Jonathan "Tempest" Phillips

Yesterday was a very odd day. I started out looking to find a job. I ended the day with a job, but not the one I was looking for. Just to set you up. I am currently working at a large supermarket chain. For legal reasons (I shit you not) I am not able to inform you of what chain it is. They have little panflets sitting on the tables in the canteen, informing you not to say anything bad about the chain on your blogs or they may fire you. As I still need a reference from them, I shan’t give away who it is…….all I shall say is that they are owned by a larger american chain that has more employees than the chinesse army………called wallmart.

Anywho, as you could imagine, job satisfaction is hard to come by around these parts. Most people are scambling to get out of there. But the problem is, the more you work there, the less time/energy you have to get out. there are a couple of people in there with real potential, qualification and talent, but have been stuck there for 4 years with no sign of moving. hell the only reason I took the job was for a short time, while I look for a better job. 9 month later, I’m still there.

But yesterday was the Game Grads 08. Its a carears fair for people trying to get into the games industry. With my 3d animation skills this was a real shot at a new carear. There was loads of game designers that turned up all looking for new talent. People like myself, over educated and under experienced. Some of the names there were Evolution Studios (Moterstorm), Rebellion (AvP, starwars battlefront), Blitz Games (Fuck Knows), Codemasters (TOCA), and Rockstar Games (GTA 1-4 and all the ones inbetween). Some big names and some great people to talk to. I cam last year while I was at uni. I managed to digg some info out of Rebellion about if they were making AVP3…….WHICH THEY ARE!!!!!!!!1. I Came back this year and talked with the same guy and asked him for an explantion as to why the game was not out yet. No comment.

While I was there, I also Bumped into a Few peoples I used to Know. About 10 or so people from my course at uni were there. Basically I found out that Everybody seems to be in the same boat as me, job wise. This cheered me up greatly. Poeple have either not got a job since leaving uni or have been stuck in a dead end retail job. Hell, some people were turned down for retail work, how bad do you have to be for that to happen. But everybody has a project that they are “Planning” to do. Some people have game ideas, Animation Ideas, One person even had a kids DVD in mind. It was quite nice to catch up with everybody after being away from uni for so long. made me realise how cool a bunch of people they were. But i was not here for a reunion, I was here for Work.

The past few days I had been finishing an Animation for E4 and cramming it into my show reel. That and printing out a large number of CVs for the game devs to have. Although I don’t like most of the work in my Showreel, I like the style and the flow of the showreel itself. So I stuffed my demoreel on about 10 or so CD’s and covertly put it into the pockets of every game developer there. In addition to that, I converted the files so that I could put it on my PSP. I scared a few guys because they looked at it and made them think that I had created a PS live demo. If only. That would have gotten me a job!!!

Anywho, I drift. I’ve given my details and talked with a few guys about potential jobs. I’m in now way sure i’ve got a job comming to me, but I know if I worked on more stuff and tracked down either blitz games or rebellion I might find a home. So I drive home with a smile on my face and a skip in my step (a little too 1950′s???) It was a good day.

So when I get Home there is a Letter waiting for me. With the words Epson written on it. Epson being one of the job interviews I went on in the previous week. I open up the letter and i’m starting on monday…..yesterday was a wednesday. So i scramble a resignation letter for a week and hope to god I don’t get put on a Monday or Tuesday shift.

So even though i went into the day expecting to come out with a strand of a games job I came out with a definitive Technical support job. SWEET

This morning Clauida, my beloved wife to be, Woke up with a swolen ear. Yes the metal bar that had been stapled through her ear had swolen to giagantic proportion. As such we tavelled to the place she had it it done. Right now you are thinking that, “What the hell does this have to do with The best Purchase in history” well sit down, grab a drink and prepare yourself.

Ok i’ve built this up to much now…..

So basically we had to burn up 20 mins for the shop to open……and thus we wandered into Gamestation. As we walked in there was a small brown box being placed upon the counter. written on the bax was “Retro – 50p each or 5 for £2″. Well it’s going to be crap, but lets have a look, I thought to myself in a slightly melancholy way. I then Grabbed out of the box the following 5 items.

Super Star Wars (SNES) Yes You heard me right. For those of you who don’t know. this is the best platform game ever. Hard as hell and star wars through and through. Right round the corner from where i bought this pile of gold it was being sold at £15…granted that is with the box and none of these are. But i don’t think a peice of cardboard cost £14.50

Street Fighter II (SNES) Again a great game and one that everybody knows. and again, round the corner £9 (without the box)

Exploder Cheat Pack (PS2) Ok its a big metal case with a cheats disc in it. the only reason i’d want this is because claudia plays Final Fantasy XII and with out cheats it is frustratingly unbalenced. RRP £10.95

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (N64) Granted this is on the N64 so its a BIT more recent still a great game and a hard one to get hold of.

Kirby Dream course (SNES) Yes thats right a kirby game for 50P and its the crazy golf game. so much fun to play and its friendly for the little kiddy fokes. on EBay its selling for £3…thats ebay the seller of cheap products.

So what do we have

NAME      Cost      RRP        SAVING
SSW        50p       £14.50   £14
SF2        50p       £9          £8.50
PS2C      50p       £10.95   £10.45
SWN64   50p       ?????
KSNES    50p       £3          £2.50

Total savings…..£35.45 +

The best Transaction ever made.