In today’s industry it is very important to be flexible in
the work you can do. People talk about having a T-shaped skill set-
specialising in one area but ensuring you are adequately trained to do other
tasks comfortably. This is especially important with the rise of indie and
mobile studios who work in smaller teams. Of course it is also helpful knowing
the exact way to produce your work so that others who have to handle it don’t
have any problems.
Getting into the industry often involves building up connections
and making a name for yourself. Some people try and use other jobs within the
industry such as game testing as a stepping stone, but really testing is a
separate department of the industry relying on writing more than art. Getting a
relevant degree is a plus, but when it comes down to it, it’s all about showing
that you have the skills needed. The more you want to “move up” in the industry
the more different skills you’re going to need to master.
Even then, in today’s industry you’re unlikely to be
specialising unless you manage to be employed by a major studio. In the cases
where you will be specialising, most of the jobs are in environment art. A lot
of people have the main aspiration of becoming a Concept Artist, but there are
relatively few positions in the industry, and most concept artists would’ve
originally worked on 3D content. Some people put a lot of 2D work in their
portfolios, but this can be risky since the bar is set so high in that
department. For your portfolio you need to make something, mods, items for
existing games, just samples of the best you can do. Then comes the networking.
Nobody is going to care about you and what you’re doing until your work
warrants that notice. Of course if you’re applying for a mobile or indie studio,
cover as much as possible, in an appropriate style of course. Even spread to
designing things like the UI for a game, because it’s a huge part of mobile
games yet something so few people focus on.
However the industry is not limited to departments within
developer studios. As the cost of developing major titles continues to
increase, it’s becoming all the more commonplace to outsource elements, often
to countries where labour is cheaper. Sometimes companies will even look to
other developers to speed up development for meeting deadlines. Small teams
often hire individual freelancers if their own combined skillsets do not cover every
aspect of a game’s development. The only drawbacks of outsourcing this way can
be potential issues with communication and/or quality control, especially with
large projects.
It is completely viable to become a freelancer and it has
several benefits, such as removing the need to commute regularly. Gaining the
initial reputation may take some work, but there exist agencies to assist in
finding assignments. Freelancing is not for everyone though. Many don’t have
the networking skills, plus working from home can be very difficult. It
completely removes the social aspect of a studio, and keeping a work mentality
in your own house can be a real challenge.
References- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdZUZ73zLWc
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