Link to original post: [drupal=5509]So you want to design games?[/drupal]
Hey userblogs! In the passion thread, we saw some interest for game designers. Since I was already writing something along those lines, I finally decided to make a refined thing for here and for the artwork emporium. I hope this will be insightful maybe i guess > x<
Recently in the Artwork Emporium (the art sub-forum on smashboards), we’ve had a spike in interest in game design majors or careers in the games/ animation/ film industry. We decided to create a school advice thread to help these people, along with art students of all sorts, by giving useful advice and by answering any questions people might have. Those of us with education in progress with majors relating to game design and people who are already in the industry have decided to work on write-ups on advice for those seeking out a career in game design/ animation/ illustration/ VFX. The idea is to give useful advice, debunk some myths, and provide some anecdotes along the way from our own personal experiences, and maybe crush some hopes and dreams. Because the art industry is NOT for everyone. But we truly hope we can inspire those who are ready to take on the trials and insanity that comes with working on games. (note: this is mostly aimed at people who want to go on the artistic/art school/non super programmery end of things. A lot of it still applies for anyone wanting to go into games though)
Since there’s so much variety between art school courses like Game design, Modeling, Illustration, Graphics Design, and Animation, we’ll break each of the distinctive subjects up and offer advice by people who are either in the process of taking these programs, or have already graduated from them.
Game designers are the driving force behind the mechanics of video games. They take up the mantle of creating systems and interfaces, directing gameplay and game balance, and function as an in-between for artists, programmers, animators, and everything else. They ideally function as an entity – the idea of a ‘celebrity game designer’ like Cliffy B and Peter Molyneaux is both exaggerated and outdated. Creative compromise and communication is key for anyone who wants to design games, as well as a wide array of knowledge of the other areas of game making as well.
First off, I'm Alyssa, aka Lokii. I'm a 19 year old Game Art/Design student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, graduating in summer 2014 (I hope). I'm specializing in concept art/2D/illustration and other aspects of concept work with my backup being character modeling. My main goal is to work as a concept artist in the industry after graduation. I decided halfway through high school to actually go to school for game design because I love to make art and I want to make a living making pretty pictures. Besides the actual drawing stuff, I have found myself improving at knowing actual design aspects of the games industry, so I’m hoping to put that to good use if need be (design docs, ahoy!)
Now, to actually talk about game design. I’ll be blunt - it actually isn't all fun and games, pun intended. I've lost a lot of sleep and even a few pounds from stress, forgetting to eat, and from pulling all-nighters to finish homework and that’s far from an uncommon thing to experience. This is a major that requires a LOT of hard work and isn't 'fun' in the traditional sense. You don't get to play games all day. You spend a lot of time working on projects or game docs or crying over 3D/scripting/level design/etc homework. But if you enjoy that stuff or you enjoy working really, really hard, then you will enjoy every last minute of hell.
You will have to go into this with an open mind. You won't always be doing something you like doing. I just finished my 5th semester a few weeks ago, and it was almost all lower polygon 3D modeling (using 3DStudio Max). I would have rather been spending my time painting in photoshop, but I had to sacrifice free time that I could have otherwise used to sleep or play games in order to find time to paint like I wanted. Sacrifices must be made to do what you like....because you have work to do and must meet deadlines or else you get bad grades (NOT AN OPTION) or fired.
So, why are bad grades not an option? Well, the better your grades, the more time and effort you probably hopefully spent on your work. The more time you spend and more effort you put into making work good means you might have more work for portfolio/demo reel. And building your portfolio and demo reel is THE MOST important thing. You want to get hired right? You need a solid portfolio and demo reel. You have to be the best of the best (especially for competitive positions like concept artist).
Another important thing people don't realize or avoid because they don't think it's important enough is...you have to be social. No matter how awkward you are, you have to network and make connections. Learn to be social. Dead serious. Just. Learn. This industry is made up of people just like us – guys and gals who used to be young nerds and who gravitate towards people like them. You have to know people to get a job. You can even get a job over someone who is more skilled than you - if you have connections. You just gotta know people and be a decent human being.
Of course you still need skills to back that up.
