I "like" that everyone assumes we have some easy fuck around with games all day kind of job. I've often heard... "You're lucky you got yourself such a good job" or any variant there of.
Yeah I suppose all those late nights, lack of social life crunching at your portfolio 24/7-times (and to this day still obsess about your portfolio even though you have a job) didn't have anything to do with it.
My grandmother understands fairly well what I'm doing but that's because she's seen me work and not just the end result so she knows it can take a few months of hard work to get something good. She always chimes in with "Luck has nothing to do with it" every time some relative or whatever says the above line.
As people say, I think sparing people any technical terms is the way to go. Eventually though you will end up explaining two things to a non technical person:
1. Unwrapping a model
2. Normal maps
I'm convinced this is an inevitability. I've had a go at explaining both when my girlfriend has made the mistake of asking "what do you mean, 'texture'?" and "why do you keep talking about baking?" I think I got UV maps across. Normal maps, not so much, the act of baking, partially!
Partially due to the fact that I've never really been working back at home, My parents have only a vague idea of what I do.
Love the posts here some funny stuff.
I've said a couple of times (to make It easy on myself) I make the guy you play with when you play a video game.
I want to say: I make 3D objects for games b-tch, how you like me now!
(the guy, girl posts are the best, your a model! lol-you should have stuck with that if they were hot.)
You got to dumb It down for them but if they are really interested you get all into It and say well It works like this...see there's this triangle...
In the end people don't really care, unless they want to start a life with you or become your new bff.
When people ask me what I do in my free-time I usually say 'Wikipedia and some web articles, occasionally screw around in Photoshop or some other software.' I've only taken time to explain it to a few select people.
Like $!nz said; people don't actually care, so that's good enough.
If I dislike the questioner, I'll beat him to death with techno jargon, and then leave him in his confusion.
I tell them I'm a sculptor and that I do this on the computer to build the worlds in video games. That way they get the principle of modeling in 3d, the rest is just black magic where they assume 'oh he gets the computer to do it for him' I expect but I refuse to dumb it down anymore than that.
Its just never going to be something you can explain to the uninitiated so why bother, much like any creative job.
...the rest is just black magic where they assume 'oh he gets the computer to do it for him'.
That's another reason to be vague. Unless I pull out my laptop and start modelling something from scratch in front of them, they assume I just press a make model button.
Man, you all wield a lot less social prowess than I thought. Trying to get someone to understand unwrapping is probably a little bit of a stretch, but normal mapping? : D
Generally I wouldn't. But for my girlfriend or maybe close friends, if they want to know what I'm working on beyond 'I'm [technical gibberish]ing!' I'll have a go.
hahah... man dont take it bad is just a personal opinion, I just got tired of the "artist" word thats all... heard it too often in the cg industry for whatever position you are doing...and it sort of lost its value for me... ironic thing is the the people I consider "real" artists as a whole, I never heard them saying hey you know I am a xyz artist man... more yeah I am painter, I play the flute, I am a singer...whatever...
Now I understand also that in this industry you should label yourself as
"xyz artist" in order to search for a job and fit a certain position, that's it, that is how this industry is built (therefor the term on your contract). Thats ok for me, again I probably just heard that too often thats all..
I've met a few people who claim to be "real" artists as you call it. They don't fall into a specific category like painter etc because what they do is too random. Like pretending to be crazy, building a pile of junk or acting like a dog... Traditional artists are apparently pass
one of my little brothers friends randomly asked me what I do (In MY house mind you)
15yr old girl: what do you do?
Bonebrew: Im a video game artist, I work on characters
15yr old girl: Oh, but thats really nerdy isnt it?
Bonebrew: ....yeah, i guess....
one of my little brothers friends randomly asked me what I do (In MY house mind you)
15yr old girl: what do you do?
Bonebrew: Im a video game artist, I work on characters
15yr old girl: Oh, but thats really nerdy isnt it?
Bonebrew: ....yeah, i guess....
What a rascal.
Also your signature link to your portfolio doesn't work. It should just be dylan-brady.com without all of the polycount shit before it.
