How to get into the Gaming industry.
November 6, 2014
Hi,
I was recently asked by my dentist if I had any information for his daughter, who wanted to get into the gaming industry, on the artistic side of things.
So I consulted the nerd-herd and then came back with what you will read below. Though KillerSites is hardly a gaming blog, I figured I would repost here anyway because my dentist told me that this was by far the most information he and daughter had seen on the subject.
Anyway, here you go …
From Sean:
Hey Stef
Gaming is a more stable environment than Film or Television. More often than not film and TV animators travel to work in different companies around the world. As for Gaming even when the economy is tanking people still love to get away from life and sink into a game world.
[ Film and TV / Games ]
Position available for art students include:
Storyboarding
http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Storyboard
Conceptualization Art
http://www.conceptroot.com/
Matte Painting
http://mattepainting.org/
Proficiency in Photoshop/Illustrator
https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/photoshop.html
https://www.adobe.com/ca/products/illustrator.html
[ 3D Software ]
The 3D Software I would recommend using is Maya.
Free Educational version
http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/maya
[ Schools ]
Alot of home grown 3d gaming talent have pass thought the doors of the NAD Center. They have teachers that currently work in the industry and can become a great reference for job opening in the indusrty.
Nad
http://nad.ca/en
Online
Animation Mentor
http://www.animationmentor.com
http://www.animationmentor.com/student-life/student-showcases/
Anim School
http://www.animschool.com/
[ Traditional Animation ]
Traditional Key Frame Animation, frames drawn every frame by hand, is very important to take to become a great animator.
This on a book that most animators have on their shelves at home.
Animators Survival Kit by Richard Williams
Here is a pdf of the Book
http://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse460/07sp/reading/richard_williams-animators_survival_kit.pdf
[ DEMO ]
A Great DEMO, is the most important as it shows what you can do. Some artistes, animators, modelers etc. I know are self taught so school was not involved. A great DEMO can often speak louder than a certificate form a school. It is what you can do with what you know and not what you know.
Hope this helps. Need any other direction let me know
Scot
From Luke – a director at a leading gaming company:
I think Sean covered it pretty well from a technical point of view! Additional info that I can say about gaming is the following:
There are many options she can take:
Gameplay Animation
Cinematic Animation
Concept Artist
Technical Artist
Character Artist
VFX Artist
UI Artist
…
Some companies name the titles differently but more or less do the same things.
I would suggest starting to become active in various gaming industry forums and websites. Look for forums that companies offer, for instance at EA we have the following LinkeIn forum that people can follow: InsideEA: (Electronic Arts) People, Games & Careers. Other companies have their own similar forums. Also check out game company’s websites in their career sections. They offer lots of info and recommendations. Our’s is Jobs.ea.com.
Follow up on all the industry trade shows(E3, PAX, GamesCom, ComicCon, GDC(Game Developers Conference)) and media(IGN,GamesSpot, etc…)…
A lot of what helped me get into the industry is doing research on all the above info…kinda like the Wook does! 😉
Gaming is a constantly evolving industry so people need to stay well aware of tech and changes going on. Best way is to read a lot of gaming news and info!
Lee
