This essay will be my reflection on the professional speakers who’ve come and talked about their experience in the game design industry and how it’s influenced me in my career path for the future.
I’ve decided the role I would like to do career-wise is a 2D character artist, and to be a part of a team in a game design studio. All the guest speakers had their own experiences that were valuable, whether it was the recruitment process or just having discipline to set yourself higher.
Networking
A lot of alumni talks have mentioned how important networking is within the game industry, as it helps not only to expand your knowledge of the people within the industry but also helps you climb further into the game design community, so you stay relevant with the latest job openings.
During the talk with Jamie in week 3, he discussed how networking and communication are more important than ever. He gave a lot of useful advice and information about the current competition in the industry. He also spoke about competing against not just other people but engagement from Chat-GPT-generated LinkedIn accounts and AI as a whole. One key takeaway that stuck with me is the importance of creating anything. For example, creating art concepts outside of University work. He emphasises that the minimum should be making a personal website/blog (Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, even custom), an Artstation page, Github, and Instagram.
After hearing this talk, I took the initiative and made an art account on Instagram and as well as an Artstation, to showcase my art, but I also have a LinkedIn account where I’ve been steadily growing my connections. I was reminded that while actively posting is important, interacting and engaging with different people and creatives on different networks and platforms is essential. Furthermore, making conversation, initiating discussion, and asking questions regarding content will show that you’re actively trying to engage with the community and that you are someone who wants to participate in making those meaningful and beneficial connections.
After following a lot of bigger and more successful artists in different creative industries, one key similarity between them is the use of hashtags. Hashtags are a way to connect to other communities as well as to gain popularity on social media platforms. Some examples I’ve been using are:
#Digitalart
#Ibispaintx
#conceptart
#sketch
By using these hashtags, you can interact with the community and broaden your target audience. It’s a good way to also attract other artists or gain popularity, as they are part of these spaces. I found that using more hashtags increases the potential of artwork being seen by others, as it creates more exposure and reach. I will continue to and keep including more hashtags related to my artwork to engage more people from different communities.
The tips I’ve gathered from Jamie were to: take part in coming game jams through studios like Snappy Gurus, learn about those who are big in the industry and follow their work, ask seniors for portfolio advice (e.g. how they got started, where their inspiration comes from, etc.) and speak to real people in the industry by attending events or having an online presence.
These tips helped me get a better understanding of how I could possibly grow my accounts, but also my knowledge about people in the industry. Since I plan to become a character artist in the game design industry, I’ve begun actively following popular game character artists and actively trying to engage with the post as well as the art community. However, I didn’t want to just follow artists in the game design industry/community, but all types of artists; those in different communities and creative industries: illustrators, animators, concept artists, graphic designers, etc. I’ve achieved this by actively leaving comments, likes, reposting, and following established artists with a bigger following. It’s made me appreciate other artist’s work and engage more often. Additionally, it made me want to actively post and present my artwork as well on different platforms. To hold myself accountable, I made a weekly routine for myself to stick to in an attempt to help me create deadlines and maintain self-discipline, as consistency is also important to expanding any social media account.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| x | x | Post artwork | x | x | Post artwork | x |
Another key tip, Jamie mentioned, is that an art post itself doesn’t always need to be polished artworks, but just to be able to get the idea across, this can be through either sketches, moodboard or photo-bashing. It’s important to show an understanding of art and design. The tools given were to try and learn: One of the Autodesk software (3DS Max or Maya), ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Photoshop. This was because this is industry-standard software, the only program I recognised was Photoshop, as I had experienced using it previously. Although I may not have the most experience using these tools, I am open to learning more about the software.
Pratice
Olivia Gregory is a successful 2d concept artist who specialises in environmental art and props, as well as recently looking into disability representation. I found this talk very useful to me as she goes in depth about portfolios, exploration of roles, as well as networking. I often find myself struggling to make artwork frequently, as oftentimes, it doesn’t live up to my expectations, leaving me feeling discouraged to continue.
However, during Olivia’s talk, she displayed her art journey from 2018 to 2021. It felt encouraging knowing that a lot of her trial-and-error art still led to her becoming successful. It inspired me to begin setting myself weekly deadlines to show development, improve my art skills, and explore different art styles. To showcase my development, I decided to open an art account on Instagram, not just because it was highly recommended, but because I wanted to document my art development.