For some reason, people always tend to believe that I'm some sort of programmer... no offense to you programmers out there.
But my uncle, who had even seen my work before asked me recently how the programming was going. I figured he just got it wrong and once again explained that I don't do programming but create models/art etc.
For some reason, he apparently thought that I programmed models into existence. An assumption I'm not too offended by, a good change from the 'oh, you're a computer geek?'. But jizzy crizzy, why the programming assumptions? Never said I did!
As for normal maps, someone once mentioned a good comprehensible explanation for them. Basically, If you got em down roughly on what a triangle/polygon and a texture is, then telling them that a normal map is an image, where each pixel pretends to be a triangle/polygon, it usually comes through quite well.
I just say I make computer games. 3D artist is way too confusing for many people. I tell them I program some and do some art like creating the "people" in the game. Most people are satisfied with this. ...the answer is a bit of a stretch but at least I don't have to explain too much.
I "like" that everyone assumes we have some easy fuck around with games all day kind of job. I've often heard... "You're lucky you got yourself such a good job" or any variant there of.
actually I'd agree with them. I'm lucky I can do what I enjoy rather than dicking around with filling out forms in let's say excel, word or whatever and follow some weird "business" etiquette and weird office conventions and dress code in some "regular" office job. Even with all the stress I still feel that I'm part of creating a much more tangible product than many other people do in their daily office jobs. Now this might not be necessary true but at least this what I feel about my job.
It's a lot easier to answer now that I animate, like you said they have some kind of frame of reference even if it's way off the mark they don't stare at me blankly.
Outside of the industry:
What do you do?
I'm a lead character animator. So what does a lead character animator do?
I lead the character animation team, make schedules, assign, oversee and check everyone's work. Work out technical problems and do a mountain of dialog and cinematics myself. I bet that's fun?
It's pretty technical and repetitive at times [grit teeth] thanks to our engine[/grid teeth], I'm not sure I'd call it fun but it has high job satisfaction for me. But you play games all day right?
I help test sometimes... Oh hold that thought I've got to go get another one of these...
(if not holding a drink pick up some random item and wonder off looking for another one).
Inside: What do you do?
Lead character animator. Oh yea where?
Her Interactive, we do Nancy Drew Mystery adventure games.
<Snickers> or oh...
5th year of full time stable work. Where do you work? I'm taking some time off to work on personal projects, freelancing you know living the ronin lifestyle. Cool. Hey have you checked out bla bla bla I hear its pretty fun?
Yea its sweet! Tell me about it I haven't looked into it much, just heard good things.
If I have time and feel like actually trying to make the person understand what I do then I'll compare it all to building a marionette. One person has to design the marionette, another builds it, someone else runs all the wires or gears and controls, another paints it, and finally someone makes it move to seem alive. But all that in the computer.
Mine usually goes:
Q: What do you do?
A: I make videogames. I'm an artist, drawing and building things, sort of like making those plastic models as a kid, you know, but on the computer?
This usually works, atleast at dispelling assumptions that you aren't a programmer. It doesn't quite guarantee that you won't be asked to fix someone's computer though :P
This usually works, atleast at dispelling assumptions that you aren't a programmer. It doesn't quite guarantee that you won't be asked to fix someone's computer though :P
Just tell them it's programmers who're responsible for the mess of non working programs on their computer. Then ask them again if they want you to "fix" it.
Girl: SO you just go in and play video games all day?
Jacque: Yup that's what I do. I go in for 8 hours, play video games, and 18 months later the game is done. It's similar to how movies are made, where the directors actors, sound guys, and everyone at the movie studio, just goes to the set, watches movies all day, and 6 months later their movie is just done.
Girl: Shut up.
ahhaahaha I can't wait to use this, I've had people assume that many a time.
Q. What do you do?
A. I'm a video game developer.
Q. Did you make halo?
A. Sure.
...or, if you're my mom (which you probably are), I "draw the video games on the computer, so people can play them on the nintendo system."
