Placement Year Review at Ash Gaming

The Role

Role Description

I was responsible for the development and the translations of different computer games, made mainly for the bookmaker’s companies. I was also in charge of making demo games and test harnesses (these are special automated programs, which are run on super-fast computer in order to generate various statistics about the games’ payout).

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I am definitely happy with my placement. I was learning new things in various spheres of the Computer Science industry, which was the reason I was doing this placement.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I felt extremely valued by my colleagues. On my second month in the company I felt like I was working here all my life. I was also participating in all types of social events, including poker nights, playing football, going to pub, birthday parties, etc.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The management of the company is perfect. My personal manager was always helping me with all types of problems I experienced in every way he could. He was always in good mood, I really feel him as one of my best friends.

Also, the main manager for my department is very experienced and was giving us the tasks such that they much our workload and programming abilities.

The manager for the translations team did extremely good job in the organisation of the process for translating games. She is always smiling and happy and is doing the best for our team.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was neither too busy, nor not given any work – just the perfect balance.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was given responsibilities just like any other employee in the company. Even for my first 7 weeks I have done 6 demo games, 3 automated test harnesses and translations of 2 games. By the middle of the placement I was given the task to develop real games.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The skills definitely assisted me for my future career path. I am now more mature, I know how to communicate with colleagues and with people standing above me in the hierarchy successfully.

The fact that I was working in lots of different areas helped me to learn lots of skills I did not have before.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

The atmosphere is perfect. Nobody has problems with anybody, everybody is making jokes with his colleagues freely, we also had a fun-mailing list, where everybody was putting the funny things he has found on the internet.

Everybody was always ready and happy to help with all the things I asked him.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The placement was very well-organised. Little by little I was doing more complicated stuff, until finally I started to produce games for clients.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

They invested a lot in me, I felt like I am really important employee.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Sports and Social Club
• Subsidised/Company Gym
• Company Parties/Events

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

They are very appealing; I am definitely willing to continue to work in the company when I graduate.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The social scene was perfect – pubs every Friday, poker nights every month, Football every Tuesday and parties very often.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

Well, of course, you cannot expect living and socialising in the centre of London to be cheap, but there were some really nice and chip shops, which I used.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Great – all social events and clubs are situated nearby, we have one colleague who is guitarist of famous blues band, so we were often out in Soho on his gigs.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Yes – we made carnivals and were playing poker in the Poker Coder championships. Also we were participating in local football league.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

My experience was great, I definitely recommend this company to the students, willing to the placement in an IT company.

Review 5/6 for Ash Gaming

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