Internship Applications: What we're looking for
We received 130 applications for internships in the latter half of 2015, and took on six interns. We try to offer places to the applicants who’re:
- Most interested in undertaking an internship with us;
- Best placed to benefit from it.
When we review your application, we’ll be looking for evidence of these. Here’s some specific advice on what you can do to help with that – following it will greatly increase your chances of being selected!
In your email
Tailor your application. Happily, we only rarely receive applications that are addressed to a different studio. But here are a couple of common mistakes:
- Applying for an internship in something we just don’t do (e.g. 3D animation at the time of writing);
- Writing a very generic email. We understand this can be tempting if you’re sending out a lot of applications. But there is next to no prospect of us offering you a place if you do this: we’d rather reserve it for someone who takes the time to explain why they’re interested in undertaking an internship specifically with us.
Include all the information we ask for on the internships page. If it’s not obvious, please also include details of your eligibility to work in the UK – since we can’t offer internships to anyone without this, this will be the first thing we ask. (You don’t necessarily need to have the right to work here at the time you apply; an answer like ‘I don’t currently have the right to work in the UK, but as a Canadian citizen I’m eligible to apply for a Tier 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme) visa’ is fine.)
Be as specific as you can about your interests. It’s fine if you haven’t entirely figured this out yet, but being as clear as possible about this will allow us to tailor the internship to your interests – and help you make a more focused application. An application which expresses interest in art, writing and marketing will almost always be less compelling than an application which concentrates on just one of these.
We always appreciate links to samples of your past work (games, art, writing, …). But please make it as easy for us to access as possible. In particular, please don’t:
- Embed the links in an image, so that we have to type them out;
- Require us to create an account (unless it’s on a very widely used site, like Steam);
- Require us to pay to view it.
If you're interested in game design or narrative
We’ll need to see something which displays your aptitude for (and interest in) writing or designing games. We’re happy to consider any of the following:
- Design documents;
- Blog posts or game reviews;
- Extracts from works in progress;
- Conventional fiction;
- Any other relevant materials.
By far the most useful thing you can send us, though, is a link to a playable, finished game. You can use whatever tool you like (Twine, GameMaker, ChoiceScript, Unity, something else...). It can be long or short, and a major project or something you created in one afternoon. But there’s no better way to demonstrate your potential as a game designer or writer.
Mods are also great, but bear in mind that we may not have ready access to the underlying game – please be prepared for us to request extracts, like sample conversations or scripts.
If you're interested in tech
We're interested in hearing from you, whether you have a relevant degree or are self-taught (like over 42% of developers).
Either way, you can improve your chances by telling us about (and ideally, linking to) some of your past work. Depending on your skills or interests, this could be:
- A tech demo;
- An asset pack;
- A website;
- A game or mod;
- Library work;
- Something altogether different.
We often ask tech interns to develop prototypes. Please tell us about your interests, even if you think they're probably not relevant to our work. They may help us identify a project that's particularly appropriate for you.
If you're interested in marketing and communications
- You don't need to be studying marketing, but you should have a clear understanding of what marketing is, what PR is, and what the difference is between them.
- Marketing and communications should be your primary interest. Also, we won't be able to offer you much insight into games journalism, though running a games blog or writing about games is helpful background to a marketing internship.
- Familiarise yourself with our online presence. We'll ask you what you think of what we're already doing if you get an interview.
- Have an idea for a project you'd like to do with us. This isn't necessarily something you'd end up doing, but it'll give us an idea of where your interests lie, and help us tailor your placement.
If you're interested in art
We look for art interns who have:
- Good digital illustration skills, with a particular emphasis on strong composition;
- The ability to work in a style that's sympathetic to the themes and existing art of the Fallen London universe.
Anything you can do to demonstrate these skills will greatly strengthen your application; where possible, please point us to some specific, relevant pieces in your portfolio.
We look forward to receiving your applications to internships@failbettergames.com after we re-open applications on 1 March!