Episode 14: Online Communities
This episode we discuss some great online resources and how they can help you with your career in game development. Joining me this episode: Rob Galanakis, BioWare Senior Tech Artist & founder of tech-artists.org; Adam Bromell, Head Administrator at polycount.net, & Artist at Relic; As well as Dave Traeger, Senior Editor at moddb.com & desura.com
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 13: Which studios are right for you?
Which studios are right for you? This episode we focus on answering just that! Our special guests are Christian Sheppard - Animator from Junction Point / Disney Interactive, and Colin Greenhalgh - Environment Artist at Budcat Creations. We cover plenty of important topics including different types of work culture, making an educated assessment of a studio's work culture, relocating, cost of living, and more!
My toddler Mickey did his best to get his voice (more like screams) heard on this episode, so apologies for that. Luckily since Christian is working at Junction Point he knows how to handle Epic Mickey situations.
Ba-dum bum pish! I'll be here all night folks.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 12: Programming 101!
This episode we finally get to the long awaited programming 101 episode! Thanks for your patience on this one. As you may have guessed, programmers are some of the busiest folks in game development, so special thanks to Edgar Glowacki and Aaron Otstott (Principal Server Programmer and Principal Client Programmer at BioWare) for making this episode happen! They used up a good chunk of their lunch, then rushed off to meetings. Again, much appreciated guys. We get a ton of great information - everything from making sample games, to finding programming experience when you're green, so pay close attention!
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 11: The IGDA
Sorry for the delayed release on this one - but better late then never I guess. This episode I sit down and chat with Rodney Gibbs and Amy Goldenburg from the IGDA to talk about what the organization has to offer for those breaking in. We discuss a lot of interesting topics including best ways to network, how to start up your own IGDA group at school, and plenty more. If you have ever wondered what the IGDA is all about - this is a must listen.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
My “breaking in” story.
Shame on me. I recently had someone mention that I haven't ever shared my own breaking in story! I thought it would be a good idea to share that, which will be heard on the next episode. However, if you would like a more detailed explanation about how I broke in, or would like to read a bit more about environment art in general, head over to Take Initiative, where they recently put up an interview I participated in.
Episode 10: Animation
This episode we sit down with a couple great friends of mine: Mark How, Principal Lead Animator at BioWare, and Mookie Weisbrod, Senior Animator at BioWare. These guys are some of the nicest and helpful individuals I know, and I'm sure all you animators will get plenty of awesome info from this one! So far this is one of my favorite episodes, so don't miss it!
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
GIM – Now every other week
Hey everyone! A bit of bummer news - I am going to be releasing Games Industry Mentor episodes every other week now (on Tuesdays as usual). I was really hoping I could sustain a "once a week" release schedule, but that is proving to be more difficult than I originally thought. The good news is it should help the overall quality of the episodes, provide more time for editing, and it will be much easier to schedule guests on a fortnight basis.
Also, I can't say "thank you" enough to those who have supported this podcast by donating. I recently ordered an audio mixer and an extra microphone all paid for by the generous donations people provided! Because of the new equipment, I'm in the process of setting up episodes where 3 people can sit down together without recording someone remotely, so that should help things feel a bit more personal. I'm really looking forward to the continued improvements with the podcast - thank you all so much for helping me out with that.
-Aaron
Episode 9: Character Art
On this weeks episode, we sit down with two great Senior Character Artists: BioWare's Pedro Toledo and Blizzard's Vitaliy Naymushin, to talk about what it takes to work in this competitive job. Luckily the episode remained peaceful and no Blizzard / BioWare battles ensued, which hopefully proves we only have the utmost respect for each other. Unfortunately Vitaliy's rabid dog was not on board with the anti-aggression pact, and decided to turn on his owner. Don't miss all the action, adventure, and of course, great information.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 8: Technical Design
For those who are into game design, but also into touch with their technical side, this episode is for you! This week I am joined with Will Wallace, Senior Game Designer at BioWare. We discuss what technical design is, the best way to get on that career path, as well as what necessary skills are required. Will is an extremely talented individual in his craft and provides plenty of great information. So don't miss it, or we'll have you hanged, drawn and quartered.
FREEEEEEEDOM!!! (sorry Will, I had to.)
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 7: Portfolios!
You've been asking for this episode, and it's finally here! Our first dive into the topic that keeps you up at night - your portfolio. This week I am joined with Isaac Oster, Environment Artist at BioWare, and Riki Babington, President of Eat 3D, which provides some great tutorials focused on game art & the Unreal Engine. We discuss what to put in your portfolio, as well as what to leave out, common mistakes, presentation advice, and a lot more! This is our longest episode yet, with plenty of awesome info, so don't miss this one!
We also mention a free portfolio template that you can download and use! Isaac was cool enough to put together a simple, no frills website that shows off your work well. To find that, just head over to Isaac's portfolio site and you can download the source files there!
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.