Game Developer Intern Review

It was much nicer than I expected it to be - the people I work with are amazing, and the culture here is amazing as well. There is no crunch, and in general there is no overbearing pressure to get things done quick. The office space is really nice as well.

One of the things that surprised me the most when I first started working was that I wasn't treated like an intern. Of course, there's a learning period in which you're given small tasks, but over the course of time I have been working on tasks crucial to the game as well. Everyone treats you as their equal, and lets you know when you've done a good job.

My line manager had one-to-one meetings with me every two weeks, and offered support for any issues I had, as well as advice and feedback from others, and about how I could improve. He also helped me set up a personal development plan, and gave the extra push for me to work towards it.

It varied from day to day. Most days were pretty relaxed - there was always work to be done, of course, but no pressure as such. Other days I was working on fixing live crashes, and the day would be intense, albeit in a good way. But even on the busiest days, I wasn't asked to work overtime or come in early. (Sometimes I did stay back for a little bit, but that was purely my own choice.)

Everyone treated me as their equal, and when it came to splitting up the work I did not shy away from taking on important and challenging tasks, and no one questioned or doubted me. Some of the tasks I carried out were critical to the game, and it felt good to be trusted.

I learned way more than I would have in uni - of course, studying was necessary for knowing the basics, but actually getting to work on a large code base and looking at the way things are done is an experience in itself. I've learned about a lot of things which will definitely be useful in everything I do in the future.

The atmosphere was very chilled, and everyone was nice and friendly. Discussions could shift from work to outside events to work again pretty quickly. If I saw someone doing something interesting, I would just ask, and they would be happy to explain. I felt extremely comfortable in the office at all times.

All the interns had a two-day induction session in which they were introduced to the company and the way of working etc. My on-boarding was pretty smooth, even though there were one or two hiccups along the way. After a couple of days of setting up, I jumped right into work (and the fun).

There is an internal website which you can use to learn about things online, which is available to all employees (and interns). On the website, there are online reading materials as well as courses you can take. My line manager also pushed me to learn more about areas I was weak in.

I think I have a good chance of getting a job here, and if given the chance I would love to. It's a great place to work, and though the need for different types of roles varies according to the time and other factors, I would say that if you have a good understanding of your field of work, are ready to keep learning, and have a friendly personality, there is a good chance you'll get through.

The office is in Soho in London - for those that live in London, needless to say it is an amazing place to eat and drink and party. There are all kinds of places around, no matter what kind of things you like to do. Lots of pubs, restaurants, cafes, cocktail bars, and various other kinds of shops are open after work.