Sumo Digital Academy – Tutorial complete
The time has come to say goodbye to another group of fantastic talented graduates after completing the Sumo Digital Academy’s Game Programmer Apprenticeship Programme.
We hear from some of our recent graduates about their time with the Academy, their memorable moments, what’s next on their career path, and any advice they would like to give to the next group of potential apprentices.
HARRY OGDEN
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
“The apprenticeship has been an amazing experience. It was really great to learn about the different areas of game development and be able to put our knowledge and skills into practice in our own projects.
“I was particularly happy to have the opportunity to pursue my own interest in audio, through the development of engine audio systems and even some sound design work. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the academy, and I feel the experience has set me up well for my future in the games industry.”
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
“I’ve been able to take part in a range of engaging projects during my time at the Academy. My highlight, however, was getting the chance to develop and realize our own game idea.
“I really enjoyed the day-to-day of working with the other apprentices as part of a small development team. This involved building our own engine, holding design meetings to discuss and share ideas, collaborating on different features and mechanics, and gradually seeing the game grow over time. It was a really fun and gratifying process.”
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
“I have since moved onto a project at Sumo Sheffield where I am supporting the audio team as an audio programmer. This involves creating new systems and tools to support the team with their aims and help them create unique audio features and experiences.
“Being able to contribute to the project and help sound designers realise their ideas has been really exciting. I feel so lucky to be in the position I am now, considering a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have thought there would be opportunities for me in the games industry.”
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
“I would probably say not to worry if you don’t understand new concepts, or aren’t able to get something to work the first time. There have been many times when I have spent days stuck on the same problem, making little progress and thinking that there would be no solution in sight, just to stumble upon an alternate approach that reframes everything.
“While there have been many challenges to overcome, these experiences have helped to gradually improve my understanding and prepared me for approaching similar situations in the future.”
TOBY SPIERS
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
“It's been brilliant. I've learned so much and gained so much confidence with programming since beginning my journey with Sumo, it's genuinely been a life-changing experience. The other apprentices have all been great to work with, and I've got to shout out to Jake, George, and Dave for being fantastic trainers and offering their support the whole way through, they are very clever chaps!”
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
“Definitely building our own engine, it was great to work together on that. I've always been curious about the technical side of development and the work that goes into it, so being given the time to research and build an engine from scratch was a great way to satisfy that curiosity (plus we learned a ton in the process).
“There's nothing quite like starting to understand something that previously seemed like magic.”
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
“I'll be joining the Sumo Nottingham studio once the new year rolls around. I was lucky enough to spend a few months working with them as part of my apprenticeship placement, where I got to join a lovely team of people building some really cool stuff, so I'm excited to be heading back.”
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
“If it sounds right for you, go for it! I came from a completely non-programming background but spent most of my spare time tinkering around with Unity.
“I applied for the Academy out of sheer optimism without expecting to hear back... and here I am. If you have a real interest in game dev, if you're someone who finds building games just as interesting as actually playing them, that's really key I think.
“Ultimately the Academy is all about finding people's potential and helping unlock that, so don't feel like you need to be an expert to apply… I wasn't!”
JESS MARSHALL-NEWSON
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
“I’ve had a fantastic experience. Every day I was trying something I’d never done before and learning new things. It’s been a dream to have the opportunity to contribute to some awesome projects and work with great people and mentors.”
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
“It’s difficult to choose but one of my most memorable highlights would probably be manning the stall at the ‘Get Up to Speed’ event at Magna. Alongside George, Ruth, and Bradley we spoke to a lot of kids and parents about game development and how the Academy is a great alternative route into games.
“We had Zool playing all day and it was fun to see how excited everyone was for the PS4 release.”
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
“I’ve accepted a Junior Programmer position at Sumo Sheffield. I’m incredibly excited to get stuck in!
“I’m still with the team I was on during my Academy placement so I’m very happy to keep working with some fantastic people and learning from the experts.”
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
“Just go for it! Try and do a bit of coding every day if you can and don’t give up if something doesn’t work.
“One of the things that makes a successful programmer is perseverance – the ability to just keep trying until something clicks, and it all works beautifully. You get fantastic support from the academy trainers, so it’s a great place to learn and develop your skills.”
LAURA CLARKE
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
“The apprenticeship means a lot to me, without it, I’m not sure I would have been able to break into the industry. It can be challenging but that’s part of what makes it great, you learn through doing which is really valuable.”
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
“My favourite part of the experience has been working on my placement, I’ve learned so much and feel incredibly lucky to be part of such a welcoming and fun team.
“The most memorable moment was probably when Zool Redimensioned released on the PS4, it was amazing to see the game on the PlayStation Store after working on it.”
