Content Mindmap

NUA Lecture - Geraldine Cross, HR & Consultant

Geraldine Cross currently works on HR contracts to various companies, but has worked as a consultant in games companies like Ubisoft and Payload Studios. Today, she gave us advice on the current state of the industry and what to keep in mind when applying for a job.

Firstly, she explained the difference between larger and smaller companies. Larger companies tend to stick to tradition, whereas indie companies often are created from passionate, innovative people or people who came from companies that closed down.

A lot of companies suffered by failing to adapt. The game is now no longer the main part of the company - it has become a lot smaller a part due to the sheer size and scope of games companies today. It is important to be flexible and adaptable to any situation as the industry changes very quickly and it is easy to get left behind if you do not keep up.

Geraldine stressed the importance of making contacts - It is hard to get into the industry and it is vital that you keep up to date with people and the technology. She offered these points to survive in the industry:

•  Make sure you find what you are good at and stick to it.
• You have to be able to handle constructive criticism & be able to work upon it.
• You have to be resilient and accept that your project may get cancelled.
• Try and stand out when looking for a job - Quirky is good, but make sure you show the effort you put in
• If you fail to get a job, improve your application.
• Don't be afraid to follow up on your application if you don't hear back from them.

She further iterated that there is no absolute right answer as to what to apply for. Whilst larger companies offer a more solid foundation, they can be restrictive. The creative process is often managed by a pipeline you won't get to see. Although smaller companies will offer more creative freedom, there is less job security, and you may often be working freelance. However, Geraldine stated that you should never work for nothing, unless it is something like work experience.

Harvard Reference: Cross, G. (2015) NUA Lecture 2 February 2015

NUA Lecture - Robin Silcock

Robin Silcock has worked in a variety of roles. Currently she is working with Norwich Indie Game Developers as well as arranging the Norwich Games Festival. In the past, she has worked at Ukie (The Association for UK Interactive Entertainment) as well as studied at Norwich University of the Arts. She has come today to give advice on the industry as well as making contact with others in it.

Firstly, she talked about what you should consider when looking at a company:

• Company Size - Larger companies may have more specialised roles depending on the game type
• Company Culture - The specific job roles as well as the size of the project they're working on.

She went on to suggest taking part in Game Jams, where a team of people work in a short amount of time to produce a game.

When contacting a person, she suggested to keep in mind the following points:

• Use twitter as an in-road for more formal communication
• Keep your emails short and make sure to ask a question (try to keep to around 3 sentences)
• Minimum 24 hours to get back to someone, but make sure to at least get back to them

When creating business cards, Robin suggested to use Solopress as you will get much better quality business cards than from places like VistaPrint.

Finally, she said to get involved:

• Attend NIGD meet-ups.
• Norwich gaming festival happening in April - Norwichgamingfestival.com
• Hot source.
• UEA concrete magazine.
• Go to as many conferences as possible.

Harvard Reference: Silcock, R. (2015) NUA Lecture 29 January 2015

NUA Lecture - Chris Green - 3D Environment Artist

Chris Green currently works at Sony London, primarily as a 3D environment artist.

Firstly, he explained the primary roles that he has as an environment artist:

• Constructing environments
• Creating high quality assets
• Creating photo-realistic textures, such as taking photographs.
• Outsourcing.

He then gave some pointers that should be considered when creating 3D art.

• Inspiration is everywhere, so long as you look for it.
• Be realistic with your work - Focus on quality.
• Consider the story - What are you trying to tell the audience?
• Make sure to have good composition, guide the audience around.
• Keep a good variation on detail, have a mix between large, medium and small detail. Start by working large, and then focus on the detail after.

Like the others, he also stated that networking is vital. He advised that we join up on forums such as Polycount (3D and 2D) and ConceptArt.org (2D) to share your work and receive crits.

• Use Google Hangouts, it is like a virtual office space.
• Go to 'meet-ups' that are arranged in these Hangouts.
• Contact Artists through social media.

