This is the end! For now

That's it what can I say, the first year as a game design student has come to an end, and boy what a roller-coaster of a year it has been.

Where do i begin. Walking through the door into the labs and finding and unoccupied seat at the back of the room, awaiting the introductory lesson to begin; that was a nervous day from start to finish.

The first thing and probably the only thing that annoyed me a lot (emphasis on the word lot) was the labs were being moved and they weren't done on time, and it would be several weeks before we would have a lab. What I have got to say though is that the tutors improvised extremely well, giving us projects to test our creative skill and get a feel for what we are like.

Moving away from that, the year as a whole has been excellent, I have learnt some many techniques is art that I didn't realise, and just took them for granted, id say I have learnt a lot more in this year than in the last 3/4 years. One thing I wound really like to look at more is colour theory, and the effects of light on different surfaces and textures, to achieve maximum quality of work.

3D modelling, now that was tough, I just couldn't get to grips with it at first, if only my own 3D modelling program worked, still access to the labs till 9 at night came in very handy, the only thing i would like is to look into things with more detail, unfortunately I know that there is not enough time in the lectures to do that.

OK next, Critical Studies. Even though the classes were really quite most of the time, just listening to some of the things mike had to say were fascinating, and always gave you something new to think about, to be honest I think I blame him for the headaches I get, to much going on in there for me to be able to handle.

Overall I have gotta say that this has been one of the best years of my life, of course its had its down sides, but hay I'm still hear, and I intend to be hear next year.

For now Farewell

GDC 2009

Ok then the GDC is just around the corner, and I'm sitting here wishing I could go. Any way on to the point of this entry, I am going to have a look at one of the talks that are going on in this years conference, which I would really like to attend. This is: (as listed on the website http://www.gdconf.com/index.html)

Art Directing Horror and Immersion in DEAD SPACE

First of all horror games in general all follow the same principle, blood ridden walls , flesh twister monsters, you know what I'm one about. Anyway even though we see the same thing over and over again, it still seems to get reactions, but what I want to know is what this company did to invoke the emotions of the players through the visual quality,

Surely you would think that they took a similar approach that Doom 3 had, yet again is that such a bad thing, it was a huge hit, one the scariest games I have played to date, call me what you want but its true, unfortunately the film was no where near as good. Back to the point, Dead Space might just be a copy of Doom 3 if they go for the same visuals, but it will get the reactions that they will want from the players.

Being as art is my main focus in game design I would like to know exactly what it is that they think, is best to get the reactions out of the players, and how they go about producing this work.

Where am i going?

To be honest when I decided that I wanted to be a games designer, there was only one company that I wanted to work for, and that was Blizzard Entertainment, yes yes I know I'm going on about Blizzard again, but its true, they were my inspiration to become a games designer
Studying the work of the blizzard artists was inspirational to the point that I started to take art seriously.

After Starting this course and seeing the quality of the work required, I began to question whether or not I am cut out for this, especially when we started the 3D modelling work, I thought I would never get my head round it.

Anyway enough ranting back to the point, when I begin this course I wanted to be a concept artist for Blizzard Entertainment, but now I am unsure of exactly what branch I want to go into, don't get me wrong I still want to be a games designer I just don't know where about in the industry I want to go, what I do know is that I have gotta pull my finger out and get to work.

Creativty, its still there, I Think

Ok so you may have read my previous blog about creativity, well now that several months have passed and its time to have another look.

To be honest creatvity hasnt changed much over the last 3 months, but what has changed is my views on creativity, after watching speach by a fellow called Ken Robinson, it makes you begin to wonder about how creativity is brought out within a person. Ken Robinson said that everybody is born with creativity, just think about some of the things you used to do as a child, the drawings, the imagination of games made up when with friends, or was that just me? Anyway in Ken Robertsons speach he said that the one major factor that supresses this creativity, is education, the format of the educational system makes you look at many things that are important to know, such as Literacy and Numeracy. But almost all the other subjects that you study will have such small focus on creativity, you are told, read this write that and answer these questions over and over again, where is there time in all of that for creativity? The answer is there isnt. The education system doesnt consider creativity when writing the curriculum.

Creativity is shown in many different ways, such a dance and drama, its not just art. People who are good at these things dont have to chance to express them and see where they could go with it, the reason for this is that education works on a ‘Right/Wrong’ system, its either right or wrong, but with creative subjects you can mark it on a right/wrong basis because every person will interperet things differently, that includes how the sudent will look at something compaired to the tutor, of course the education authority will try and look at it that way, for ease.

This wll put students in a mind set of if its not exactly what i am showed then it is wrong. Question to you see something wrong with that? They cant express themselves creatively for fear of getting the work wrong.

So to some it up, creativity is always there but through education it get supressed, sometimes to a state of complete absence.

Warning: Authorized Personnel Only

It a question that faces you from the moment you realise what it is you want to do in life, or even as soon as you realsie you need to get a job, How do we get into industry?

Well here is the problem put bluntly, a lot of employers want artists with good skills, a liberal background shall we say, people who will know the skills they need for industry life. Now on the other end of the scale there are employers who look for people who have the exprience of workin in the industry, people how will know what there doing and will be more useful to them. This is the more common case. So how do we get into the industry when employers want experienced artists.

The only place we can turn to is the education system, already couped up in study, you know that if you turn back your chances of gettin into the industry are slim to none, but getting the education to change its ways is almost as hard a task. But what is it we need to change so that it makes us more employable?

Not only in gradute courses but college and even final years of schooling, would be to create a more industral feel to the stucture of the work set, working from live breifs, constant connections with industry, review of your work by members of the industry, this is just the start, but trying to get experience of actually working in industry is another matter, job placements at industrys are hard to come across, and with so many people trying to get into them you have to be at the top of your game, of corse this can act as a catalist and encourage you to work better, and other time is can be depressing, making you think “what is the point?”

I think all that we can do as students, is make sure that we are at the top of our game, so that when the chance to get into industry arrives, you can grasp it with both hands.