Get That Job: How to be a rapid prototyper

The game industry is home to a plethora of professions key to making a studio a success.

Each week we’ll shine a light on a specific role, with bite-size tips from those in the know on how to land that job.

This week we have Tom Jackson, a rapid prototyper at London developer Bossa Studios, offering specialist advice on how to bag a job as a rapid prototyper.

"Rapid prototyping is quite a bespoke position and isn’t something you’ll find in every studio," said Jackson.

"It involves developing a concept to a point where the gameplay and mechanics can be experimented with to see if something that works on paper can also work as a game. It’s high pressure – having to deliver a completed prototype every couple of weeks so your peers can play test it, but very exciting.

"You’re always working on new ideas, facing new challenges and having to learn new technologies on the fly. One minute you might be working on server side databases, the next, coding procedural generation, then knee-deep in modelling assets.

"The most important thing is to have a competent ability in all areas of game development, (art, UI/UX, coding, design, audio, etc).

"One of the best forms of practice is to enter game jams. Having a nice catalog of smaller games of varying genre/style under your belt can show you are a good fit for this unique role."

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