To industry vets only:)...Please
polycounter lvl 7
I know it takes time to read the following , so in advance I thank you profoundly for your time 
Hi All,
So this post may be the kiss of death for me airing my frustration and despair but I have to make sure that I'm making educated decisions and not letting my emotions dictate my behavior. I.E ,I am not in the industry so I might not be seeing things clearly
I am seriously considering abandoning my quest to become an environment artist in the industry. I am older than 35, younger than 50 , married, have a family,and like anyone need stability financially and in terms of lifestyle . I went to one of the best schools around for VFX (not games) , have admirable skills according to my instructors,and classmates but I know that I am not "mind blowing" by any means.
Employment seems fairly bleak right now even in Los Angeles, there are jobs but there are also tons of competent competition for those jobs. I know that I'm not prepared to move from state to state every few years for the sake of work. Nor am I willing to stomach months of unemployment so it seems that despite my abilities( or lack of) I don't posses the intangibles that are necessary to work consistently.
With all that said. I am a team player.Fully responsible, timely and I take orders well( I proved that in the Military already). I get the job done and I don't whine. I am friendly and an all around stand up guy so despite my airing my frustration right now
people don't mind being around me.
So, If any industry vets would add some perspective to the above it would be greatly appreciated. I may just be getting in my own way out of fear of the unknown or I may be thinking sensibly. Either way I don't feel I have the necessary data to make that determination right now
Thanks P.Pappy
Hi All,
So this post may be the kiss of death for me airing my frustration and despair but I have to make sure that I'm making educated decisions and not letting my emotions dictate my behavior. I.E ,I am not in the industry so I might not be seeing things clearly
I am seriously considering abandoning my quest to become an environment artist in the industry. I am older than 35, younger than 50 , married, have a family,and like anyone need stability financially and in terms of lifestyle . I went to one of the best schools around for VFX (not games) , have admirable skills according to my instructors,and classmates but I know that I am not "mind blowing" by any means.
Employment seems fairly bleak right now even in Los Angeles, there are jobs but there are also tons of competent competition for those jobs. I know that I'm not prepared to move from state to state every few years for the sake of work. Nor am I willing to stomach months of unemployment so it seems that despite my abilities( or lack of) I don't posses the intangibles that are necessary to work consistently.
With all that said. I am a team player.Fully responsible, timely and I take orders well( I proved that in the Military already). I get the job done and I don't whine. I am friendly and an all around stand up guy so despite my airing my frustration right now
people don't mind being around me.
So, If any industry vets would add some perspective to the above it would be greatly appreciated. I may just be getting in my own way out of fear of the unknown or I may be thinking sensibly. Either way I don't feel I have the necessary data to make that determination right now
Thanks P.Pappy
Replies
Hang in there man!
-Focus on parallel industries that uses same tech: military, toy prototypes (Hasbro has hired remote for example)
-focus on indie gamedev; low pay but good for network building purposes, building folio content
Just some ideas.
Me: 7yr studio experience, 3 yrs. remote contractor for military related stuff (boring cuz I was assigned boring apc parts to model); currently just focussing on 2D freelance jobs cuz I found it inefficient having 3d and 2d clients at the same time.
If there is competition for the job you want, then you need to get better than the competition. Being a team player is great and it is a requirement but it is not what gets your foot in the door, it is what helps you keep the job you have when combined with skill.
My advice is to create and show off completed work. If you're looking at staying in one location your options are obviously local studios or working freelance.
There are certainly people who have been working at the same employer for many years in the industry, but they are mainly at top studios or they got lucky with who they ended up working for.
They're lucky if they get Art Director title, compensating so-so art skills with effective ass kissing skills.
By his own admission, the methods and accuracy of this data is a little sketchy, but Twisted Pixel's Dan Teasdale recently looked into layoffs in the game industry, and I was personally quite surprised by the results, as they certainly don't jibe with the prevailing attitude that the sky is falling.
As others have said, you need to post your portfolio and get ready for some honest criticism. Also, you're in a decent area for game development, as it's not like your stuck in the middle of Idaho or somewhere.
Although I'm a little younger than you, I'm in a similar boat - I'm getting married later this year, and my fiancee has expressed doubts about moving every year. However, look at how much unemployment and relocation there is in other industries, not just games - it's everywhere. Games, 3D and the entertainment industries get a tough rap, and perhaps rightfully so at times, but don't be fooled - virtually any industry is filled with people faced with either fears of job insecurity or the prospect of having to relocate to find work.
Don't be discouraged - never stop working on improving your skills, and worry about actual problems, like whether to accept a job in another part of the country, instead of worrying about what the career path might be like.
"need stability financially and in terms of lifestyle" and "I know that I'm not prepared to move from state to state every few years for the sake of work. Nor am I willing to stomach months of unemployment"
And I immediately think that, unfortunately, games may not be the best thing for you at this point in life. It's generally shitty and unstable all over the place. Trying to keep practicing and supplementing your income with contract environment work could be one option, but that'd be in addition to a fulltime job and your family which could lead to its own issues.
As for layoffs and layoff numbers and the article that was cited, I also track this data very closely. As of 6/4/2013 (the last time I added up the numbers on my spreadsheet) this was the state of the industry:
Been doing some number crunching on LinkedIn and FB, so I'll post here:
Game dev stats: 137 announced layoffs since 2012. Only 85 gave numbers. Global total: 5,294 laid off. That's 300 devs a month for 18 months.