Most of the people that are honestly curious as to what I do already know enough to decipher the specifics. The others? I'll go into detail, if I think they care.
ah, mum's are great, aren't they? Mine's being increasingly exposed to games by her young granddaughter, and has decided she doesn't like them.
Had a wonderful conversation at the weekend where she came out with :
"i'm glad you're not making those nasty games where you jump around landing on animal's heads" - referring to the ones years back like Alfred Chicken, as well as whatever she'd just been looking at on the DS, Mario i guess - "it's much better that you're making those nice ones where you drive a moped around palm trees in the sun" ... referring the the last one of ours I showed her, GTA vice city stories.
It's always nice when the owner of the company (or any one in sales for that matter) walks by and says "These guys are the programmers, they make the video games."
I kid you not, we had an HR person come by giving someone a tour and said "These guys are the programmers and graphic artists, I really have no idea what they do."
Trying to explain or find my job description for car insurance quotes and such.
Closest I could find was something like, Web Designer or Motion Graphics.
Also, When I was made redundant a while ago. The Job Centre just laughed at me when I said I wanted to look for Game Art jobs. They don't allow it. Closest I could chose then was Web Designer.
Ugh, it's so difficult, especially when the person you're talking to thinks they understand it, but are still sooo off. I usually just go with "Yes, you're right, drawing the light and shadows every frame does take a long time." or "It's like sculpting, but on the computer. I also colour it."
Also, When I was made redundant a while ago. The Job Centre just laughed at me when I said I wanted to look for Game Art jobs. They don't allow it. Closest I could chose then was Web Designer.
haha. i get this question all the time from people when i tell them im in college. they say "what are you studying?" natural response would be game art.. but typically i get the "WTF?!?!??! look.. even from some people WHO GO TO THE SAME SCHOOL!. if its a matter of just me not wanting to explain it, ill just say im in animation (regarding in school convos). otherwise i just say.. i make video games. and then they usually just say oh thats cool.. and thats it. most interesting response i heard was from my doctor, whos reply to what i do was "oh wow videogames...id imagine thats just as hard as being in the medical field."
You have to state 3 jobs you will mainly be looking for. And when you go to the job centre they do a job search in these categories and you have to apply to a set amount every 2 weeks. I chose;
Web Designer
Warehouse Staff
Delivery Driver
needless to say. I wasn't going to take any of the jobs they found for me.
So if you are a games artist (or any kind of artist for that matter) about to go on the dole. Don't expect too much help from them. They don't care where you are working next.
EDIT: oddly enough though. I found my current game art job at the job centre. Which is a very rare find. But I found it myself without there help. In fact I would have missed it completely if I wasn't looking at the man's computer scene while he did the search for the other job types above.
TBH it's a really underrated field by anybody who's not in the industry, especially in smaller countries like Finland where the industry is still taking baby steps.
I personally just freelance every now and then and mainly work as a postal worker, lol.
how's this Job Centre thing work? Do you have to look for work through them in order to qualify for unemployment checks?
Yep. Thats right.
The Job Centre is the Benefits agency here. I think the American version is the Employment office or dept. of labor?
I was on "Jobseekers allowance". So in order to receive it I had to be actively seeking work and I had to prove it as well. After a set amount of time you have to take whatever job they throw at you or go into a training program.
I would never go that far though. I'd just go freelance. I only really went on the dole (jobseekers) to keep my Taxes going.
How silly is that?
Working people pay taxes which contribute toward unemployed peoples benefits. But the benefits are also taxed as well.
Was this recently? Because last time I signed on they were pretty helpful. Well, when I say helpful, I mean they gave me 6 months to find a job in my field before I would have to start looking for work in other areas.
Was this recently? Because last time I signed on they were pretty helpful. Well, when I say helpful, I mean they gave me 6 months to find a job in my field before I would have to start looking for work in other areas.
It was about 1 year ago. Were you allowed to say you were seeking "art" jobs though. I wasn't. And I had to send off applications to places I was never going to work at and if any were successful I'd probably have to take it.
Luckily for me putting a BA Hons in "Art" on a CV/application is a job replant in regular industries and retail.
