Guildhall at SMU Career Fair
Game development graduates on parade.
SMU/Dallas — November 23, 2010 – The Guildhall at SMU held its fall Career Fair for graduates and alums last week, and if attendance is any indication of an overall trend in the video game industry demand for creative talent remains strong.
Seventeen video game studios and publishers from across the country convened on the Plano, TX, campus for the two-day event. A total of 33 representatives conducted more than 200 interviews of graduate students and alums for positions in art creation, level design and software development.
“Leaders in the industry maintain that their greatest challenge is finding new, creative talent in order to consistently push video games beyond their traditional scope,” said Dr. Peter Raad, executive director and founder of The Guildhall at SMU. “The attendance for this event serves as an affirmation that we are helping fill this void. What’s especially rewarding is seeing our alums on the opposite side of the interview tables.”
Raad explained that one of the reasons SMU’s career events are so well attended is that since 2005, the program has graduated more than 350 students and alums are working at 110-plus studios around the world.
“We are really fortunate to have a large foot print in the industry with our alums. Our graduates serve as the strongest statement about the quality of our program and brand,” Raad said.
Publishers and studios who attended the event included: Big Huge Games, BioWare, Controlled ChaosMedia, Disney Interactive,Edge of Reality, Escalation Studios, ESMT Group,Gearbox Software, Insomniac Games, NewToy, Obsidian Entertainment, Playdom, Red Fly Studios, Robot Entertainment, Timegate, TriangleStudios and Zynga.
About The Guildhall at SMU
The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University is the premier graduate video game education program in the U.S. Many of the school’s founders are industry icons, and classes are taught by industry veterans. Since 2005, the program has graduated over 350 students, and alums work at more than 110 video game studios around the world, with several graduates now serving in leadership positions. SMU offers both a Master’s degree and a graduate Professional Certificate of Interactive Technology in Digital Game Development, with specializations in art creation, level design, and software development. For more information, please visit http://guildhall.smu.edu.
CONTACT:
Ron Jenkins
The Guildhall at SMU
(972) 473-3546
jenkinsr@smu.edu