1 grid. 

I have been able to expand on in engine tools to save time where assets are going to repeat by assigning the details and texture to the asset using the asset editor within Unreal. 

I have gained the ability to use the movie render queue to take still renders of the environment using the Cine Camera actors to take clear and sharp renders, as seen on ArtStation. 

box 3 

Redacted 

last edited 24/11/2025 @ 14:14

To view box 3 please log in to my portfolio 

using 

user: name unknown 

 password: college2025-ucas

• Which portfolio more effectively communicates the creator’s role and contribution to the project?

looking at 

Tomas Wallin | Gameplay Programmer - Portfolio 

You can see that they are a programmer on their portfolio, but only as you scroll down the page, where they list the skills they have (*img001). This clearly shows what their role is; however, at the very top of the page, they say what they do and what they specialise in, such as systems and gameplay coding. Some demos are showing what they can do. I would say they have clearly shown their skill set, and they have a link to GitHub.com, the site where any programmer goes to work with others.  

Game programmer specialising in systems and gameplay programming, focused on writing efficient, clean code and tackling new challenges in game development.

...

However, with the art station, portfolios do not stand out as much when compared to a custom-built website; this is not a negative, but it would best be suited alongside a website as a website will allow for you to express yourself 

• How do the presentation styles differ, and what impact does that have on the viewer’s understanding? 

• If you were hiring for a game development team, which portfolio would you choose and why?

Tomas Wallin | Gameplay Programmer - Portfolio 

David Shaver - Game Design Portfolio
, out of the 4, I would be more likely to decide on these too, they have more on offer and more to see. When looking at the two on Artstation, they do not have the same feel as