Chris also gave advice about application to companies:

• Get a LinkedIn account.
• Keep your CV concise, preferably 1 page is enough, and make sure to spell check!
• Research your company before applying
• Write a cover letter to the company with your application, but do not make it generic!

He also explained how best to manage your website and portfolio:

• Show your best work first - First impressions mean everything.
• Don't use splash screens on websites.
• Keep a professional email on your website.
• Replace the work in your portfolio frequently.
• Keep up to date with techniques and practices - The industry changes rapidly.
• Make your portfolio relevant to the role you're applying for.

Harvard Reference: Green, C (2015) NUA Lecture 23 January 2015

NUA Lecture - Hollie Bennett, Social Media & Community Manager

Hollie Bennett currently works at Playstation UK as a Community Manager. She co-runs the Playstation Access Youtube account as well as the social media sites for Playstation UK.

• She started out as a Community Manager for Destructoid, visiting conventions and working with the site.
• Then was employed as a Consumer & Community PR Executive at Namco Bandai, before coming to work at Playstation UK.

Hollie explained that there are two types of PR for a games company:

• In-House - For the magazines and the gamers
• Agency - For the public masses and the casual gamers

However, PR is more for the press, whereas her role as Community Manager is for the public.

• Creating coverage via press releases, events and previews.
• Managing assets such as pictures, trailers as well as when, where and how to release them.
• Being creative is a big plus.

A Community Manager needs to be 3 things:

• A leader
• A participant
• An advocate

There are also risks to being a Community Manager, however:

• Legal risks : Leaking content when you weren't supposed to.
• The Brand : The community has to look good, or else people won't be interested
• The Users : Inevitably, arguments & bullying will happen, and you have to keep the people in check.

But why should you build a good community?

• Acquisition of new fans.
• Retention of existing fans.
• Support, giving customers help when they need it.

Social media is great for expanding the community, however, there are things to keep in mind when having a company social media:

• Images increase interaction, so use them as much as possible!
• However, do not have more than 20% text in an image.
• Shrink URLs to keep things tidy.
• For Twitter, use hashtags to create conversations and bring people together.
• Also consider promoted tweets, trends and account names.
• Keep content regular and, in most cases, on-topic.

Harvard Reference : Bennett, H. (2015) NUA Lecture 22 January 2015

Creative Skillsets - Games Artist

http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games/job_roles/330_games_artist

This site is very useful in outlining what should be required to get into various roles in the creative industry. This page is about a Games Artist, which covers both 2D, Concept and 3D artists.

Firstly, it explains what is required of a games artist:

• Have an art portfolio demonstrating a range of work and originality of style
• Be able to draw from life, also having knowledge of anatomy and architecture
• Have a flair for colour, composition, perspective, modelling and texturing techniques, lighting & mood
• Be able to work as part of a team and independently
• Be imaginative and creative
• Have strong observation skills and attention to detail
• Have good communication skills
• Be able to work to a style guide

Then, it explains the overall work of a Games Artist:

• "Some games try to look as realistic as possible while others aim for a more stylised look. It is the Artist's job to model and texture characters and objects to achieve the desired result."
• "There are various specialisms within the art department, including 3D object modelling, character design, textures, and environments. Each Artist has responsibility for the creation of particular art assets with a game, but there is also a lot of movement between roles."
• "Some Artists specialise in the design of human figures and characters, others in buildings and landscapes, and some in textures for 3D objects. "
• "Artists must be aware of the technical capabilities and limitations of the platform that the game will be played on. They must also take on board feedback from QA Testers."
• "3D Modeller - builds the characters, objects and environments of the game, including life forms, scenery, vegetation, furniture, and vehicles, etc. They need to balance visual richness and detail with the limitations of the game's technology."

