Hey guys this is my first post on here. Please forgive me if this isn't the right place for this kind of post.

So a little about me: Im a game designer from London England. I gradutated from University with a degree in Computer Games and have since gone on to design and develop my own App for the app store. Ive also had a 3 month internship with a mobile games studio, working as a game designer / QA.

The issue I am having is that my portfolio seems to be lacking something because I haven't been successful in any applications for entry level design positions.

I am hoping anyone who's a professional designer or employer could provide me vital feedback so that I can be better equipped to apply all over again.

My portfolio:

http://www.dipeshdhanji.com/1310552

Cheers

Many of the things on there don't quite align. You have big bold images, you keep switching back between roles as 'designed' and 'programmed. You make statements like "Designed the entire game using Corona SDK" which makes it seem like you don't know the right words to use. Your buttons "Available on the app store" are not buttons to the link as they should be, but links to zoom the image. You list a single professional game that was a #1 hit and has super-polished professional ads, but there is no clear line to what you actually did. You've got a hobby project that looks like a hobby flappy bird clone but with non-hobby assets. You've got an unreal project that looks like it has some level design aspects (not game design aspects, the two are different) with a link to a single discussion thread labeled "My First project".

So those are confusing. They are unexpected, and not in a good way.

Then I look at your CV.

Jumping to education, you graduated in 2005, with "BSc (Hons) Computer games & Mass media". Great, you pass the HR filter for education.

Your career summery starts out with "June 2012 - October 2012: Game Designer / QA". 3-4 months at a studio. Your forum post says it was an internship, but the paper you are sending out does not. You don't say intern, and you seem confused about if you were QA or a Game Designer, the two are radically different. You include a statement "Consistently performed to higher standards...", and think how four months is not nearly enough time to do anything "consistently". I also immediately wonder why you were there only four months. If I decide to interview I'm absolutely contacting them for any reference details they can give, and pressing hard for details during the interview.

Then I see self developed games. Again, "Designed using Corona", another with "the whole game using unreal engine's pre made assets". Concerning, and if I'm convinced to interview I'm going to ask a lot of questions.

Then you write as "additional experience" that are working, and have worked for 11 years, for a supermarket chain doing unspecified work. I can live with the supermarket chain aspect, people transition careers all the time. But especially odd that this is your primary job and you write absolutely nothing about what you do, or what you have done, with 11 years of your life. Simply the title "Morrison's supermarket", no job duties, no role information. For all I know you have been a cashier since you graduated with honors from the university.

Your list of "skills and attributes" does not give me anything I can verify, nothing concrete. "Excellent communications skills", "Effective under pressure", "Problem solver", "Excellent attention to detail", these are right out of the handbook of filler lines. "Comfortable with Microsoft office" is something you might see as an entry level secretary. Show, don't tell. These should be demonstrated in the other entries of your CV, not a bullet list.

You list a bunch of software, Corona SDK, unreal engine, photoshop, 3D Studio... but these are not things designers regularly use. Again, it doesn't jive. You're an artist, programmer, designer, tester, but only worked for 3-4 months.

Finishing up your CV reading "game designer" is not typically an entry level position.

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I get done reading it, and I'm asking myself: What did I just read?

You work for a grocery store for 11 years doing unspecified work. I don't know if you were a programmer for their POS terminals, or a checker, or stocked shelves, or managed everyone in the building. You have a degree in "computer games and mass media", which you may or may not have used in your unspecified grocery store work. You have an intern job that you took seven years after getting your BSc with Honors. You worked the intern job while employed at the store.

Nothing by itself is inherently bad. But taken together I am not telling myself "This guy is transitioning careers into design and I have to talk to him!" Instead I'm asking myself "Is this guy crazy? He seems to be jumping around with seemingly no direction."

My recommendation is to start with the book "What Color is your Parachute". Read it carefully, and work through the workbooks inside it. Figure out your life direction your goals that you want to reach. Then state your history in terms that work toward the destination.

Hi frob,

Firstly thank you for the amazing feedback you have provided, it was a real eye opener. I have a few questions though.

I kinda made a error in my CV which you pointed out. Its regarding my graduation and university date. The thing is I didn't graduate in 2005 but rather I began my studies then. I graduated in 2009/10. The whole course wasn't great and there wasn't anything to show on my portfolio from that experience. So when I finished, I learned what I could by myself.

As for the 4 moths internship. After the app was released, the company went through new management changes - and thus, projects were cancelled and they could not afford to keep me on. Eventually the team disbanded and IdeaWorks studio became Marmalade. The role that they gave me was actually titled 'Game designer/QA'

As for the feedback, you mentioned I have a hobby flappy bird clone game with non hobby assets. What exactly does that mean? Maybe I should of pointed out in my portfolio that the app was only meant to demonstrate my scripting and development skills - basically it was meant to be a portfolio piece only.

Should I change the title to Level designer instead of game designer? is that more entry level? or maybe create new QA CV? what would you recommend as the best path in?

What changes would you make to my cv ?

As for my Supermarket work experience, I didn't include much information on that because I didn't find it relevant. i only mentioned it to show that I was in employment still. The role isn't making much use of my degree, in fact its more interpersonal skills like training staff and managing deliveries and stock etc. Should I add in more detail of my work in my cv?

As for my games experience and self developed games, Ill fix up those weird inconsistencies you mentioned, however should I remove the bulletpoints altogether and add in a clear paragraph of the work I did?

Im thinking of going the QA route to get into game design eventually. Would I need to show them a different CV than this? one that doesn't show my portfolio and design work but more of my University degree and experience with Ideaworks ?

What changes would you make to my cv ?

Please reread:

My recommendation is to start with the book "What Color is your Parachute". Read it carefully, and work through the workbooks inside it. Figure out your life direction your goals that you want to reach. Then state your history in terms that work toward the destination.

Whilst frogs reply does read a little harsh, everything he says is true. Your CV needs to be tightened up.
?Also regarding the Portfolio website it shows 3 games you have worked on but, in your post above you state:

I haven't been successful in any applications for entry level design positions.

Well where are the levels you have designed?

You have learn't MAX well then where are examples of models you have created.

Where are the examples of game levels you have created?
Sure you created some for the games in your portfolio but, you must have created dozens of others (maybe only partially finished) while you were learning your craft. Put these up so that potential employers can see your creative process.

Hi Buster2000, thanks for the feedback. I do have some 3D models to show but I was told it's better to not confuse an employer to thinking if I'm a artist or designer.
But I guess I should add them on my portfolio to show I know it anyway.

I Actually did think a game that's released on the App Store makes up for any lack of experience you have. If I do show more games, maybe the short games I did at Uni - and maybe another few apps, would that stand out for me?

I definitely agree my CV needs tightening and will definitely work on that. But what more should I be doing with my portfolio?
What about design docs?

I appreciate the honesty in this forum, it is helpful