SPARX Internship

The Sparx Program is an ABK Internship opportunity dedicated to students early in their education. This program is designed to aid students in sparking career interests and setting them up for future success in the gaming industry.

Interns will be given the choice to work remotely or relocate to the internship location. The company will cover relocation services and will provide a living student to supplement housing, utility, and office supply costs.

Player Profile

• Must currently be in the second year of an undergraduate degree program; with an anticipated graduation date between Dec 2024 – August 2025.

• Available for a 12-week internship starting late May or mid-June .
• Can demonstrate strong artistic sensibilities or robust technical skills.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing organizational needs
• Passionate about learning how to be a successful professional employee in the video game industry.

• Candidates must apply with a resume that includes contact information, intended major and expected graduation date. Please also include a list of current courses within the body of your resume.
• Finalists will be selected based on eligibility and proven interest in the gaming industry.

We love hearing from anyone who is talented and enthusiastic about changing the games industry . Not sure you meet all the qualifications ? Let us decide ! Research shows that women and other minority demographics tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do ! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Your Internship Opportunities:

These are the potential areas of opportunity students may be placed in due to skills and team availability.

Art/Animation : Use your artistic talent to see how visuals are created in video games. From concept art to gameplay animation, you will help bring characters, environments, and objects to life in a game's environment. We have opportunities in Cinematic Animation, Gameplay Animation, Character Art, and Environment Art

• Demonstrate strong key-frame animation skills.
• Knowledge of and ability to learn 3D software packages like Maya or Max
• Skilled digital sculptor in Zbrush or equivalent

• Strong understanding of anatomy
• Willing to participate in the critique process and complete feedback.

VFX: Work with 3D packages and in-game FX systems to create a wide range of VFX (fire, smoke, magic, electricity, explosions, etc.) to communicate gameplay.

• Experience with crafting eye-catching, real-time effects using Photoshop, Maya, and in-game FX systems

• Experience with FumeFX , Houdini, Thinking Particles, Maya fluids, and rigid body dynamics are a plus

Software Engineering : Challenge your coding by learning the ins and outs of how the game code works. We have opportunities in front-end development, back-end development, and UX/UI.

• For front-end understanding of (CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Etc.) languages. For back-end understanding of C++ and Java.
• Experience with engineering tools and methods (GitHub, unit testing, continuous integration, etc.)

• Experience with SQL/NoSQL
• An interest in desktop and/or mobile applications

Cyber Security : Learn what it takes to protect our games. We have opportunities in Games and Global Information Security.

• Solid understanding of scripting languages such as Python, PHP and Javascript

• Knowledge of application security, cryptography and related domains
• Experience cheating and reverse engineering cheats for games
• Must be actively involved with capture the flag and/or other security competitions. Please have these competitions outlined on your resume.
• Basic security, networking, and operating system (Windows, Linux, Solaris, OS X) knowledge
• Basic IT troubleshooting

Analytics : Contribute to the goal of understanding and improving consumer/player experiences. We have opportunities in Machine Learning, Data Science, and Data Analytics.

• Understanding of data structures, data modeling and software architecture
• Knowledge of math, probability, statistics and algorithms
• Ability to write code in Python

• Experience in querying with SQL
• Excited about quantitative methods – finding the truth and narrative in the data

Game Design : Come do the combination of creativity and technicality by designing the atmosphere, story, and aesthetics of the video game, and the technical side of game mechanics, balancing, and a little bit of programming and math. We have opportunities in World/Level, AI, Core Gameplay, Systems, UX, Audio, and Narrative Design.

• Familiarity with Activision Blizzard games

• Knowledge of game engines (Unreal and/or Unity)
• Basic understanding of coding languages C, C++, C#

Product/Project Management : Support our games in real time with your problem solving. We have opportunities in production, project management and product management.

• Experience with project management showcased through school projects

• Basic knowledge of planning and tracking tools such as Smartsheets , Project, JIRA, Confluence or Excel.
• Familiar with Waterfall and Agile project management methodologies, specifically Scrum.
• Skills for breaking down complex problems into manageable tasks.

Your Mission as an ABK Sparx Intern

• Work with professionals on one of Activision Blizzard's award-winning franchises
• Participate in an accelerated program of learning and professional development sessions to gain exposure to multiple business operating areas in the gaming industry
• Expand your skills and learn new technology
• Have fun !