Teesside University, Masters in Game Art

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

Hi Polycounters, Good evening,
i am gathering all the information that i could from as many sources about Teesside University,UK. I am planning to do my Higher studies in Game art from this university. It is the only university in UK that i could fine which gives me a specific course in game art specialized into characters, environment, vehicles etc, at Post Graduation level.

I like the university and the courses. I would like to take advice, opinion, feedback from fellow artist about the university and its presence in the gaming industry.

Thanks

Andreas · Apr 2010

If I was to do a masters in that field, I would go to Teeside or Abertay Dundee... so yeah; its a good choice.

Del · Apr 2010

~ I know quite a few people who either go to that course or have graduated from there, and I'd place it quite highly.

[Bias Comment] I would place my university course much higher; Game Art at De Montfort University.

I still study there and am about to graduate. It's the only university game art course in the country that's Skillset accredited. Although, the fact that they don't have a game art Masters might make it pretty much irrelavnt to your interests [/Bias Comment]

But yeah, Teeside make some great artists. Some of whom I know have pretty decent jobs in the industry now.

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

thank you blenderhead, i will be having a look at Abertay Dundee university, as a backup option.

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

Thank you dreamer, the skillset site was really helpful, both Game Art at De Montfort University and Abertay Dundee have been credited for their game art course. will be researching more and looking forward to apply to these universities as well.
once again Thank You guys.
Take care

brandoom · Apr 2010

Please, please please do some homework and talk to the teachers at the school. ask about the success rate and how many graduates have jobs. Ask how much experience the teachers have in the industry. It'll take you 15mins tops and you'll get a good idea about the program.

Farfarer · Apr 2010

Dreamer wrote: »

But yeah, Teeside make some great artists. Some of whom I know have pretty decent jobs in the industry now.

Of all the folk in my year who ended up with jobs (especially the good ones)... none of it was due to the university.

Looking at your work, you're already more advanced than they'd teach you to be.

Flava-Fly · Apr 2010

I totally agree with Talon, the same goes for Abertay. It will all come down to the effort you put into your portfolio outside of class. University is a great opportunity to focus your time on game art and learn some academic communication skills. Having a good depth of art knowledge is crucial but everything I learned about being an artist for industry I learned from places like Polycount. Best of luck with your choices.

Andreas · Apr 2010

Talon wrote: »

Of all the folk in my year who ended up with jobs (especially the good ones)... none of it was due to the university.

I wish that whenever you had the urge to comment on Teeside (which, considering the frequency of it both on here and game-artist.net, is bordering on defamation at this point, IMO) you would post a nice piece of art instead, because we don't see enough of your awesome stuff

Did you really expect to be babysat through college?

ivars · Apr 2010

Talon wrote: »

Of all the folk in my year who ended up with jobs (especially the good ones)... none of it was due to the university.

Even the best schools can't teach you nothing. But they can offer time, resources and opportunities for you to learn.
At least that's how I see it. Learning requires an effort from you

(PS. I know nothing about Teesside)

Neyull · Apr 2010

Yeah I agree with Talon... I studied the games design course at Teesside a few years back, before it was broken up into design and art. I felt the course was good in some areas. (When the teacher turned up for the lectures.) At the end of the day its down to your self to learn. Having the degree is worth while if your thinking about working overseas as well as it helps a lot with a work permit.

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

Hi guys, firstly sorry for my late reply, had some problem with the intenet, thank you all for your participation in my thread and for helping me out. All your advices and opinions were helpful and I got to know few important steps and sites that supported me to make my decision easy.

http://www.skillset.org/
Its a body focused on creative media industry of UK, to support its improvement and productive skills through funds, policies etc. It provides accreditation to courses and institutes.

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

[FONT=&quot]Had a question, while going through this sight I found [/FONT][FONT=&quot]University[/FONT][FONT=&quot] of [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Abertay Dundee[/FONT][FONT=&quot], MSc in computer game technology, how is the game Art course in abertay, basically the modeling and texturing for this particular course.[/FONT]

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

Hi brandoom, thank you for your advice, its a good suggestion to get in touch with the university in person and clarify doubts.

Talon, Flava-Fly, Blenderhead, ivars, neyull, I agree with all of you regarding universities\institutes not helping out much in terms technical training an that its only extra work done by you that helps you in the end.

I myself have faced this problem during my graduation. I started learning game art on my own with the help of online artists portfolios, online competitions and forums like polycount. I must say Polycount and other such forums are truly a blessing for aspiring artists. Nor did I get much help during my placements.

So am taking these facts into consideration friends, my major priority is to improve my art by devoting time into it, and further studies is a suitable option for me. A good University tag on my resume would also help me out a bit.

So basically in short, I wanna spend a year working on my portfolio from a good university, which would in turn land me job anywhere on the globe.
Am open to any University in UK, which is known for its game art department.

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

am also posting my updated portfolio, which i recently made at carbonmade.com

http://pixelcrumbs.carbonmade.com/

slipsius · Apr 2010

brandon, the number of graduates that have jobs really doesnt matter. you can be a great artist with a shitty attitude and you still wont get a job. the experience of the teachers is useful information though.

orpheus, if you go to school, just make sure you push yourself. dont JUST follow what they give you. go above and beyond. if you do that, it really doesnt matter what school you go to. just make sure you know what you SHOULD be being taught, and if the school doesnt teach you that, watch tutorials, or ask around for some help on the net. too many people blame their shitty schooling on their poor portfolios. school is just a means of keeping you motivated with deadlines and projects. its up to you to become the skilled artist you know you can be.

edit: from the looks of your portfolio, you probably wont learn too much more from a university. you might wanna pick up some good tutorials for a fraction of the cost to give you that extra oomph. but i guess it really comes down to your motivation. if you need school for that extra push to make sure you actually do the work

orpheus85 · Apr 2010

hey guys wat are the chances of getting an internship in studios while studying, during ur part time work hours. are game studios in uk entertaining interns. Coz an internship will surely help me get my feet wet in the industry. i haven't worked in the mainstream yet, presently am working for a small company, developing its game art portfolio so as to get work from the industry.

Yozora · Apr 2010

When I was at uni, out of my class of like 60 students I heard only 1 got a internship at a games related company in a "QA" position I think, and the tasks did not involve anything productive as far as I know (for example, coffee making).

I browsed pretty much every company as well and only found about 5 companies in the whole of uk that mentioned doing art internships on their website.
There are at least 100 game art related courses in the uk, and lets say each course has an average of 40 students.

Thats 4,000 students fighting for those 5 internship spots. But I guess you also gotta factor in that 90% of those students are wasting their time and dont stand a chance in the first place, so you're "only" fighting against 400 artists with potential for those 5 spots

samgriffiths · Apr 2010

Had a teeside interview few days back, the tutor said all the tutors for games have games industry experience except some of the illustration artists.
I looked aroudn they're facilities and the whole place is very well equiped, wacoms at most work stations, games rooms, gyms etc.

Teesside University, Masters in Game Art

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