Stinger88 - been there! Will probably go there again once I graduate.
The first time I was on job seekers there was no burden on me to prove I was doing anything to look for work, but they seemed to pay attention to where I was applying and asked questions. The second time, in another city, I was told that things had become more strict and that I needed to keep a log of applications, applying for a certain number of jobcentre 'found' jobs a week - but In actuality they couldn't care less and didn't even ask what I was up to. Just stamped me through blindly.
I guess it depends how bothered the staff are at your local centre!
How does this work? At this rate I'm going to spend atleast the first year out of uni just being rejected from companies I apply to so Job seekers would be really useful whilst filling out portfolio but I thought you had to have worked so much to wualify for it?
For you UK'ers, there's a bunch of Game related job seeking agencies, have you tried those? Amiqus, Datascope, Aardvark Swift (coolest name evah!), etc... I occasionally get an interesting lead from them, too bad my portfolio is never good enough.
For you UK'ers, there's a bunch of Game related job seeking agencies, have you tried those? Amiqus, Datascope, Aardvark Swift (coolest name evah!), etc... I occasionally get an interesting lead from them, too bad my portfolio is never good enough.
Please say you're not gunning for Junior positions? If so I'm screwed lol
Nah, I've been a lead for a few years now, but a lead for a small 10 people company doesn't really scale equally if you want to work for AAA imho.
Although, I'd gladly give up the lead title for a character art position; but every character related lead I got with these job agencies were with companies that require realistic human models, which I do not have in my portfolio.
Oh well, massively working on it. I need a new jerb this year or I'll go insane.
Girl: "Oh so you draw up people and then they go into a game?"
Me: "No. That's a concept artist. A 3d character artist uses polygons
and other--"
Girl: "WHAT THE HELL IS A POLYGON?"
Me: "... I use digital 'cards' to make a person. Imagine someone making
a house of cards.
Now imagine a person making a sculpture of a person out of cards he
can stretch, but is allowed to use glue to stick em together. Then
after person is made I would have to paint it to look like a person"
Girl: "HO-LY SHIT. That sounds so impossible. You're amazing"
Me: "Yes. Yes I am"
Lol, that's awesome. I had a similar situation when I was still in school, only it had almost the exact opposite effect of yours.
Your Earth words cannot describe what I do (Although, I class myself as a graphic designer, as that's what most of my work is)!
In year 3 of my Game Design uni course, I caught my mum telling neighbours I was an animator.
Haha, had the same thing. My father was so proud.
My dad: I've finally got a decent explanation when people ask me what you study
Me: Yeah? What do you tell them?
Dad: That you animate in 3D for games.
Me: *face palm*
I say that i make/want to make video games, and that what i do is pretty much like a regular sculptor. Just that i then paint on it to.
My mother seams to get pretty much exactly what i do though. But, then she's an artist her self. It's just a matter of technique..
I had the hardest time figuring out what to tell people when they asked what i do, i always used to waffle on about sculpting and stuff like that, but i've changed my tact recently. Now when i get asked i try and dumb it down as much as possible, avoiding all technical talk.
It usually goes something like... "Imagine that you're playing a game and there are things on the screen, like guns, people, cars, buildings, a waterfall or whatever. All those things had to be made by someone, that's my job. I make the stuff that's in games". People generally seem to get this, haven't had any of the usual confused faces since using this kind of approach.
Same as Tda, except I just say "I make the stuff you see when you play a video game"
and if they ask something like
"how do you does that work"
then I roll my eyes and condescend as much as possible until they go away
Replies
Yeah I suppose all those late nights, lack of social life crunching at your portfolio 24/7-times (and to this day still obsess about your portfolio even though you have a job) didn't have anything to do with it.
My grandmother understands fairly well what I'm doing but that's because she's seen me work and not just the end result so she knows it can take a few months of hard work to get something good. She always chimes in with "Luck has nothing to do with it" every time some relative or whatever says the above line.
