At TT Games, we’re lucky to have some of the most talented staff in the world. Some new to the industry, and some who are seasoned veterans. Mike Consalvey joined TT as a QA Tester in October 2010, having achieved a BSc in Computer and Video Games at the University of Salford with a primary focus on Design and Level Design. He progressed to be a Shift Lead, to a Project Lead, and then a Senior Tester in the QA department.

In 2018, he joined the Design team to work on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga as a Junior Designer. Mike has now progressed to Senior Designer on our newest project!

In his role as a Level Designer, Mike’s responsibility is to oversee the development of the levels assigned to them by the Lead Level Designer or Game Directors. He says: "Each level assigned to me will be presented as a brief description of what’s expected as a narrative and gameplay experience."

From there, Mike has to specify the content of the level from start to finish, design puzzles for the player to complete, and create an initial rough level "block out." This may seem like a lot, but this is just the first step.

Next, Mike makes sure this is approved by the Leads and Directors so the level can be presented to the rest of the team in each discipline, while adding further detail on all the elements required to create the level and answering any questions that arise.

Once everything is listed out and "tasked up" by the Production team, Mike helps oversee the level’s development through every stage of production.

The best part of this process for Mike is seeing that basic "block out" transform into a fully-realised gameplay experience, which comes to life thanks to the hard work of a full team.

Having seen and done so much at TT Games, Mike says that his favourite moment was working on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.

“This was something special for me both personally and professionally. It was my first credit as a Designer and it was an amazing opportunity to design so many levels based on all the films. It also gave me the chance to represent the team at E3 2019 to help showcase the game after we announced it at the show, which was an amazingly rewarding experience.”"

"“If you’re passionate and serious about working in the industry, know which field of expertise you wish to work on and develop your skills by any means you feel is right for you. Other than University, there are many ways to learn through online courses such as Unreal Engine Academy, Udemy, and many others. Do some research to see which is most suited to you and what discipline you choose to learn.” "