This growing and exciting industry needs graduates. Colleges are now getting in on the act and offering courses specifically tailored for the games market.

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Recruitment continues apace in the increasingly lucrative gaming industry with games now seen as a cost-effective entertainment option as we retreat further into our living rooms.

Although the games industry in Ireland is still in its early stages, it has been boosted by huge multinationals such as Facebook relocating to our shores providing a vast number of job opportunities within the sector.

Ireland's media and gaming industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in IT and has been identified in recent government reports to be potentially of significant strategic value to Ireland's future economy.

The global video game software industry is worth over $20 billion a year and is growing at 25% per annum.

This exciting growing industry has a need for graduates with universities now getting in on the act. Colleges are offering courses specifically tailored for the games market to allow graduates to step into this field and add to the overall growth of the industry.

COURSES

1. Trinity College: Masters in Interactive Entertainment Technology
2. Ballyfermot Senior College: Diploma in Computer Games Design, and Computer Games And Interactive Entertainment Developement
3. Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
4. Letterkenny Institute of Technology: Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computing with Computer Games Development
5. Carlow Institute of Technology: Degree in Games Development
6. University of Limerick: (Hons) course in Multimedia and Computer Games
7. Athlone Institute of Technology: Bachelor Of Science (Honours) In Software Design (Game Development), 4 Year, Full-time

JOB DESCRIPTION

Games developers are involved in the creation and production of computer games, handheld games, console games, arcade games, 'Flash' games for internet use and games for mobile phones.

Games development involves many stages, including creating and designing a game's look and how it plays, animating characters and objects, creating sound, programming, testing and producing.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

While there is a worldwide scarcity of games programmers, especially in the domains of graphics programming and computer simulation, employment possibilities in the computer games arena in Ireland and the UK are mainly in the area of games programming and design and games project management.

Career options include games programmer, graphics programming, visualisation, research and development in media and entertainment-related technologies.

POSSIBLE EMPLOYERS

• Gala
• Big Fish
• Goa
• Demonware
• Havok
• Microsoft
• Activision

Debbie O'Halloran