1. Unwrapping a model
2. Normal maps
I'm convinced this is an inevitability. I've had a go at explaining both when my girlfriend has made the mistake of asking "what do you mean, 'texture'?" and "why do you keep talking about baking?" I think I got UV maps across. Normal maps, not so much, the act of baking, partially!
Partially due to the fact that I've never really been working back at home, My parents have only a vague idea of what I do.
I've said a couple of times (to make It easy on myself) I make the guy you play with when you play a video game.
I want to say: I make 3D objects for games b-tch, how you like me now!
(the guy, girl posts are the best, your a model! lol-you should have stuck with that if they were hot.)
You got to dumb It down for them but if they are really interested you get all into It and say well It works like this...see there's this triangle...
In the end people don't really care, unless they want to start a life with you or become your new bff.
Like $!nz said; people don't actually care, so that's good enough.
If I dislike the questioner, I'll beat him to death with techno jargon, and then leave him in his confusion.
Its just never going to be something you can explain to the uninitiated so why bother, much like any creative job.
That's another reason to be vague. Unless I pull out my laptop and start modelling something from scratch in front of them, they assume I just press a make model button.
Generally I wouldn't. But for my girlfriend or maybe close friends, if they want to know what I'm working on beyond 'I'm [technical gibberish]ing!' I'll have a go.
15yr old girl: what do you do?
Bonebrew: Im a video game artist, I work on characters
15yr old girl: Oh, but thats really nerdy isnt it?
Bonebrew: ....yeah, i guess....
What a rascal.
Also your signature link to your portfolio doesn't work. It should just be dylan-brady.com without all of the polycount shit before it.
But my uncle, who had even seen my work before asked me recently how the programming was going. I figured he just got it wrong and once again explained that I don't do programming but create models/art etc.
For some reason, he apparently thought that I programmed models into existence. An assumption I'm not too offended by, a good change from the 'oh, you're a computer geek?'. But jizzy crizzy, why the programming assumptions? Never said I did!
As for normal maps, someone once mentioned a good comprehensible explanation for them. Basically, If you got em down roughly on what a triangle/polygon and a texture is, then telling them that a normal map is an image, where each pixel pretends to be a triangle/polygon, it usually comes through quite well.
That or they don't care *shrugs*
Blip
I've gotten this before. People don't realize that there's more than one job in the game industry.
"You should totally make an iphone game. You could make sooo much money!"
Yeah... I'll get right on that.
Also, people automatically assume I make t-shirts, websites, and flyers for free. Very annoying.
actually I'd agree with them. I'm lucky I can do what I enjoy rather than dicking around with filling out forms in let's say excel, word or whatever and follow some weird "business" etiquette and weird office conventions and dress code in some "regular" office job. Even with all the stress I still feel that I'm part of creating a much more tangible product than many other people do in their daily office jobs. Now this might not be necessary true but at least this what I feel about my job.
Mine usually goes:
Q: What do you do?
A: I make videogames. I'm an artist, drawing and building things, sort of like making those plastic models as a kid, you know, but on the computer?
This usually works, atleast at dispelling assumptions that you aren't a programmer. It doesn't quite guarantee that you won't be asked to fix someone's computer though :P
Just tell them it's programmers who're responsible for the mess of non working programs on their computer. Then ask them again if they want you to "fix" it.
ahhaahaha I can't wait to use this, I've had people assume that many a time.
A. I'm a video game developer.
Q. Did you make halo?
A. Sure.
...or, if you're my mom (which you probably are), I "draw the video games on the computer, so people can play them on the nintendo system."
Most of the people that are honestly curious as to what I do already know enough to decipher the specifics. The others? I'll go into detail, if I think they care.
Had a wonderful conversation at the weekend where she came out with :
"i'm glad you're not making those nasty games where you jump around landing on animal's heads" - referring to the ones years back like Alfred Chicken, as well as whatever she'd just been looking at on the DS, Mario i guess - "it's much better that you're making those nice ones where you drive a moped around palm trees in the sun" ... referring the the last one of ours I showed her, GTA vice city stories.
yes, mum
I kid you not, we had an HR person come by giving someone a tour and said "These guys are the programmers and graphic artists, I really have no idea what they do."
