Age of an artist
polycounter lvl 12
Hello folks, me again with another question thats been troubling me for couple of weeks now as i ll be reaching almost 30 
this month.
Sorry if its been asked before.
Ok well how old is too old as an artist / designer?
Its not specific to those in gaming industry but as overall such as Draftsmen, (autocad, solidworks etc) , 2D / 3D Artist (webdesigners, visualisers etc)
this month.Sorry if its been asked before.
Ok well how old is too old as an artist / designer?
Its not specific to those in gaming industry but as overall such as Draftsmen, (autocad, solidworks etc) , 2D / 3D Artist (webdesigners, visualisers etc)
Replies
From what I gather a majority of artists in the game industry gain positions in their mid 20's. That said from a company standpoint I'm sure they'd rather hire someone who is younger so they can grow into a role rather then picking up someone who will have to retire in a couple of years :P.
I'd say maybe reconsider if you're in your late 50's early 60's but that's just a random guess
but I dont think i ll be getting in gaming industry given my current geographic location, I may make my own games though, but thats different
Also there are 2 ages one physical age and one mental. Hence the term "Man Child"
I'm personally not worried, before I started studying games art I was a retail manager for a well known PC company so if all else fails I could always fall back into some sort of management role.
It depends how passionate and serious you are, I'll be taking a huge pay cut compared to the job I had and can get doing management but I'm determined to make it work as it's something I really enjoy. Just make sure you're better then the majority of other artists out there and maybe be a bit more flexible when it comes to location.
At the end of the day your art will do the talking, I'm sure any smart recruiter will put that as a priority over how old you are.
I got my first gig in games at 35 yrs old,
I've been one of the younger people at the places I've worked. I'm 26.
As long as you have the skills and you aren't an asshole, people really aren't going to care how old you are.
some companies are a bit age prejudice, but most don't seem to be.
At 18, a person can be all over the place with discipline problems and what not. But there are cases where at 18, the person is completely focused.
At the same pace, you can be 50 and all over the place...
If companies judge by age, they are doing it wrong. There are way more factors in play, talent being one.
As another poster said, the older you grow, the more life experience you bring to the table.
Anyhow, I suggest you go for it with all your energy. Van Gogh's first "important" piece came when he was 32, after years and years of suffering in pursuit of his passion.
*Book was..What the Dog Saw, Malcolm Gladwell
Syd Mead is 79 years old and still one of the top in the industry.
Many other examples available: Oscar Niemeyer (died last year, 104 years old and many awards when he was "old"), Frank Gehry still productive (84)..and the list goes on.
Anyhow... age is pretty much irrelevant as its being stated.
Interesting point, I've been told by most of my co-workers that I have more energy and enthusiasm than most of them. I'm also the calmest one in stressfull situations.
You're never too old!
This. It's your skill that matters
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