Another key takeaway from Olivia’s talk was, “Don’t find your style, find your ‘thing’,” and while my strengths are sketching and designing characters, I like how she emphasises having fun with experimenting. To add to this, do not restrict yourself too early and be open to different projects since they are potential opportunities.
Olivia mentions knowing which type of game artist you would want to be, which will help you fill in what requirements are needed in your portfolio and identify what is missing in your current portfolio. This is especially helpful because it helped me consider what to and what not to include in my current portfolio, the availability of artist roles in the industry and how to showcase work that would make me stand out.
With current job prospects in the industry, she mentions AI art and how it has been affecting the job market for artists in all communities, not just the game design community, but also affecting the other creative industries.
While this does worry me, since my career path is to become a character artist, I believe AI art will never beat the creativity of real people, so I will continue developing and honing my skills to construct a portfolio for companies.
Interviews
As I’ve stated, my current plan is to show and construct a solid portfolio for gaming companies, and If I do pass the initial stage, interviews are the next hurdle for me. I would say I’m a quiet person and sometimes struggle to express myself fully to people. I noticed that many, if not all, of the speakers who came in gave advice on interviews, mainly speaking about their experience being in an interview.
While interviews may differ depending on the role you applied for and which studio. One of the many tips I’ve heard from the guest talk is to engage actively with the interviewer. One example, that stuck with me is from week 5 the alumni Bea and it’s to question the company/role at the end, but, as I previously mentioned I’m not the most outspoken person, and struggle to think of answers during the moment, but below I’ve put some few example questions Bea gave that you could ask near the end of the interview.
- What kind of culture does the company have?
- What learning opportunities does the company provide?
This shows you’ve done your research before and have enthusiasm for the role. It will also show that you’re not afraid to voice your concerns and portray your confidence, developing your communication skills.
Bea also mentioned that she was often the interviewee since she is a senior game designer, so her experience going through multiple candidates was very insightful, as she mentions the mistakes previous applicants made and what to do during interviews to make you stand out or be a more appealing candidate for the job. One key advice she gave was to give “role-specific” praise and criticism in games. So, for example, not saying you just don’t like the art, but specifying why the colour makes the game hard to play. This could show your passion for the company and sound enthusiastic about the company, even if it’s not your dream role. Many of the other guests also spoke about being able to show your passion during an interview.
Communication
Another topic that was echoed heavily throughout each guest talk is how you have to communicate, and while communication is obviously very important, I liked how each guest member talked about their experience. Whether it was about having conversations about the feedback, the game industry, interviews, etc. Everyone emphasised how important it is to know how to communicate.
During Jamie’s talk, he gave advice on how beneficial it is to learn how to communicate, especially when it comes to teams. He emphasised that having the ability to communicate is as valuable as other role skills. Additionally, he gives us an insight into how communication would work in the games industry. When it comes to communication, I tend to be quiet, and it’s still a habit I’m trying to learn to improve. Doing presentations and having peer feedback really helps me feel more confident. Similarly, Bea also mentions how teamwork and communication come together in the industry during her talk, “Game design is 99% teamwork”. One opportunity I had to showcase this was the multiple presentations we had about our game concepts: during these peer presentations, we also used nodenogg.in to give anonymous feedback to one another. This gave me a better understanding of how the industry may work since Jamie mentioned how this was one of the many ways the University prepared him and how it’s what he’s currently a similar program in the industry. Since I previously mentioned that I wasn’t the most social person, he gave a tip about developing communication skills: having regular meetings, presentations, critiques, and students from different courses to give feedback.
Another tip he mentions is being open to feedback or criticism from peers, since it often happens in team meetings or presentations in jobs. Being open to feedback and understanding criticism is vital to developing yourself and your skills, and it also shows your professionalism. Additionally, being defensive and reactive could show your lack of change, making it less desirable to hire you.
There was a survey done regarding my game ideas. I asked peers, other students from different courses and other non-students for feedback. It was insightful to get different perspectives from different people. I found it beneficial to decide which game idea to go forward with.
There was also a peer feedback in week 3 for my presentations. Personally, I’d say I’m not the most confident person when it comes to presenting ideas and communication with others, but as we continued to do more peer presentations and have multiple peer feedback sessions, it made me more comfortable engaging in conversations and learning about peer game ideas. It gave the whole class an opportunity to be closer and helped me be more confident in expressing my ideas.
