Working at 925, what a way to make a living...
Last year, William Marshall set up 925 Studios with fellow University of Northampton digital course graduates Ben Maher, Artise Brown, Wednesday Garrett and Gabriel Cruceanu.
Six months on from presenting their first project at Merged Futures 3, William tells us what they’re working on now, shares his journey to the games industry and reveals what attracted him to Northampton.
Credit: Artise Brown
Can you tell us a bit about 925 Studios?
We're five graduates from digital courses at the University of Northampton - myself, Ben, Artise and Wednesday are all games artists and Gabriel is a programmer.
We came together early last year making a project called EYVE - Early Years Virtual Environment - for the education faculty.
That was our first experience of making a project outside of our course. We presented EYVE at Merged Futures last June which was a lot of fun.
By the end of the summer, I had an idea that we could carry on making these helpful simulations for clients - which we're doing now for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).
We decided on the name 925 Studios as a bit of a reference to the fact being in the games industry is not a 9 to 5 job. It's round-the-clock. You're not just working on your scheduled hours. You build up your skills 24/7.
We've been friends for 3 years so we trust each other a lot. Everyone in the team is fantastic at what they do in their specialised fields, everyone has a very clear role and they've gone through their own evolution.
What are you working on at the moment?
What we're making at the moment is a fire training simulation to promote UK fire safety law in the workplace. It helps businesses to know what measures they need to take into consideration with fire safety law, how things in the workplace should be arranged and what protocols need to be in place to protect employees and the company.
Simulations are a great way of training people in a safe environment and we can build these virtual environments to spec.
Credit: Ben Maher
The work we're doing at the moment also gathers information on what users are doing and how long they're spending on tasks within the simulation.
It's exciting and exhilarating how quickly this is happening, because we're using skills we gained during our games degrees at The University of Northampton straight out of the gate.
Creating these Virtual Training Tools alongside the NFCC and partners has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
We've had lots of interested clients, which was initially a bit intimidating.
We've done numerous projects though, with the support of people like Iain Douglas and Rob Lambert from the Games Art Faculty, as well as the University of Northampton itself. We're aiming to work more with the public sector, to push forward and gather more interest.
When did you first realise you wanted to work in the games industry?
I've always loved games but I wasn't an arty person in school at all. When I finished my GCSEs I had no idea what I wanted to do. It's difficult to ask 16-year-olds what they want to do for a career when they haven't really experienced anything yet.
I went to an open day at a college and it was like something from a movie - I saw a piece of artwork from Titanfall on the wall which was presented by a lecturer and it was like the stars aligned. Everything else faded into the background and all I could see was this artwork.
I thought to myself: I want to make that. I wanted to be responsible for making these cool things on the front cover of video games. That started me on my path to the games industry.
Credit: Artise Brown
How did you take the next step?
I studied Creative Media and Production at Northbrook College, where I now occasionally teach. It covers 3D modelling, 2D concept art, games engines and more. It meant we were exposed to all the aspects.
Then at university we were encouraged to specialise more in one of the 3 paths offered in the games industry - games art, games programming or games design.
Going to university was a matter of honing skills and picking up new ones.
Project management isn't something I'd ever have expected to love doing, but I found at university I enjoyed it - I'm organised and I'm good at time management. I like to document everything and make sure everyone in my team is happy. That has helped a lot in setting up 925 Studios.
The final project can be make-or-break for some people. You're not hand-held at that moment. The stabilisers are off and you're encouraged to go for it. Getting the grade I wanted helped to cement the idea in my head that I could do this for a career. It was only a matter of time before we set up the studio.
How was your experience in Northampton?
I loved Northampton's architecture - there's so much history. I went all over the country to find a place I liked. There was something about Northampton and the town itself - how art-based it was, the creative culture, with the art gallery and the history of shoe-making.
I also loved Becket's Park - it's a great setting next to the university. The other universities I went to didn't have the same connection to nature.
For anyone who's thinking of going to university, if you're interested in a town with a rich culture, I would definitely recommend Northampton.