this article scares me...

[jayrabbit]

http://www.cgworks.com/gap.php?id=3

I'd be glad if those people who already work for the game industry could answer this question: is that article completely true?

is it really like being a workhorse for some unqualified art director and just being "the-guy-who-makes-concrete-textures" or something like that? how much creativity is left in your work as a professional artist?

I'm eager to know more about your work. what is the working atmosphere like? is it more like a big family, or a "big boss hierarchy"? what about those so-called crunch times, are they really that tough?

[Pericolos0]

i pretty much have to do exactly what the art lead here tells me to do, and need to follow a certain style. But luckily with the kind of textures i need to draw there's room for creativity. And the leads here are not all that unqualified .

Where i work i could say there is a big "family athmosphere', not corporate at all, but i guess this is one of the few companies that works this way. The feeling i have here is that were all a bunch of guys just wanting to create a cool game and having alot of fun with that, everyone here works hard and long but there is no feeling of being a publisher's workhorse. Anyways i only work part time so i do not really have to deal with any type of crunch time etc. Its probably different when full time.

i guess the article is being negative of reality but i can imagine it being ALOT different at other companies

[Hourences]

It all pretty much depends on your personal skill and experience and where you work.

If you go work for some big coorporation you will often experience a less family like atmosphere where as smaller companies often have a lot of that atmosphere

I personally dont like big coorperate companies for that reason and because its too strict. Too many rules and restrictions.

In bigger companies you are also quicker restricted to just your job. Like drawing tex all day long where as in smaller companies you will likely need to freelance a lot more. Doing thing A today and B tomorow. I also like that. Id like to be in control of a lot, not just 1 element.

So depends where you end up mainly but it also has a lot to do with your position. If you get better and gain more experience you can have a better position and thus more to say and thus also more artistic freedom. Not someone whos telling you what to do all the time but more freedom of deciding that for your own.

When you just start with work you prolly wont have that and it might be more boring work but later on itll be a lot more fun, due to more creative freedom

I do a lot of stuff on my own with my own ideas

crunch sucks and might be tough, you almost nnever have enough time so its always battling time

[jayrabbit]

@Hourences

I just checked your portfolio page - pretty stunning maps and also your career is quite impressive.

You worked for Epic? Have you actually worked at the headquarters in the USA or was it freelance work via internet? Tell me a little bit about your experience

[Hourences]

I never went on site. I always refused because of a personal situation back then + it wasnt permanent anyway due to visa problems so I didnt bother. Although it would have surely been a nice experience if I would have went tho.

I now work for a smaller company and its the best place I worked for so far. Much more freedom and relaxing atmosphere

[Oski]

You made rankin?! I love that map. I won a cinema ticket playing that map in a tournament once. Thanks

[von*ferret]

Hourence makes me smile.

[kleinluka]

There is a lot of truth to these articles...

Working on games professionally is a lot different than doing it as a hobby or as part of a mod team.

It depends on the company how "family like" and personal it feels. Bigger companies will have less a less personal and more business and corporate oriented working environment. Smaller companies are usually the opposite.

How many different tasks you take care of also depends on the employer, as well as your skillset, experience in said skillset and project needs.

Crunch time is a sad fact in the games industry and every company has it. And yes it's tough.

Working professionally you can't snap at people like you can do online and expect to get away with it. You need to remain calm and cool about everything and when there is a problem adress it in a professional and effective way..... Way too many times have I seen mod team members put the blame on eachother for screwing something up rather than working on the issue together to fix it.

To summarize, I agree with pretty much everything that was said in the article(s) and while I haven't yet had the chance to experience ALL OF IT first hand, I understand how certain things could happen...

[Section_Ei8ht]

thats why I dont really want to work for a game dev. Would turn a hobby into work, and that be no fun.

Happened with web design. Granted I have loads of fun doing it for work and consider my job to be the coolest job ever, but I never do it just for fun anymore. Ask anyone on bms, they have to twist my arm to get me to do something for their site.

[von*ferret]

one of the reaons I really enjoyed working on Nightwatch. THe team worked well together. Adam and I worked together extensively and I helped my other team mates. It was a wonderful expereince. Andrew had everything well documented and was almost always around to give any help that we needed. If we were a small studio in the same locale that would've only been better.

[Crackerjack]

Much agreed Ferret. Though only on there for a short amount of time, it was very fun and very interesting. To bad it had to end like it did

[insta]

thats why I dont really want to work for a game dev. Would turn a hobby into work, and that be no fun.

Strange, that's why I want to work in the game industry. I love mapping, so mapping and getting paid for it would make it even better. Of course, right now I only map for the games that I like. Lets say I get hired and has to work on designing maps for Britneys Dance Beat or Barbie Fashion Designer. I could see myself regretting my choice in that case.

[ginsengavenger]

Some excellent advice in there. Heed his warnings but keep perspective - sometimes it will be hard but you're still in game art for a living. You could be working at a wastewater treatment plant or at your uncle's dry cleaners. Things could be worse.

[kleinluka]

you could be a 35-year old living in his mom's basement without a job, hitting on a 19-year old girl that ends up rejecting you... (true story)

[Section_Ei8ht]

you could be a 35-year old living in his mom's basement without a job, hitting on a 19-year old girl that ends up rejecting you... (true story)

shit...