Then it explains the best ways to get into the industry, as well as what would be required from an applicant:

• "Most Artists in the games industry possess a degree or HND in an art subject, such as fine art, graphic design or illustration."
• "You should also learn how to use 3D graphics packages such as 3D Studio Max, Maya,  etc., and 2D packages such as Photoshop. Game Artists might also use software tools that have been developed in-house."
• "To have a chance to get your foot in the door for most art roles, you should have an art background and education." 
• "Most game art involves 3D graphics, so you will need to understand the basic mathematical concepts involved."
• "You will start off in a junior role and decision you will need to make early on is whether to specialise in 2D or 3D work."

Harvard Reference: Creative Skillsets. (2015) Games Artist. Available from <http://creativeskillset.org/creative_industries/games/job_roles/330_games_artist> [Accessed 18 January 2015]

NUA Lecture - Stef Bow, Junior 3D Artist

Stef Bow is a Junior 3D artist that began work recently in the company Sports Interactive, which is most famous for their game Football Manager.

Firstly, she began with her history, and how she got into the industry.

• Stef used to be a teacher, but eventually discovered that it was not for her.
• Having been inspired by the film Finding Nemo, she went back to get a career in games design.

She then went to explain how best to get accepted for work at your company of choice.

• Make sure to tailor the CV to your company.
• Make sure to know and play the games of the company that you apply for.
• Be prepared to go to multiple interviews.
• Expect the company to be very thorough in their interviews, they may ask you anything and everything about your work.

She explained that there are various different roles that a 3D artist can take up, the main three being the Environment Artist, Character Artist and Asset Artist.

She also offered some pointers as someone starting out in the industry:

• As a junior artist, ask how the company will support you.
• Make sure to build up your online portfolio.
• Invest in a domain mane and use your real name.
• It is about the quality of your work, not the quantity.
• Put your site on a business card to hand out during meet-ups.
• Make sure you have the skills needed to be in the industry.
• Technical skills such as:
• 3D Software (3DSMax, Maya)
• Painting/Image software (Photoshop)
• Sculpting (zBrush)
• Game engines (UDK, Unity)
• Communication skills
• Research skills
• Organisation skills.
• Motivation!

Finally, she suggested to take a look at the site GamesJobDirect.

Harvard Reference: Bow, S. (2015) NUA Lecture 15 January 2015

GamesIndustry.biz - Are the walls closing in on indie developers?

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-12-16-are-the-walls-closing-in-on-indie-developers

This article talks about how, even though there has been a massive surge for indie developers in the past few years, the marketplace is not able to hold up the number of new releases:

• "Virtually every marketplace has proved unable to support the spiralling number of new releases."
• "After less than five months of 2014 had passed, Valve's platform had already added more new games than in the whole of the previous year."
• "Initiatives like Greenlight and Early Access were designed.. but they were so effective that some of what made it such a positive force for indies was lost in the process."
• "Steam's culture of deep-discounting has become more pervasive and intense in the face of this chronic overcrowding, stirring up impassioned debate over what some believe will be profound long-term effects for the perceived value of PC games."
• "[Kickstarter] faced similar problems in 2014, blighted by the twin spectres of too much content and not enough money to go around... with several notable figures struggling to find enough backers within the crowd. "
• "Overcrowding is certainly a key aspect of the overall picture, but the act of making and releasing a game is only getting easier, and the allure of development as a career choice seems to grow with each passing month."
• "There are few guarantees in this or any other business, but the conditions have also never been more appropriate for personality and individuality to be the smartest commercial strategy. "
• "We're drowning in games about combat, but This War of Mine took a small step to the left and was greeted with every kind of success."
• "No matter how crowded the market has become, strong ideas executed with care are still able to rise above the clamour, no huge marketing spend required. As long as that's still possible, indies have all of the control they need."

It is clear from this article that delving into indie development at this moment in time is a risky endeavour and that you are unlikely to meet with success unless you can create an unique premise for your game and making yourself stand out amongst the hundreds of other indie developers vying for the same position as you. This is an interesting point to consider when looking for a job to apply for, and even though this applies more to developers, as the article said, 'the act of making and releasing a game is only getting easier' and most indie developers work by themselves or in small teams. 