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
“I’m going to be working as a Junior Technical Artist with the Central Art and Technology team at the Sheffield Studio.”
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
“Embrace the experience as much as possible and enjoy the journey.”
RUTH DICKENS
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
“I’ve learnt so much not only about programming but also about how to tackle problems and the industry itself. I’ve also enjoyed meeting lots of wonderful people who work at Sumo.”
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
“Submitting our finished Zool project to Sony for the first time was an exciting culmination of all the work we’d put into it, and a really cool moment for the team.”
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
“I now have a full-time, permanent position at Red Kite where I’m looking forward to developing my skills further and being part of a larger team.”
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
“It’s a brilliant opportunity for people without a typical programming background to get into the industry. The most valuable skill for a game developer is problem-solving so if you enjoy that and have an appetite for learning you’ll do really well here.”
KARL SWALES
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
“Really good to be honest. It’s been an amazing experience learning so much every day and being paid to do so.
“I looked forward to getting into Sumo every morning to see what each day would bring, with every day being different, with its own set of tasks, challenges, and things to learn.”
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
“SDC 2022 was just amazing, but other highlights included getting a 3D mesh to render for the first time, completing the 3D maths tutorials, and going on the ride at the Christmas party way too many times!
“Oh and playing D&D for the first time too!”
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
"After completing the Academy, I've joined Sumo Sheffield as a Junior Programmer. I've been learning a lot about engine code and working as part of a large development team. I'm excited to see my input on a project help a exciting new game start to take shape."
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
“Every time I have been given a new task to do on the apprenticeship. I entered the task, thinking I would never understand it and wouldn’t be able to do it.
“Every time I’ve prevailed and completed the task. So don’t listen to the imposter syndrome.
You can do it, it just takes time, effort, and sometimes a little support which the academy provides in droves.”
NTOKOZO TSHUMA
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
It's been a great experience which gave me a pathway into a career which I dreamed of but never really considered as a possibility. Jake, George and Dave have helped me so much, not just with code, but in giving me the confidence to speak up and give my thoughts to the team.
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
It has to be releasing Zool for me. In particular, downloading it from the PlayStation store and playing it on the console made it really sink in that we were able to port and release a game that people outside of the team can get their hands on.
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
I will be off to Sumo Nottingham in January following my placement there on the last 3 months of the apprenticeship.
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
Try to work on something that you can show off. If like me you haven't done a formal programming qualification before, you'll want some evidence to show your passion and aptitude for programming so some small examples could do that.
EVA KIOSEOGLOU
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
"The experience was amazing. Having such a supportive environment to learn and evolve in as a programmer made me excited to go to work every day!"
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
"I really enjoyed working on the graphics pipeline for the Academy’s in-house engine. It was challenging but also very rewarding!
"The amount of teamwork that went into it was inspirational and this project will always be up there with my favourite moments."
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
"I have just started my new role at The Chinese Room in Brighton and I am very excited to work on some awesome games in the coming years."
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
"Try not to be intimidated by programming in C++. It may seem complicated at first, but it is a tool like any other and you can definitely get the hang of it with practice. Plus, it will help you get your dream job!"
FENNER RICHMOND
How has the Sumo Digital Academy experience been for you personally?
"The apprenticeship was a fantastic experience for me. I really enjoyed the day-to-day, working on our own projects as a team and learning together.
"The support from Jake, George, and Dave, as well as my fellow apprentices, was superb - I can’t thank them enough."
What has been your favourite or most memorable highlight from the apprenticeship?
"I think the moment that will stick with me the most would be submitting Zool to Sony for release on the PlayStation store. It was a really cool moment to see something we’d worked on going through that official process."
What does the future hold - where are you heading next?
I have accepted a position at Red Kite Games in Leeds where I did my placement during the last three months of the apprenticeship. Everyone at Red Kite was incredibly helpful, encouraging, and welcoming during my placement. I was delighted to be offered to stay on and continue working with such a great team.
What advice would you give the next batch of aspiring game devs looking to join the Academy?
"The academy provides an amazing opportunity for people without the typical qualifications to get into a programming role in the games industry. If that sounds like something for you, definitely apply and put your all into the application process.
"In general, try not to worry about how much you don’t know, there’s an unlimited amount of information to absorb in game development. Sometimes you will be stuck on something you think is simple then you’ll ask someone more experienced only to find it’s new to them too.
"Take advantage of every resource available and learn as much as you can, time will fly!"
Interested in joining the next cohort? Applications for the Sumo Digital Academy’s Game Programmer Apprenticeship Programme open on 4th September 2023. For more information visit www.sumo-academy.com
