1st Day of Class (Patreon)

Neglected Lessons is a new post series similar to my Freelance 101 posts, but they are specifically directed at students or trying to cover lessons that game colleges often fail to teach. Please let me know what you think in the comments, or if you have ideas for what I could write about!

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Welcome to class, freshmen! Please go around the room and introduce yourselves, tell us your favorite game, and buckle the shit up.

Cuz it's the first day of game college.

We're going to cover the 3 things that every aspiring game artist needs to hear from the very beginning so that you have more realistic expectations and a clearer path going forward. Some of this might seem like common sense, but they're all very important things to do so you're set in the right direction.

1. What do YOU want to do?

You can't know what steps you need to take if you don't have at least a few vague goals in mind. We don't always know exactly what we want to do, but the best way to find out is to try a lot of different things! If you want to pursue a career in which you do what you love for your day job, then curiosity is your #1 tool. This doesn't just apply at the beginning, but also throughout the rest of your journey. Sometimes what we want to do changes or evolves over time, so always stay proactive in your curiosity.

Look into different traditional art fields: graphic design, fashion design,  user experience design, modeling for advertising, illustration... THIS is where game art came from, and it's really important to go back to your roots. This is where the fundamentals are well-taught and where good artists turn into badass visual problem-solvers.

This is very important: don't pick your direction based on what you think you can or can't do. Just focus on what you love, what you're drawn to. That's something special. THEN find ways to be pragmatic while still pursuing what you enjoy.

So you've explored art in a few different ways and figured out what you enjoy the most, but how can you apply those skills? The next step is to...

2. Look at real job openings

Finding what you love to do is just the beginning. If you want to make a career of it, then you've got to do some research to figure out how you can use that skillset in the real world.

If you've never looked at job openings in games, just start with this: 

Go to any well-known AAA company's career website, go to the Art discipline tab, and take an hour or so to read through the requirements and expectations of those jobs. Take notes if you need to! Learn from them!

Then, when you find a job that appeals to you, try to find open jobs for other studios of varying sizes and compare those listings. How do the demands of an indie team differ? What about AA mid-sized studios? AAA is not the only route forward!

 Questions to ask:

• How many years of experience should I have to apply? (Years of exp are usually more of a suggestion than an absolute, but it can clarify the level of quality/knowledge they're expecting)
• What software packages does this job require?
• Is this job multidisciplinary? Do I have to work as a generalist (usually at smaller studios) or as a specialist (usually at larger studios)?
• What other roles would I be working with? Design? UI?  How can I research those roles so I'm able to communicate with them smoothly?
• What content do I need to prepare for this job? Do I need to write a cover letter or package my work in a specific way?

You'll learn a lot about the day-to-day aspects and what's required from you in that role. Got further questions? You can make a Polycount account and pop those in the Careers and Education section if you can't find an answer elsewhere in the forum.

Not able to find an example job opening for something specific? Check out the Artstation Jobs page and scroll down to the search bar. Just search for "junior" and it'll give you a list of open entry-level descriptions!

3. Look at professional portfolios of all levels

So you've researched some different directions you can take, maybe you have a few career paths in mind. First of all, remember that your goals can change at any time, and you should be open to your preferences and passions evolving.

You absolutely MUST know what the bottom rung of the ladder looks like before you can plan how you're going to reach for it. This helps you build realistic expectations and goals so you're not blindsided when you start applying to jobs. I crowdsourced some pros' junior portfolios on Twitter if you'd like to see their examples! 

This isn't a perfect method, but a Google search like this can provide a decent starting point:

I'm not going to link any specific people (because that can get weird) but after Googling that and checking the first page of results, I found that most of the portfolios I clicked on are about what I'd expect from a junior-level professional environment artist. 

It's important to reference the portfolios of *working* artists in the industry. Some "junior" bodies of work are actually way more advanced than what is expected from a junior artist, but as you look at more portfolios, you'll build a gauge of what is actually expected from an entry-level worker.

You then want to also look at the work of senior and mid-level artists, Google searching similarly to before. Look at senior level job opening descriptions! Paint a picture of the differences in various job types, contexts, and levels of experience. 

You might find a job or studio that you want to apply to in the future when you feel ready. I really recommend taking notes or having a Google Doc where you can write down notes, goals, things to look into, unfamiliar vocabulary/software that you need to research, etc.

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I believe that these are 3 steps that every aspiring artist should take every year (or twice a year) that they're working towards an entry-level job. Every January (or whatever) sit down and evaluate how your goals and interests have changed. Look at job listings to see if software requirements or pipelines have evolved. Look at junior level portfolios and don't be afraid to compare your work to theirs. Take some time to really reflect on your progress and your current skillset.

When you're feeling overwhelmed, ask for help/advice/critique in Polycount or seek out game art communities that have a mix of students and working professionals. Unable to find a community? Build one! Take moderation seriously and create a constructive, healthy space full of people that want the best for each other.