Help me to get over the dilemma of my life
polycounter lvl 2
Hey guys,
I need your experience and insight to help me with my big dilemma. I don't want to bore you with all the details but let me give you some info about me to see the whole picture before presenting my question.
I am 37 years old, never had any formal art education, I have been studying and practicing 3D on my own for several hours almost every day in the last 5 years. I have participated in a few modding projects and still contributing to a few, released two games on Android with a friend (no success there!) and worked on my first paid freelance job for a few months last year.
You can check out some of my work here if you are interested:
vgreksa.cgsociety.org
And finally my dilemma: should I pursue a career in the game industry at my age with my current skill level or should stop daydreaming and deluding myself? If you think its still feasible for me to fight on, what do you think should be my next step? Keep trying as a freelance artist? Would any studio take me on?
Many thanks in advance for your time and answers!
I need your experience and insight to help me with my big dilemma. I don't want to bore you with all the details but let me give you some info about me to see the whole picture before presenting my question.
I am 37 years old, never had any formal art education, I have been studying and practicing 3D on my own for several hours almost every day in the last 5 years. I have participated in a few modding projects and still contributing to a few, released two games on Android with a friend (no success there!) and worked on my first paid freelance job for a few months last year.
You can check out some of my work here if you are interested:
vgreksa.cgsociety.org
And finally my dilemma: should I pursue a career in the game industry at my age with my current skill level or should stop daydreaming and deluding myself? If you think its still feasible for me to fight on, what do you think should be my next step? Keep trying as a freelance artist? Would any studio take me on?
Many thanks in advance for your time and answers!
Replies
Should you keep trying?
Do you want to keep trying? If the answer to that is yes, then go for it.
Age doesn't matter as much, what does it being realistic about your expectations. Switching careers often results in a hit to your wage as starting wages for most jobs are, let's be honest, bare bones. I do not know what your financial obligations are, but it is worth considering.
The biggest piece of feedback I have is look at your presentation. A majority of your work is screenshots from inside your modeling tool. Take the time to render these out properly. You need to make your work shine.
Good luck, whatever you choose to do.
Either way if it's what you really want to do and you have the means to support yourself whilst you pursue that dream then go for it.
Thanks for your honest reply - this is exactly what I had hoped for!
My biggest concern was age really above anything else - especially when I take into account that I still have a lot of practicing to do.
Yes, my portfolio is bit of a mess really, I need to start cleaning it up. Can you recommend any learning resources which help me to get better with presenting stuff?
Do you think its realistic for someone to start freelancing without getting studio experience first?
Again, thanks for your reply!
Thanks for your reply! I totally feel you! :-)
All I can tell you is that when you reach 38 you will wish you had started when you were "only" 28. :-D
I wish you best of luck with fulfilling your dreams!
For sure your age doesn't make it impossible, so I'd push into the dream if you have the will.
This is a panel from last years GDC that I feel hits most of the major beats.
https://www.artstation.com/artist/damocles is a good example of a portfolio that isn't super fancy but ever image showcases his work to it's fullest potential.
I'm not sure what tools you want to use to showcase your work.
Marmoset has this tutorial -
Google the program you want to use and "render setup" or something similar. Search for previous threads in Polycount covering the subject.
You have to give up drinking/going out/holidays etc and just knuckle down. This was the hardest part for me. I think you will need to decide if it's a hobby or not.
I still have a long way to go before I can drop a resume at Sony Santa monica
I love my new job and the people are really great. Being older and having a lot of real life experience gave me more confidence and a strong work ethic. I also found it easier to connect with the leads as they were closer to my age.
You need to be able to take criticism and orders from younger people and not be a douche about it. Some older folk have a big problem with this.
In regards to your portfolio, it seems all over the place. I'm not to sure what your trying to be. I'd probably keep envy up and hide the rest. You only want your best shown. I'd also suggest setting up an artstation.
Thank you all for your replies!
It gives me some comfort that I am not the only one in the same situation! :-) I guess quitting was never really an option here, was it?
I will clean up the portfolio for sure, it is really a mixed bag right now.
I wish you all best of luck with your future endeavors!
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Portfolio
http://wiki.polycount.com/wiki/Game_Industry