Games Industry Mentor

Episode 22: Layoffs

Aaron — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:38:13 +0000

Hey everyone! I'm back after a bit of a hiatus to discus somewhat of a sensitive topic: Layoffs. As some of you may know, I was recently affected by a layoff myself back in June. Initially I wanted to do an episode while in the thick of it, but that never really happened. Shortly after landing at Red 5 Studios a coworker who listens to the podcast, (and an audio professional!) helped me get it going again! So here it is, the episode about Layoffs. Guests this episode are all coworkers of mine at Red 5: World Artist, Zach Turner; Game Designer, Scott Rudi; and Audio Designer, Daniel Beck.

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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 21: Making Indie Games

Aaron — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:14:44 +0000

Are you ready to digest the longest GIM episode yet? We discuss the indie game scene and try to pull the curtain back as best we can. Whether you're inexperienced and just setting out to build and sell a game, or you are a seasoned industry professional looking to have more creative freedom and agility, we have you covered! After listening you should be able to formulate a good game plan for yourself.

Our guests this episode are Adam Saltsman of Cannabalt fame and co-founder of Semi Secret Software; Alex Thomas, Artist and Designer previously of BioWare, creator of Dino Boy Adventures; and Jason Rosenstock previously environment artist at BioWare, now co-founder of White Whale Games and creative director for God of Blades.

Special thanks to Brooks Guthrie who provides us with fantastic audio recording and editing.

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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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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 20: QA

Aaron — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:00:42 +0000

This episode we dive into the world of QA analysts, or sometimes referred to as "testers". This has been one of the most requested topics. We cover a bunch of great information! Our guests this episode are Drew McGee - QA analyst, and Jordan Koch - associate designer. I've worked extensively with these two guys at BioWare and I am really pleased to have them on.

A special thanks to Brooks Guthrie - audio editor at BioWare for donating his time to make this episode sound fantastic!!

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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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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 19: Women in the Industry

Aaron — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:26:37 +0000

This episode I talk with a few of my BioWare Austin coworkers: Lisa Garrison - Senior Project Manager, Toni Phillips - Associate Project Manager, and Jackie Marroquin - Associate Project Manager. We discuss what it's like working and getting a job in an industry dominated primarily by men, as well as provide advice for any female trying to break in.

Special thanks to Patricia for suggesting this topic a long time ago. I always wanted to get to this episode because I feel its important for other women to feel more enabled to be part of this industry. Thanks!

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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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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.

When Concept and Environment Artists Jive

Aaron — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:52:20 +0000

I wanted to take some time to pass on a link that might be helpful for those concept and environment artists out there. This week the website for our game (www.swtor.com) is featuring a Studio Insider article all about starship creation. It details the general process Ryan Denning and Chris Reeves used to go from starship concept to final built model. Too often concept artists and environment artists neglect to cultivate a symbiotic relationship, and this is a great example of how it's supposed to work.

Overall it's some great insight into what skills might help you edge out the competition as an environment or concept artist. Hit the link below to check it out.

Starship Creation in Star Wars: the Old Republic

Ryan Denning was also a guest on the most recent episode of Games Industry Mentor. Give it a listen to hear his advice on concept art.

Episode 18 – Concept Art

Aaron — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:08:45 +0000

This episode we discuss the ins and outs of getting a job as a concept artist. Our special guests this week are: Paul Adam and Ryan Dening, both Senior Concept Artist at BioWare. Our returning guests are Alex Thomas and Jason Rosenstock.

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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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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.

Austin Portfolio Review!

Aaron — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:59:08 +0000

Hey guys and gals! If you are an artist, and would like to have your portfolio looked at by industry professionals, swing by Spiderhouse Cafe at 6pm tomorrow (Oct 6th). See you there!

Episode 17: The Job Interview

Aaron — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 05:30:25 +0000

Hey! We're back and talking about job interviews! Special guests this episode are: Jason Rosenstock - contract environment artist at BioWare, Mike Sheidow - senior environment artist at BioWare, and Alex Thomas - cinematic designer at BioWare. I'm really happy with the quality information this episode provides, so give it a listen!

Apologies for the inconsistent audio quality. In an attempt to make things easy, we did our best using one central microphone, which didn't turn out too hot. Perhaps our future efforts using a central mic will be more successful.

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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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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.

Hiatus

Aaron — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:45:18 +0000

So I've been neglecting writing this post because frankly, it really bums me out. So I apologize for not keeping everyone in the loop sooner.

I have been running into difficulties completing the podcasts due to a handful of reasons, not the least of those being a broken laptop, a baby on the way, and work. I'm not sure when I will be able to replace my laptop, but that seems to be the biggest hurdle for me right now. So I regret to inform listeners that I will be going into a bit of a hiatus.

I want to make it clear that I always expected this hiatus would come sooner or later once we started running out of developer jobs to talk about, or covered enough topics. I anticipated Games Industry Mentor would simply fall under a type of "standby" status, awaiting enough suggestions for another topic, and update out of date information as the industry matures. Unfortunately all of this is just happening a bit sooner than I would like, as there were a couple more topics I would like to have covered.

Like many of you, I am an avid podcast listener - and nothing frustrates me more than a podcast I love falling into a seldom published schedule, so I apologize for that as well. I hope you realize that it's not due to a lack of interest in the podcast, I have always felt passionate about helping people find advice on how to break into this industry - and that hasn't changed. I eagerly look forward to covering new topics and finding the time and resources to produce more episodes when appropriate. Hopefully that knowledge is some consolation while waiting for episodes, or for your topic to be covered.

Please keep writing in with your suggestions, and thanks for all the support!!

- Aaron

Episode 16: VFX and UI

Aaron — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:54:37 +0000

Two for one! This episode we talk about both VFX and UI! Our guests this episode - Michael Voigt, Lead Interface Artist at Bioware, and Bryan Erck, Lead FX Artist at BioWare. It can be a bit difficult finding good information about these jobs, so don't miss this one! I should mention that we had some recording difficulties during the first part of the podcast, so I apologize for the strange audio interference.

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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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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.