So, I can’t count the number of times I’ve had a conversation at a game industry event go something like this…

General introductions, followed by explaining that I’m a game writer (and yes indeed, that game writers are good for something), followed by information about their company, followed by a line like: “You should come work for us, we’re trying to get into the women market and could really use a woman on the team.”

Well, thanks.
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All teams go through a predictable cycle of chaos and order that can be summed up in four stages: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.

“Forming” is the stage where the team is first put together. Everyone is very polite and excited, but tentative. People are still floating, unsure of their role on the team.

The next stage is “Storming”. At this point, problems have started to surface, and people start to drive each other crazy. Everyone knows they are in over their heads, and they can’t get out. There is too much agreement in meetings, while inside everyone is smoldering with resentment. Fixing problems almost always involves stepping on toes. (more…)

Managing The Project

Chances are, you are good at managing yourself and your own time. That’s one of the things managers look at when they decide on whom to promote to lead positions.

But, managing a small portion of a project and managing an entire project require different skills. You are no longer just concerned with getting your slice of the pie done. You are also responsible for making sure that others get their work done, and that both the people you work for and the people that you manage understand where the project stands at all times. (more…)

What is a “lead artist”?

When you’re hired as a “lead artist” for a project you probably expect your role to be the keeper of the vision for the look of your project. What you may not expect is that you will really be the keeper of the team.

A lead artist is, first and foremost, a manager. How is a lead artist different from a production artist? Lead artists are less “artists who manage” than “managers who are in charge of artists”. You will likely spend the bulk of your time doing paperwork, email, meetings, and managing your artists. This was a shock for every beginning lead artist that I have talked to, and it was a shock to me when I first experienced it. (This is, by the way, a fact of life for any lead, especially engineers, who are just as likely to think they can contribute a significant amount of code and still manage a team.) You will have to change the way you gauge your own success, because you will no longer be able to look at the amount of art you have done to see how you’re doing personally. (more…)

Art outsourcing is a highly debated topic in the game industry. For one of our projects, we outsourced these tiny cut-scenes to an artist in Canada (we’re based in Australia). We got benefits from the arrangement, but also faced challenges that we didn’t predict.
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I started in the Animation industry as a Modeling/Texture Artist at a small Studio in Chicago almost 11 years ago working on a cartoony kids’ video series Veggie Tales. During my 3 years there I not only modeled characters, props and sets, but also got involved in concept design. I then moved to Atlanta where I was hired as a Generalist at Fathom Studios (an even smaller studio of 15 people), to work on the still yet unreleased animated film Delgo.

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Before I entered the career field of texture artist, I went and did 3 years on a BA course in ‘computer game art’. Ultimately it isn’t essential in getting a job as a texture artist but it can be a good motivation to learn the basics of 3D applications and how to approach your work. The biggest problem is that the teachings can be based on methods and technology that is a few years behind, while I can only say that about the course I attended, I do still often hear that many other similar courses still share that very same problem today.
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In 1989, the silicon baby started growing into a monster. The consumer was gobbling up hardware and software faster than companies could churn them out. Like every company in the industry, developers were desperate to find good people; good talented people. If you had any art experience, digital experience or even if you’ve ever been in the same room with a computer, you were as good as hired. Conversely, employers began to bend over backwards to keep good people; stock options, training, bonuses, raises…

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GameCareerGuide.com, Gamasutra’s game education sister site, put out a stellar article from Robert Chang of iWin about what’s involved in being an Art Director. Robert started off doing textures and concept art for various companies, and soon became an art director, but later left game industry in 2001 to pursue his own projects. With years of experience and having returned to game industry as a studio art director at a game development and publishing house, Robert has great advice for any game artists aspiring to advance their careers.

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Wes Jenkins, a catch-all media industry veteran, gives us a flash of the past in the first part in his mini-history of interactive media artists. “A full knowledge of art (drawing, perspective, color theory, layout and anatomy) was critical. Typically, these skills were gained by a long stretch in art school and the associated drinking.”

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