“No dicks, no douchebags, no drama” ~ Gearbox
Gearbox encourages culture of critique through anonymous peer reviews of both person and work
Encourage mindset of “How good is that other guy, and how do I figure out what he knows?”
Have “Training Days” -> Everyone teaches something
Show and Tell days -> Art Councils in different fields that discuss techniques to better each other.
Cooking Show-type tutorials
The company needs to want to train its artists and encourage them to learn from each other
Students-> Wait, so many talented artists out there without work
-But they’re hungry, not cynical and jaded
We’re losing the atmosphere of creative solutions b/c of technology
Social gamespace is akin to the early years of game development, very much a Wild West of gaming
Art Directors don’t have to be as good as the artists they direct, but must be sympathetic to their needs and concerns
Applicant Advice
- Game Engine experience shows applicants are taking their experience to “the next level”
- Life Drawings! Show they’re taking what they see and recreating it accurately
- Want to see focused artists that do what they love
- Sketches and sketchbooks show thought process
- Show what you did and contributed to the overall project
- Look at what the studio is working on and show them an asset that belongs in their game
Art Serves Design
Design Serves Art
If design and art are fighting, you have a culture problem
Need to have teams working toward a clearly-defined goal
Whole scene is more important than one asset, don’t get bogged down by high level of detail if its hurting the whole scene
Tech Artists are necessary