Month: July 2024

To get started, you’ll need to decide what type of game industry job you’re interested in. Here are the three most common roles:

• Game artist – Your job is to create concept art, storyboards, and designs for packaging and marketing materials. You’ll need technical ability to master specialist software packages and tools such as ZBrush, Maya, Photoshop, 3DS Max, Substance Painter and Mudbox.
• Game designer – A senior role that involves coming up with original ideas for games and overseeing the creative process. This could be across a number of platforms, including mobile, console and VR/AR. Game design requires a mix of technical and creative skills to develop and test your creations, as you may need to work with a range of programming languages and software packages including C#, C++ and Python.
• Game developer/Game programmer – You’re responsible for taking the ideas of the designers and writing the code required to build a playable game. It’s vital that you’re able to understand and follow instructions to bring the creative vision to life. You’ll typically work in a team headed by a lead programmer. A knowledge of game programming languages and specialisation in a particular platform, such as PC, mobile or consoles, would aid your progression. You could focus on an area of programming such as AI, audio, controls and interface, game physics or 3D engine development. Learn more about how to be an applications developer. If you’re interested in coding games, see IT courses.

Explore gaming apprenticeships

As this industry is notoriously tough to break into, gaming apprenticeships offer a structured entry route, combining classroom-based learning with on-the-job training.

There are game developer apprenticeships for those looking to start out in a development position. Gaming apprenticeships are also available for roles such as game designer, tester, visual effects artist, software development technician and animator.

If you can’t find any opportunities with the major game publishers, specialist recruitment companies such as Aardvark Swift often advertise apprenticeships in video gaming.

You can search for all available gaming apprenticeships at GOV.UK – Find an apprenticeship, while you can read more about other IT apprenticeships.

Phian has 12 rai just off the main road. It is a good long term investment. But she hasn’t had much luck getting it to pay for upkeep. She dug a dam and tried sugar cane. Only to get hit by the drought. Last year she planted rice but had difficulty getting into the lands, as bad drainage made it difficult harvesting. She then decided to dig a borehole and plant sugarcane again.

They found water. But the flow was not nearly strong enough to irrigate the lands.

In desperation she made the decision to excavate and dig a bigger, deeper, better dam.

The crew consisted of a macro mechanical digger, two dumper trucks, and a tractor equipped with a grader blade and ploughs.

The two trucks carried the soil from the dam to the landfill site, dumping it for the tractor to shift and level.

 

There was much excitement when they hit water. A small spring virtually in the middle of the dam. And another in the one corner which trickled out of the dams wall.

 

Concrete pipes were lowered over the spring in the floor to create a well. Not sure how this will work out. But will wait and see.

 

After the rains, once the soil has settled, the landfill will be used for building well out of reach of any flood water.

 

The trucks shuttled back and forth for two days. After which the macro was loaded onto a low loader and off to the next job. And that was when the skies opened and the rain came bucketing down.

 

Leaving us to wake to a few large muddy puddles in the driveway.

 

Which required a bit more digging and filling. But by hand this time.

 

My introduction to diving in Thailand was a live abord cruise on a catamaran from Phuket up to Similan, Surin and the Burma Banks. An experience I have never forgotten.

Similan is an archipelago of nine different islands. One of the best dive sites to see manta rays and if you are lucky whale sharks. Best done on a live aboard to dive sites like Richelieu Rock, Elephant Head, and Beacon Point.

It is a lot easier once you are in the UK and if both of you are earning.  Much better for the blood pressure.

You and your partner must have a combined income of at least £18,600 a year if:
You’re applying as a partner and you want to settle in the UK (get ‘indefinite leave to remain’) within 5 years

You must prove you have extra money if you have children who:
are not British or Irish citizens
do not have pre-settled status
are not permanently settled in the UK

If you need to prove extra money for your children, you’ll need to earn an extra:
£3,800 for your first child
£2,400 for each child you have after your first child
This is called the ‘minimum income requirement’.

You may be able to use your savings instead of income. How you prove you have the money depends on how you got the income.

What counts as income
You and your partner can use:
income from employment before tax and National Insurance (check your P60 or payslips) – you can only use your own income if you earn it in the UK
income you earn from self-employment or as a director of a limited company in the UK – check your Self Assessment tax return
cash savings above £16,000
money from a pension
non-work income, for example from property rentals or dividends

If you’re using income from self-employment or employment, you’ll need to prove you or your partner received that income for 6 months or more.

Example

You’ve worked with the same employer earning £18,600 or more for 6 months or longer.

What proof you need to give

You’ll need to provide proof of your income with your application. If you or your partner are employed, you could include:
bank statements showing you or your partner’s income
6 months of payslips
a letter from an employer, dated and on headed paper
The employer’s letter should confirm:
you or your partner are employed there
the job title or position you or your partner hold
how long you or your partner have worked there
the type of contract (for example, permanent, fixed term)
what you or your partner earn before tax and National Insurance
how long you or your partner have been paid your current salary
the payslips are genuine

You’ll be told exactly what documents to provide when you apply online.

You need to show you and your family have enough money to adequately support and accommodate yourselves without relying on public funds. The caseworker considers your income and housing costs.