Cv, Cover letter & Portfolio
During all the guest speakers, CVs were a common topic. I was worried that my CV was too empty, but there were multiple pieces of advice given. One being from Bea, copying keywords from job listing into the CV, bullet point, links to portfolio or any released game, 1 – 2 page max, bullet points, minimal design, writing a cover letter unique to each job offer, and listing experience in industry tools. In my case, if I wanted to be a character artist, I’d have to pick digital art programs like Photoshop.
As I want to be a character artist, a portfolio is a must; creating one will help me show my skill set and where my strengths lie to employers. One tip given by Olivia with character design portfolios is that they should include anatomy drawings, turnarounds sketches, and colour variations (including them across different designs). While Bea’s advice for portfolios was to implement designs for unmade games, highlight what I truly took ownership of, and demonstrate my role. This is so I can engage and excite employers when I show my portfolio, which links back to Jamie’s advice for portfolios, ‘to make sure the interviewer wants to enjoy looking at your work and see your passion.’
Additionally, cover letters may demonstrate your enthusiasm for the company as well as provide your employer with an opportunity to see how committed you are. Writing a cover letter specifically for a firm might help you stand out from the competition or increase your employability by discussing how you can fit in with the workplace culture.
Personal practice goals :
My short-term goal: Make more connections on LinkedIn, interact with other creative users on socials and make connections within the game industry.
Short-term goal: Creating weekly art to develop my skill, learning how to use industry-level tools (Photoshop) and to begin developing my technical skill by using different software ( Unity and Blender).
Long-term goal: To have a successful portfolio and work in a small indie studio or develop games.
After hearing all the talks, it really made me feel like I have to push myself forward to either create and use just make sure to use my time more efficiently. As Jamie emphasised in his talk, it’s better to start now more than ever; just creating anything could help. I’ve also gotten a better idea of what I could do to achieve my goal in the future. I was worried since everything seemed to be moving too fast, and I felt very behind compared to everyone else. However, after these useful talks, I’ve gained a better understanding of what I could do now for my career.
My initial goal is to begin improving my technical skills since I don’t want to just rely on my art skills. I believe that my lack of familiarity with software tools such as Blender and Unity might result in a loss of future opportunities. In order to have more possibilities in the future, I want to develop my technical skills now rather than later. I also want to push myself to learn something new, which is another reason I want to improve my technical skills. Additionally, it may demonstrate my versatility and passion to learn skills outside of art.
For my art skills, I’ve decided to have at least two works of art completed each week, whether they’re refined artwork or spontaneous sketches, is another short-term goal I currently have in mind. I want to be able to keep improving my artistic abilities, and this is because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fulfil professional art criteria without consistent practice. So, whether it’s using industry tool software or previous software I’ve already used for art, my goal is to always improve my art. I want to keep tweaking and developing my art.
A different goal I had in mind was to revamp my existing portfolio because I felt it was lacking a lot of essential elements. However, this time I feel less overwhelmed with how much I need to produce due to the talks, I feel more organised and have a plan in mind. I would like to have at least 12 character concepts showing a range of various colours with different anatomy and different perspectives.
I’d also like to start using the industry tool, Blender, outside of university as well since I could get a better understanding of 3D art and I know I currently still lack familiarity with it but I also know it’s a helpful tool if you understand how to use it, especially since I know it’s used in the industry as well and many of the guests speakers mentioned how useful it could be.
My professional career objectives are to continue advancing my art accounts and keep developing a portfolio to use to apply to jobs after graduation. I’m hoping that this will allow me to gain experience in those positions and network with other experts in the industry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all the guest speakers gave me influential advice on how to get closer to my career path. Their experience and advice have helped me gain a better understanding of the game design industry. Everyone was friendly and extremely helpful, and gave great tips on how to get into the competitive industry. I will continue to develop my art, hopefully be employed and continue meeting such friendly people in the industry.
Word count : 2867
Special thanks to the guest speakers :
- Jamie Blacknell
- Olivia Gregory
- Bea Grove
- Rhys Shepherd
- Megan Matthews
- Jade Carter
Leave a Reply