The interactive entertainment company met with Universidad Industrial de Santander students to share the professional opportunities available in the sector and highlight Colombian talent as one of the factors that led to its arrival in the country.
At the SEA Auditorium of the Student Welfare Building, students from different academic programs at Universidad Industrial de Santander learned firsthand about the global video game industry during the conference ‘There is no single path’, led by Electronic Arts (EA).
The event provided an opportunity to learn how one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment industries operates, the different profiles that can contribute to it, and the opportunities available to those seeking to build their professional careers in this sector.
For Daniel Castellanos, Operations Director of Electronic Arts in Colombia and a UIS graduate, the connection with the University represents an opportunity for the company to showcase its presence in the country while also identifying new talent.
“It is one of the best universities in Colombia. We are interested in being known here, we are interested in finding better talent, and I think UIS is one of the great opportunities we have to attract very good talent,” said Castellanos.
The UIS graduate explained that one of the goals of these initiatives is to increase awareness of the opportunities offered by EA in Colombia and to strengthen relationships with the University that can help bring academic training and industry needs closer together.
Colombia, a market chosen for its talent
Electronic Arts’ presence in Colombia is also the result of an exploration of different Latin American markets. Ana María Bárcenas, Recruiting Manager at Electronic Arts, explained that the company evaluated countries such as Brazil, Peru and Costa Rica before deciding to establish operations in Colombia.
The quality of talent was one of the key factors behind that decision.
“What made EA choose Colombia was the quality of the talent we found here,” explained Bárcenas, who highlighted the technical capabilities of Colombian professionals, as well as their passion and commitment to their work.
According to the EA representative, this is complemented by the growth of Colombia’s technology ecosystem and the presence of major international companies in the sector. Electronic Arts’ Colombian studio currently has more than 300 employees and continues to grow.
More paths into the video game industry
One of the main messages of the conference was that there is no single path into the video game industry. Opportunities encompass different areas of knowledge, professions and profiles, allowing students to broaden their perspective on the possibilities offered by this sector.
For Manuel Moreno, an Industrial Design student at UIS, initiatives like this help bridge the gap between university education and the professional world.
“Many times, the working world and academia are quite separate; they should go hand in hand,” he said.
The student also highlighted the importance of learning which profiles can find opportunities in an industry that, as participants discovered during the event, is not limited to a single profession.
“We learned that there is the video game industry, that they can hire engineers, and that there are different roles. So it is very important to have this knowledge and also to learn how to build these relationships,” he added.
The meeting between Electronic Arts and UIS allowed students to discover new possibilities for applying their academic training and planning their professional careers, while the company strengthened its connection with the university talent being trained in Santander.