What else should I cover? Hmmm. Oh yes. IDEALISM. It's a good thing to want to try new things and revolutionize stuff. But it's another thing to go around pitching game ideas to teachers or saying you are 'going to change the games industry' OR that our industry is broken. You’re not. Not by yourself, at least. The games industry is a multi BILLION dollar industry that contains many studios, from big-name AAA studios to little indie start ups in someone’s basement. The industry does not need to be changed by some idealist guy who doesn't like the fact that CoD is a game, or someone who wants to do away with crazy graphics (artists need jobs yo). Teachers do not want to spend time listening to stories about angel demons who have ten foot long swords and are obviously NOT overcompensating for anything that fight elf wizards and ninja ladies with giant chests (these are all tropes that have been pitched to one of my teachers at one time or another). To get by in this industry, you not only have to have fresh ideas that can sell, you need to work with others to accomplish this, and realize that they might have ideas just as fresh, if not more fresh, than yours. Humility is key. You’ll often get much farther by asking others for advice (especially instructors) than trying to flaunt your brilliant ideas to everyone who has ears.
Of course there’s always exceptions. If you are in a class that requires a concept, THEN PITCH IT AND SELL IT. Make it shine. I’ve gotten good at this because I try to avoid crazy tropes and try out stuff that could appeal to people that aren't just typical gamers or don't just appeal to me. (CONSIDER EVERY AUDIENCE) I've worked on two concepts at Aip: a board game for my intro class that plays off high school clichés in a cute and silly board game for all ages and a serious game concept focusing around mental disorders, suicide, depression, and recovery in a way that immerses the player. You can't just make stuff you like - because YOU don't represent all gamers. Study stuff. Research. Read about different countries, myths, world religions, art history, etc. Soak in knowledge. The more random stuff you know, the more creative you can get. Also always get feedback and critiques. Also making board games is good practice. Play testing is fun because you can play with friends.
Another topic that needs to be covered is...ANIME. Please please PLEASE do not make your portfolio filled with anime. PLEASE. Teachers in art school usually frown on it. 'they're just biased because they hate anime!' 'what's wrong with anime' 'I can draw just fine though it's my styyyle'. If you utter those words, drop out now. Yes, it seems mean and unfair. But you should save yourself money because art school is expensive. This is coming from someone who draws anime by the way. And advice from teachers who watch anime and have discussions with students about it. Anime is overused and will not fit in the American market of studios in most cases. Yes, you can still draw anime. But keep it out of classwork. Also please learn anatomy and never say you don't need to because of anime because NO YOURE WRONG. Also, you will make Lokii cry and she gets really pathetic and talks in 3rd person when she's upset that. Anatomy makes your anime look better too. Seriously. Life drawing is your friend too, but I'll have the resident AE life drawing expert write about that. (yes that's drawing nude people)
Going back to specialties....specialize as soon as you can. Spend time exploring and trying out stuff til you find what you like to do. Then when you find your favorite thing, stick with it. Improve. Make it your life. Jack-of-all-trades types aren't as needed as they were when the industry was a fledgling because there are so many people now. Be the best at what you do.
One more thing I really want to debunk is the fact at how awesome studios are. Yes, game studios are actually really cool. Read up on places like Blizzard or Valve. These types of places will have waterfall rooms, masseuses, food, etc. It seems like a crazy party, am I right?! Well, there’s a reason they have all these things. Because when you work there, you will be spending a lot of time there. And that’s just pre crunch time. Crunch time is a nightmare because you basically live at work during that time. People will sleep at the studio so they can get enough work done in short periods of time. So those things aren’t there to just be crazy perks (well they do help. Game studios ARE filled with likeminded nerds), but are there to help keep their employees sane and mostly healthy (albeit sleep deprived). I’m only shining a little light on crunch time…but be warned that any job in the games industry will most likely not always be a 9-5 job, but will be full of lots of working and loss of sleep. And then there’s the opposite end of being laid off after a project and having to move to another studio to start a new project…which is also very common.
And this probably isnt even half of what I would have truly liked to cover on the field of game design. There are so many aspects to making games or movies or animations that it isn't even funny. But, if this piqued your interest, do research. Visit schools and studios. Talk to people. Heck, stop by the Artwork Emporium for a chat. We're all nice and have decent amounts of experience under our belts.
Finally, thanks to AlleyCat and Geist for MAJOR EDITS on this. This is only my section of a HUGE doc we all wrote together. (check it out on this thread) They wrote a lot more about other aspects, so please take the time to check it out. Also, if you are interested in seeing samples of game design docs, board game stuff, 3D nonsense, or concept work, let me know. I've written a few design docs and have done a bunch of work in the past few years that I'm always more than happy to share with others to help get ideas on the work we do in school. And I'm sure others in the art boards would be happy to help!