Harvard Reference: Handrahan, M. (2014) Are the walls closing in on indie developers?. GamesIndustry. Available from: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-12-16-are-the-walls-closing-in-on-indie-developers [Accessed 14 January 2015] 

IGDA Developer Satisfaction Survey 2014 Report

https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.igda.org/resource/collection/9215B88F-2AA3-4471-B44D-B5D58FF25DC7/IGDA_DSS_2014-Summary_Report.pdf

While this report is not explicitly directed toward 3D artists, there is some useful information about the game industry as a whole and what should be kept in mind as someone entering the industry. The survey had 2,202 responses.

• 39% of the sample had a university degree, 21% had a post-graduate degree. 14% had less education than high school/secondary school.
• 35% of the sample had a specialised degree related to game design and development. 32% had a degree directly related to game development. 
• 46% of the sample were looking for their first industry job, implying that there is a high demand for entry-level jobs.
• 38% of students wanted to work in a first-party company, whereas 34% were looking to work in an independent company. The rest were either looking to work in a second or third party company.
• Selecting all which applied, 73% of the sample said that learning new skills was most important to them when looking for a new job. 68% said location whereas 63% said salary.
• 75% of the sample had not been laid off in the past two years, but 41% have had to relocate for work at least once in the past 5 years.
• The 70% of the sample which said they were currently full-time employed on average had 3.75 employers in the past 5 years.
• Upon being asked why people choose to go freelance or self-employed, 58% said 'To have more control over working conditions like hours', 56% said 'to have more control over the content of the work', 55% said 'To make the games you want to make'.
• However, of those working in freelance, one-third said they were not able to find a permanent job.
• 45% of the sample had experienced more than two crunch periods in the past two years.
• Half the sample expected crunch time at their work place, whereas 37% said that they did not feel it was a normal part of their job.
• 52% of respondents thought that crunch was not a necessary part of game development, 27% strongly disagreed whilst 19% agreed, with just 5% strongly agreeing.
• 53% of the sample said that poor scheduling was the reason for crunch time, with 36% saying that it was because of feature creep, and 35% said it was because of unclear expectations.
• 20% of the sample work in companies with 101-500 employees, 17% work in companies with over 500 employees, 19% work in companies with 11 to 50 employees.
• 38% of part-time workers worked at companies with 2-5 people and 33.5% worked for themselves.
• 48% of the sample would prefer to work with an indie company whilst 36% would rather work for a AAA company.

Harvard Reference: Edwards, K. et al. (2014) IGDA Developer Satisfaction 2014 Report. [Internet] available at https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.igda.org/resource/collection/9215B88F-2AA3-4471-B44D-B5D58FF25DC7/IGDA_DSS_2014-Summary_Report.pdf Acessed 12th January 2015

Contextual Studies Brief for BA2

For this project, we are to look at 'Industry Roles and Practices'. We are to write a 1000 word report on a part of the industry of our choice, preferably a part that we would be interested in going into after university. As part of this project we are also expected to set aside a blog for our research, including at least 70 hours worth of study work.

We were given points to consider as a starting point:

• Media industry roles and practice - The Disney Strife of 1941
• How the past compares to the present
• Fashion industry - All walks on the catwalk 
• Lack of innovation in the industry

We were also told to consider possible questions to answer through this report:

• How have roles developed?
• How have they changed over time? - Oversaturation of the market
• What has shaped these changes?

Based on these starting points, I am considering looking into the role of the 3D artist, since I feel most inclined toward the 3D side of the industry. I could look at how the role of the 3D artist compares between smaller and bigger companies and how the role of the 3D artist came to be, as after all, for a long time games were in a 2D format only and the software used has evolved significantly over the past few years.

In a summary, I would investigate:

• How the role of the 3D artist developed
• When did 3D games become the norm?
• What was the sort of software that was used in the beginning?
• How the role of a 3D artist in a large company compares to that in a small company
• Specialists vs Generalists
• Workflow pipelines
• What is required to become a successful 3D artist
• The tools that you need to learn
• Your portfolio
• Networking and connections