Since 1/1/2012:
Austin - 867 (plus as many as ~500 from Blizzard)
Baltimore - 120
Berlin - 20
Boston - 10
Brisbane - 37
Buenos Aires - 100
Dallas - 170
Derby - 192
Ireland - 116
Sweden - 25
Houston - 25
Hyderabad - 50
Irvine - 100
Las Vegas - 55
Lewisville - 8 (Terminal Reality)
London - 2
Los Angeles - 154
Melbourne - 18
Minneapolis - 30
Belarus - 60
Montreal - 280
New York City - 170
Nottingham - 25
Phoenix - 57
Providence - 180
San Diego - 200
San Francisco - 380
Santa Monica - 110
Seattle - 205
Vancouver - 168
That only accounts for ~4450 of the 5,294 because I lack location data on some of these studios. Also bear in mind this is only *announced* layoffs, and there are still 858 layoffs whose locations I can't accurately place.
You got to do what you got to do, I didn't want to move my wife every year or two to follow the jobs in games. I was in the similar boat, my wife has a great job and I didn't want to leave town when the jobs went south. I have a BFA in Computer Animation and I went back to working tech support. I still dabble in the arts, and stuff as a hobby but no longer for work.. but.. I have had to pick up some Objective-C for my current job so I am using my artistic skills creating apps in my current job. Although I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off of and I wish I could work for a larger company or developer doing this so I could learn a little quicker than on my own.
You got to do what you got to do. I don't regret leaving the industry as I wasn't in it very long, 2 years and I'm out.
ymmv.
Rhode Island - 307
That Boston number seems way too low for but 38 Studios was hiring a lot of people before they moved shop to Rhode Island.
Stomp alone would be 40+ in the Boston area
People get caught up with finding that perfect position when you should really be looking at the projects that will represent you as an artist. Study the companies that best represent the style of game art you are doing. If you are not doing something that is relevant to those companies your applying to it is hard to get them to pay attention. If I was to apply to Blizzard (which I will most likely never apply due to it not being my style) I would dedicate my portfolio on studies based on their game. I would also be active in the mod community.
One thing I ask people coming out SVA the school I went to is if they study up peoples career paths and how those people got to be directors, leads, or Artists at specific companies, the question always results in no. That is shocking, how would I or anyone expect to get in the industry if I do not even have a passing knowledge of how people arrived to those positions. Knowing other peoples path can lead you to getting your own path. It is the same concept as to how Obama became President. Obama had a full and rich career history starting from lower end jobs that later reached to something. But I have no doubt that if you were to ask Obama or anyone who has reached a high position each position chosen was chosen to increase their ability in a key area. My point is it requires studying the industry from the artistic techniques to also your potential employers. Doing this I have found myself in the hands of people who are at least competent enough that I will not get laid off. I tell people I have yet to be laid off. People say it will come I sure it will life is random. I think you can curve the randomness with a well-studied plan.
This is a profession this is not a pass time or a hobby for me. Maybe I am an extreme example, but I spend time out of work studying up my art craft. I see this job as complex as an architect or a scientist even. I do not think this profession is for everyone. Most people think of a Game Career as a cool thing. It is cool but it requires a professional attitude to be successful long term just like any job in the world. It means dedication to your job or honing your craft. I think everyone in the world can enter a Game Career but not everyone has the drive to achieve it and fail being disheartened. This career choice is getting far more complex as times goes on.
List of traits that make a successful person in any industry.
-Drive
-Ingenuity
-Knowledge beyond your job description
-Completion of projects
-Inter Human relationships
-Passion for what you do
I did not even mention artistic talent... Why? If an artist that is able to complete a project, but is not amazing or topnotch I would hire that person vs a person that makes something awesome but never finishes it. I have seen some amazing top notch artists that never seem to finish work. This is one of the highest bullet points when people look at portfolios, does the work look finished and polished to the fullest degree. It could be a bit boring, but if it is well polished and complete the chances of it being dull are very low. I would even argue to say that being great at your craft is not really what matters, but being a person that can complete a thought to the fullest is better than a person that starts strong and stops.
edit///
Also industry being bleak... not sure about that... that is a very narrow view. The industry is not great, but it is far better than VFX for example and even that is possible to find jobs. It is only as bleak as you make it. I am 100% sure if you dedicated some time on the side and finish three projects back to back of solid well crafted polished environments in 3 months 1 per month you will have people mailing you. If it only takes 3 months to make a difference in your life why not take it...
A lot of the numbers are low, or just missing. I wouldn't be surprised if this was less than half of the picture
Best of luck mate,
Payton
If you create original content and sell it online (I use the Unity Assset store) then you will:
- always be working
- have a source of income
- never have to move or uproot your family
- own all of your work
- have a body of work to show in your portfolio
- demonstrate that you are independent and self-motivated
The alternatives are to wait for a job (which isn't working for you) or quit.
Working on your portfolio is great. But, why not get paid for working on your portfolio? I'm sure your family will appreciate the extra income.
Nothing is more obnoxious than seeking advice and not saying thank you. I have to make time to sit down with each post and pm you guys individually. I was going through the scariest burnout I've ever gone through in my art career. So thank you all for your time and input. I appreciate it more than I can express. I'm not giving up or in