I hope this was somewhat helpful to people who want to do work in the games industry . u .
Hey userblogs! In the passion thread, we saw some interest for game designers. Since I was already writing something along those lines, I finally decided to make a refined thing for here and for the artwork emporium. I hope this will be insightful maybe i guess > x<
Recently in the Artwork Emporium (the art sub-forum on smashboards), we’ve had a spike in interest in game design majors or careers in the games/ animation/ film industry. We decided to create a school advice thread to help these people, along with art students of all sorts, by giving useful advice and by answering any questions people might have. Those of us with education in progress with majors relating to game design and people who are already in the industry have decided to work on write-ups on advice for those seeking out a career in game design/ animation/ illustration/ VFX. The idea is to give useful advice, debunk some myths, and provide some anecdotes along the way from our own personal experiences, and maybe crush some hopes and dreams. Because the art industry is NOT for everyone. But we truly hope we can inspire those who are ready to take on the trials and insanity that comes with working on games. (note: this is mostly aimed at people who want to go on the artistic/art school/non super programmery end of things. A lot of it still applies for anyone wanting to go into games though)
Since there’s so much variety between art school courses like Game design, Modeling, Illustration, Graphics Design, and Animation, we’ll break each of the distinctive subjects up and offer advice by people who are either in the process of taking these programs, or have already graduated from them.
Game designers are the driving force behind the mechanics of video games. They take up the mantle of creating systems and interfaces, directing gameplay and game balance, and function as an in-between for artists, programmers, animators, and everything else. They ideally function as an entity – the idea of a ‘celebrity game designer’ like Cliffy B and Peter Molyneaux is both exaggerated and outdated. Creative compromise and communication is key for anyone who wants to design games, as well as a wide array of knowledge of the other areas of game making as well.
First off, I'm Alyssa, aka Lokii. I'm a 19 year old Game Art/Design student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, graduating in summer 2014 (I hope). I'm specializing in concept art/2D/illustration and other aspects of concept work with my backup being character modeling. My main goal is to work as a concept artist in the industry after graduation. I decided halfway through high school to actually go to school for game design because I love to make art and I want to make a living making pretty pictures. Besides the actual drawing stuff, I have found myself improving at knowing actual design aspects of the games industry, so I’m hoping to put that to good use if need be (design docs, ahoy!)
Now, to actually talk about game design. I’ll be blunt - it actually isn't all fun and games, pun intended. I've lost a lot of sleep and even a few pounds from stress, forgetting to eat, and from pulling all-nighters to finish homework and that’s far from an uncommon thing to experience. This is a major that requires a LOT of hard work and isn't 'fun' in the traditional sense. You don't get to play games all day. You spend a lot of time working on projects or game docs or crying over 3D/scripting/level design/etc homework. But if you enjoy that stuff or you enjoy working really, really hard, then you will enjoy every last minute of hell.
You will have to go into this with an open mind. You won't always be doing something you like doing. I just finished my 5th semester a few weeks ago, and it was almost all lower polygon 3D modeling (using 3DStudio Max). I would have rather been spending my time painting in photoshop, but I had to sacrifice free time that I could have otherwise used to sleep or play games in order to find time to paint like I wanted. Sacrifices must be made to do what you like....because you have work to do and must meet deadlines or else you get bad grades (NOT AN OPTION) or fired.
So, why are bad grades not an option? Well, the better your grades, the more time and effort you probably hopefully spent on your work. The more time you spend and more effort you put into making work good means you might have more work for portfolio/demo reel. And building your portfolio and demo reel is THE MOST important thing. You want to get hired right? You need a solid portfolio and demo reel. You have to be the best of the best (especially for competitive positions like concept artist).
Another important thing people don't realize or avoid because they don't think it's important enough is...you have to be social. No matter how awkward you are, you have to network and make connections. Learn to be social. Dead serious. Just. Learn. This industry is made up of people just like us – guys and gals who used to be young nerds and who gravitate towards people like them. You have to know people to get a job. You can even get a job over someone who is more skilled than you - if you have connections. You just gotta know people and be a decent human being.
Of course you still need skills to back that up.
