moving on
polycount lvl 666
well I have finally realised that my time in games is over. I have been gradually been moving away from games anyway over the last few years, but have been really enjoying my time in vfx and nearly all my contracts are to do with advertising - worked for prada in my last job, which was cool.
It's amazing how fast you have to work though, the jobs are 'very' fast turn around and you have to adapt your methods to cope.
you get pigeon holed quite quickly and I am just considered a modeller now, my texture work tends to get ignored.
I do still love game art though and I might decide to go the indy route as a side project if I raise enough finance.
Anyway I enjoyed the journey re games and it's a shame that I never quite got the break I needed. I think my personality was never quite right for the games industry TBH.
been freelancing 5 years now and at times i have almost considered giving up, but things are going well right now
It's amazing how fast you have to work though, the jobs are 'very' fast turn around and you have to adapt your methods to cope.
you get pigeon holed quite quickly and I am just considered a modeller now, my texture work tends to get ignored.
I do still love game art though and I might decide to go the indy route as a side project if I raise enough finance.
Anyway I enjoyed the journey re games and it's a shame that I never quite got the break I needed. I think my personality was never quite right for the games industry TBH.
been freelancing 5 years now and at times i have almost considered giving up, but things are going well right now
Replies
Mangled Poly - yeah i will just carry on working in vfx for now, might get involved in other business directions, which is not graphics related, but i will keep quiet about for now
perna, I was never quite up to the standard of say a hazardous or an MM, so you take what you can get and VFX work is more like concepting. sometimes ie the finished standard is generally not so finished as games and generally you just have to do one thing like modelling, then someone else will improve it, add texture/materials/rendering.
games never allowed me to thrive,just became a workhorse on shitty sports games. really not much fun and not what I got in to games for
vfx allows me to be a bit more laid back on the whole. I found in games there is a big fear from some people ie don't speak too loud in case someone picks up on what you are saying/criticising/politics etc
vfx can be stressful, but working in shoreditch/working from home just suits me fine
(I have a 3 year old daughter now)
Also being 45 years old, means that not many games companies would even hire me now
so yeah cheers guys I will still post my dabblings here and there in the future, but probably you won't see me on the tech section asking silly questions from now on
Some people on here claim there is no ageism in games, then you have posts like the above. Anyhow, do you look 45? And if not do they (interviewers) somehow find out you have a child?
Do whats best for you. You're still creating, which is the #1 thing.
Out of curiosity, what does having a child have to do with interviewing?
Thanks for being so open with the answers! It seems like several people have been thinking the same thought as you recently, fed up with the volatile nature of our industry. Most normally switch to the indie scene as it solves many of the issue they have with the corporation game development lifestyle, but it also has some major negatives. The main one being a solid income.
So was curious what people are thinking as a viable alternative. I realize there are options, but the seem to be limited int he grand scheme of things.
Called away from work?
Actually using vacation and sick time?
Putting one more warm body on the company insurance plan?
Wanting to go home after 12-14hrs?
They hate kids because it reminds them of responsibility?
It's hard to make horrifically violent games while looking at pictures of peoples kids?
I don't have a kid, but you know that companies who fear all that aren't going to be good for you, no matter how old you are *crunch* *crunch*
Sucks big time but I know how tough it is at the moment, I often wonder what I will do when my time in games runs out, but then I stop and think of something else before the worry sets in haha. ........Probably become a teacher like everybody else haha
Look forward to seeing some personal art from you
personal future plans? I'm already Carrousel +6 and still running
Your UT2K3/4 head textures and watercolors were a great inspiration back then, and still are. Can't wait to see your new stuff !!
Glad to hear you'l still be sticking around pc tho
I think the standard of art on polycount has never been higher really and I tend to just lurk these days, whereas back in the days pior was talking about, I was just learning to texture and was really inspired. I would post a lot of stuff and just looking at the stuff bobo, pior, Daz, mr rockstar etc were doing really helped me along the way.
Now I have other commitments, mainly family and some other business stuff that's going on with me right now, so it's hard to find the time to do any personal work.
seth - re logans run I am the old geezer with the beard and the cats
Yep, I agree, COMPLETELY. I have a kid and it's one of the things I ferret out in interviews, even before I had a kid because it is a good indicator. My CD has 5 kids, my AD and PM have kids and they are some of the most productive and dedicated people I know, they have also been with the studio the longest. I also crunch maybe 1 week per year so it's a well run ship and been going strong for 15+ years.
If I couldn't find something similar I would probably go do something else and turn this into a hobby again. I really love this and the last thing I want to do is work sone place that makes me hate it. That's why I think Ruz's move is a good one.
You Bruce Willis is still one of my faves.
I agree with the kids thing. Now that I have a 1 year old boy I'm really struggling for any time for personal work.
It gets better, I have a 6yr old, they become more independent.
Homework time is personal project time. Early mornings and late at night are good times to get personal stuff done too.
It is hard and you do have to scale back, you can't just check out for a weekend and move mountains you have to do move a truck load at a time. But you can't let it become an excuse either. You're not there yet, but it will get better.
You can look forward to picking a fight with your teenager just so they'll slam a door in your face and leave you alone
I like the new teaching role, but it frankly pays squat, even if I was to go for MFA or PhD 'terminal degree'. I'm still doing freelance to round it out, but teaching certainly is rewarding in its own way.
Wishing you all the best in vfx and etc.!