interesting set of questions for people in the industry

[arshlevon]

recently i volunteered to partake in a set of interview questions from Susan75.
While answering the questions i was thinking how much i wanted to know what other people in the industry had to say about the same set of questions.. i am sure we all have different answers to some of these questions and i saw it as a great opportunity to hear the voices of my peers in the industry and how their path in the industry has formed their opinions on the topics..

without further ado here are the questions and my answers just to get things started.

1. Could you tell me about being a game artist?
2. How did you get into this field?
3. How is this field changing?
4. How do most people prepare for this job? What skills are needed?
5. What are the entry-level positions?
6. What education or training is necessary for this position?
7. What aspects of the job do you like best?
8. What suggestion would you make to someone who is looking for their first career related job?
9. Do you feel that it is more important to be really good at one thing or to be ok at many things in this industry?




1.Could you tell me about being a game artist?

Being a game artist is at times the greatest job in the world and at times its also the worst.

2. How did you get into this field?

I was actually a fine artist at the time, I saw games a fresh medium with potential in becoming a new art form. I knew the basics of 3d, I entered a comp at CgChat, won, and got hired at mythic entertainment.

3. How is this field changing?

The field of game art is changing different I believe than the field of games itself.
There is a fork in the road visually and you are starting to see companies explore both routes.
There is realism and there is stylization, and of coarse there is the convergence of the two.
At this point in history I would say crisis exemplifies realism, as team fortress 2 exemplifies stylization, in addition I would say gears of war is a good mix of both.
With all these visual possibilities you have to be able to adapt to a liquid work force. Your most valuable asset is knowing how to do the basics of your job in all 3d packages, or at least be familiar with them, as well as being able to follow realistic and stylized art direction. If you can do both then doing a hybrid of the two will be no problem.


4. How do most people prepare for this job? What skills are needed?

Most people do art. Art skills are needed, even more so than computer skills. Its easy to teach someone to press buttons, not so easy to teach them how to sculpt or paint.


5. What are the entry-level positions?

Many companies offer internships for students this is a good way to get your foot in the door. Also there are various junior level positions in all art related fields.


6. What education or training is necessary for this position?

If you want to make 3d art, then I would suggest art education. The programs change every year, the program you use in school might not be the one the companies you want to work at are using. But the rules of art still remain the same no matter what year it is. They stand the test of time and this is the more valuable education you will be receiving at school.


7. What aspects of the job do you like best?

I like solving problems, and as an artist that’s what your always doing anyway.
Light is a problem, form, color.. all these things are just problems you have to know how figure them out. The same is true about getting characters to look good, better than the last one you made but you are not given any higher specs. You have to use tricks to fake what’s not there, know the limitations of your medium and find ways around them. Figuring out how to do more visually without actually having more to work with is an interesting and fun problem I always like figuring out.


8. What suggestion would you make to someone who is looking for their first career related job?

Network on various internet forums, be active here, don’t be asshole , post your work all the time, all of it even the stuff you think is bad, people will start telling you what to do to get better.


9. Do you feel that it is more important to be really good at one thing or to be ok at many things in this industry?

Honestly to get really good at one thing you have to be really good at many things. To be a good character artist you need to be good at art, be good at managing your time, be good with the 3dprogram you are using. Understanding the way the engine works to make better things for that engine. I am always learning more and I feel to be good at what I do I need to know what everyone else I directly impact knows or at least what they do and how I can work best with them. If I don’t know at least the basics of realtime shaders, its going to be impossible for me to convey to programmer exactly what I want a shader to do.. of course I know visually what I want it to do, but I cant expect a programmer to understand my visual vocabulary so I have to learn their math speak.
But there are many paths you can take, if you just want to be an amazing artist, get really good and they will keep you around and probably pay you very well. If you ever want to be an art director or lead, expect to know lots of things as well as really knowing how to do your job.

[Gavin]

Yo Arsh. I also answered these questions, although I was only told to answer 6. So, I didn't answer them all directly, but I think if you're clever enough you can get the answers for the others indirectly based on the answers given to other questions.

_____________________
Q: How did you get into this field?
A: I got into this industry by starting off as a certification tester. Before that I went to college for a general 3d animation course and moved across the country to better my chances at getting a job. At that time, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do regarding discipline and industry. I landed a job as a tester and worked on my portfolio in my spare time. During this time I became much more focused on game art and before long moved onto my first art position.

Q: How is this field changing?
A: The biggest change this industry is going through is advancements in technology. Before, artists were limited by technical requirements. Small textures, low poly counts, bone limits. But now, the line between games and film is becoming so blurred, it’s hard for the artist to keep up. Increased poly limits, understanding and creating different texture types, new shaders…and it still all needs to be done quick.

Q:What are the entry-level positions?
A: Every company has their own way of defining job titles. Generally though, most people coming into a job with no professional experience would be considered a “junior” at whatever task they do. “Junior Environment Artist” for example. Some places though have titles such as “Assistant Modeler” where you are given very basic tasks to complete.

Q: What education or training is necessary for this position?
A: Honestly, unless you’re looking to work in another country (and even then…), no formal education is “necessary.” Most of the artists I know and have worked with were either “self taught” or had very little education on the subject. Personally, I think being part of multiple mod teams and just showing your work to the public would teach you much more than most schools could. The reason for this is that the mod scene simulates a professional environment more than a school. There are different tiers, you get assignments that aren’t generic and they usually let you specialize in a certain area. That being said, a lot of people have been pushed in the right direction by schooling and, at the very least, have been given a solid foundation to work from. Some schools have team projects that can help students prepare for a work environment.

Based on the jobs I have had, assisting with hiring artists and dealing with clients on a regular basis, everything comes down to the strength of your portfolio.

Q: What suggestion would you make to someone who is looking for their first career related job?
A: Post your work on forums, always be open to feedback and have fun. The best resource available to game artists is the forums. It’s populated by industry professionals, students and hobbyists so it’s easy to get helpful feedback and rub elbows with people already in the industry. Soak in as much knowledge as you can from there as there is practically no limit to the information you can find. Having fun with what you do always shows in the final piece.

Getting into this industry can be tough, there are a lot of people trying to get their foot in the door. If no job offers come right away, try joining a mod team. It will show that you have experience working with a team and have a basic understanding of how a bigger scale project operates.

Q: Do you feel that it is more important to be really good at one thing or to be ok at many things in this industry?
A: Personally, I feel that specializing in one area while keeping basic knowledge of related areas is the best route you can take. It’s rare to land a job being just “alright” at everything. It’s good to keep other disciplines in mind, though, even if you do specialize. For example, a character modeler should know a bit about rigging to understand where to places edges for deformation.

Q: What aspects of the job do you like best?
A: It may be egotistical of me, but I really enjoy seeing my work in-game. Watching a character run around that I made can be very cool and sometimes surreal. I sometimes forget exactly what I do for a living and how awesome it can be, seeing the final product in-game makes me remember.

__________________________

Gav

[Pezzz]

I'd like to thank both you guys for posting these. I've been modelling on and off since I was 14, I'm 20 now and even though I'm in school for Graphic Design Game development has always been something of a dream job. These have been very helpful and somewhat re-assuring.

@Gavin:Your response to the last question isn't at all egotistical that is the exact reason I got into this scene... Something about seeing a weapon I edited on my own killing fools in Counter-Strike hooked me.