I have always worked in a studio. Though freelance sounds awesome, I just can't imagine being home alone and not around a team environment. I love being part of a team and specifically a great group of character guys. Fortunately, while the games I have worked on were not AAA blockbusters, I have had the pleasure of…
I personally got quite lucky! I was working at a studio at the time and I knew that, 3 weeks later I would be giving my two week notice to my company and moving to another city. I had to find myself some freelance work and I wasn't too sure how, especially didn't want my company to know at that point. I just got kinda…
@Justin Meisse I don't think working fulltime + freelance is for everyone. I mainly do it because I was just working on my own personal projects outside of work anyway, and the wife prefers I'm at least making money doing the same stuff. :) I also don't have kids so I think I have more free time than my co-workers. When I…
I'm freelancing because I like standing around in my underwear and drinking beer. That isn't to say I've never done that in a studio environment, but there are fewer complaints to HR in my current situation. I'll probably go back to working in a studio at some point. I like working from home, but I'd like to eventually get…
In terms of flexibility, I can say a lot of the time when I was a working at a studio was wasted on commuting each week without being on the clock. 1 to 1.5hrs of commuting a day can equal almost a full day of work each week. This extra time really pays off with freelancing. Benefitting both the project completion…
Ysalex, you are talented and you should charge a lot more. Also, insurance costs for me are actually pretty low. I have a middle tier policy and my wife and baby have very nice insurance. Our total monthly insurance cost it $600. As a freelancer you can chose to live anywhere without adjusting your rate. I charge a very…
I work at a studio and do freelance. I also teach technical art at SMU's Guilldhall. I don't really feel like a workaholic, but I guess I might be. My work is my hobby. Since I do freelance on the side, and not because I need the money, I typically require a higher rate to accept a job. I'll give a quote between $80-120 an…
Oh really? I try to have the exact same schedule that I would have in a studio. I start working around 9h and finish around 5 or 6 depending if I took break or time to eat etc. When my boyfriend gets back from work I am officially off duty too and I will not work/think of work at night or anything. I keep the work hour for…
studio. Managing all the financial and legal aspects and sometimes dealing with difficult clients were things I didn't enjoy too much. And yes, it can get lonely. You also need to have a strong intrinsic motivation to get going at some days. In the studio I have a team, where we can support each other, when we get stuck.…
For me I just recently left the comforts of UbiTO to work for myself, it was a very tough decision but my reasoning was personal as I wanted to be closer to my family and spend more time with them. Seeing my kids reach 8 and 4 and asking myself "When did that happen?" made me take pause. This is my first week going…