Trying to explain or find my job description for car insurance quotes and such.
Closest I could find was something like, Web Designer or Motion Graphics.
Also, When I was made redundant a while ago. The Job Centre just laughed at me when I said I wanted to look for Game Art jobs. They don't allow it. Closest I could chose then was Web Designer.
thanks man, I put the link into my homepage place like everybody else.
The hell? You serious man? That's ridiculous.
Lol. Yeah. Seriously.
You have to state 3 jobs you will mainly be looking for. And when you go to the job centre they do a job search in these categories and you have to apply to a set amount every 2 weeks. I chose;
Web Designer
Warehouse Staff
Delivery Driver
needless to say. I wasn't going to take any of the jobs they found for me.
So if you are a games artist (or any kind of artist for that matter) about to go on the dole. Don't expect too much help from them. They don't care where you are working next.
EDIT: oddly enough though. I found my current game art job at the job centre. Which is a very rare find. But I found it myself without there help. In fact I would have missed it completely if I wasn't looking at the man's computer scene while he did the search for the other job types above.
I personally just freelance every now and then and mainly work as a postal worker, lol.
Yep. Thats right.
The Job Centre is the Benefits agency here. I think the American version is the Employment office or dept. of labor?
I was on "Jobseekers allowance". So in order to receive it I had to be actively seeking work and I had to prove it as well. After a set amount of time you have to take whatever job they throw at you or go into a training program.
I would never go that far though. I'd just go freelance. I only really went on the dole (jobseekers) to keep my Taxes going.
How silly is that?
Working people pay taxes which contribute toward unemployed peoples benefits. But the benefits are also taxed as well.
taxed taxes....
It was about 1 year ago. Were you allowed to say you were seeking "art" jobs though. I wasn't. And I had to send off applications to places I was never going to work at and if any were successful I'd probably have to take it.
Luckily for me putting a BA Hons in "Art" on a CV/application is a job replant in regular industries and retail.
The first time I was on job seekers there was no burden on me to prove I was doing anything to look for work, but they seemed to pay attention to where I was applying and asked questions. The second time, in another city, I was told that things had become more strict and that I needed to keep a log of applications, applying for a certain number of jobcentre 'found' jobs a week - but In actuality they couldn't care less and didn't even ask what I was up to. Just stamped me through blindly.
I guess it depends how bothered the staff are at your local centre!
[/derail]
Please say you're not gunning for Junior positions? If so I'm screwed lol
Although, I'd gladly give up the lead title for a character art position; but every character related lead I got with these job agencies were with companies that require realistic human models, which I do not have in my portfolio.
Oh well, massively working on it. I need a new jerb this year or I'll go insane.
In year 3 of my Game Design uni course, I caught my mum telling neighbours I was an animator.
"oh, ok"
Dicking around. Nuff said!
Lol, that's awesome. I had a similar situation when I was still in school, only it had almost the exact opposite effect of yours.
Her: So what do you go to school for?
Me: I want to be a 3d Modeler.
Her: awe, that's so cute.
Me: ?_?
Her: I love runway shows.
Me: T_T
Haha, had the same thing. My father was so proud.
My dad: I've finally got a decent explanation when people ask me what you study
Me: Yeah? What do you tell them?
Dad: That you animate in 3D for games.
Me: *face palm*
I say that i make/want to make video games, and that what i do is pretty much like a regular sculptor. Just that i then paint on it to.
My mother seams to get pretty much exactly what i do though. But, then she's an artist her self. It's just a matter of technique..
It usually goes something like... "Imagine that you're playing a game and there are things on the screen, like guns, people, cars, buildings, a waterfall or whatever. All those things had to be made by someone, that's my job. I make the stuff that's in games". People generally seem to get this, haven't had any of the usual confused faces since using this kind of approach.
and if they ask something like
"how do you does that work"
then I roll my eyes and condescend as much as possible until they go away
When a "game engine" comes up in conversation, and you get asked what a game engine is, what do you say?