BSc (Hons) Computer Science for Games student James Smith took a year-long placement as a programmer for video game developer Sumo Digital.

“At Sumo I’m working on an AAA game project on a new Sumo IP in Unreal Engine 5. It’s given me many great opportunities to network with experienced game developers working in the industry. 

“Day to day I’m putting the C++ I learnt on the course to good use, making plugins for Unreal Engine which help develop games across the company. 

“I also get to see first-hand the work of many other game developers, including artists, game designers and other programmers, which is really inspiring for me. 

“It’s a great introduction to the games industry and has been super-relevant to my course. I’m not just putting all my knowledge from my course into practice but I’m also getting to develop video games. It’s what everyone who enrols on this course wants to do as a career, so it’s amazing to be doing it already on this placement.

“When I come back to my course next year I’ll have improved my work ethic and skills with time management, team-based development, and communication. And I know I will also have that additional drive to achieve on the course, and make a return to the games industry after graduating with a portfolio of work to back me up.”