What else should I cover? Hmmm. Oh yes. IDEALISM. It's a good thing to want to try new things and revolutionize stuff. But it's another thing to go around pitching game ideas to teachers or saying you are 'going to change the games industry' OR that our industry is broken. You’re not. Not by yourself, at least. The games industry is a multi BILLION dollar industry that contains many studios, from big-name AAA studios to little indie start ups in someone’s basement. The industry does not need to be changed by some idealist guy who doesn't like the fact that CoD is a game, or someone who wants to do away with crazy graphics (artists need jobs yo). Teachers do not want to spend time listening to stories about angel demons who have ten foot long swords and are obviously NOT overcompensating for anything that fight elf wizards and ninja ladies with giant chests (these are all tropes that have been pitched to one of my teachers at one time or another). To get by in this industry, you not only have to have fresh ideas that can sell, you need to work with others to accomplish this, and realize that they might have ideas just as fresh, if not more fresh, than yours. Humility is key. You’ll often get much farther by asking others for advice (especially instructors) than trying to flaunt your brilliant ideas to everyone who has ears.
Of course there’s always exceptions. If you are in a class that requires a concept, THEN PITCH IT AND SELL IT. Make it shine. I’ve gotten good at this because I try to avoid crazy tropes and try out stuff that could appeal to people that aren't just typical gamers or don't just appeal to me. (CONSIDER EVERY AUDIENCE) I've worked on two concepts at Aip: a board game for my intro class that plays off high school clichés in a cute and silly board game for all ages and a serious game concept focusing around mental disorders, suicide, depression, and recovery in a way that immerses the player. You can't just make stuff you like - because YOU don't represent all gamers. Study stuff. Research. Read about different countries, myths, world religions, art history, etc. Soak in knowledge. The more random stuff you know, the more creative you can get. Also always get feedback and critiques. Also making board games is good practice. Play testing is fun because you can play with friends.
Another topic that needs to be covered is...ANIME. Please please PLEASE do not make your portfolio filled with anime. PLEASE. Teachers in art school usually frown on it. 'they're just biased because they hate anime!' 'what's wrong with anime' 'I can draw just fine though it's my styyyle'. If you utter those words, drop out now. Yes, it seems mean and unfair. But you should save yourself money because art school is expensive. This is coming from someone who draws anime by the way. And advice from teachers who watch anime and have discussions with students about it. Anime is overused and will not fit in the American market of studios in most cases. Yes, you can still draw anime. But keep it out of classwork. Also please learn anatomy and never say you don't need to because of anime because NO YOURE WRONG. Also, you will make Lokii cry and she gets really pathetic and talks in 3rd person when she's upset that. Anatomy makes your anime look better too. Seriously. Life drawing is your friend too, but I'll have the resident AE life drawing expert write about that. (yes that's drawing nude people)
Going back to specialties....specialize as soon as you can. Spend time exploring and trying out stuff til you find what you like to do. Then when you find your favorite thing, stick with it. Improve. Make it your life. Jack-of-all-trades types aren't as needed as they were when the industry was a fledgling because there are so many people now. Be the best at what you do.
One more thing I really want to debunk is the fact at how awesome studios are. Yes, game studios are actually really cool. Read up on places like Blizzard or Valve. These types of places will have waterfall rooms, masseuses, food, etc. It seems like a crazy party, am I right?! Well, there’s a reason they have all these things. Because when you work there, you will be spending a lot of time there. And that’s just pre crunch time. Crunch time is a nightmare because you basically live at work during that time. People will sleep at the studio so they can get enough work done in short periods of time. So those things aren’t there to just be crazy perks (well they do help. Game studios ARE filled with likeminded nerds), but are there to help keep their employees sane and mostly healthy (albeit sleep deprived). I’m only shining a little light on crunch time…but be warned that any job in the games industry will most likely not always be a 9-5 job, but will be full of lots of working and loss of sleep. And then there’s the opposite end of being laid off after a project and having to move to another studio to start a new project…which is also very common.
And this probably isnt even half of what I would have truly liked to cover on the field of game design. There are so many aspects to making games or movies or animations that it isn't even funny. But, if this piqued your interest, do research. Visit schools and studios. Talk to people. Heck, stop by the Artwork Emporium for a chat. We're all nice and have decent amounts of experience under our belts.
Finally, thanks to AlleyCat and Geist for MAJOR EDITS on this. This is only my section of a HUGE doc we all wrote together. (check it out on this thread) They wrote a lot more about other aspects, so please take the time to check it out. Also, if you are interested in seeing samples of game design docs, board game stuff, 3D nonsense, or concept work, let me know. I've written a few design docs and have done a bunch of work in the past few years that I'm always more than happy to share with others to help get ideas on the work we do in school. And I'm sure others in the art boards would be happy to help!
I hope this was somewhat helpful to people who want to do work in the games industry . u .
