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51 things every game student should know

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Kbrom12
polycounter lvl 8
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Kbrom12 polycounter lvl 8
Found this on my facebook feed earlier and found it humorous since I'm guilty of a few; Wish I had this 5 years ago ha :poly142:

http://k0k0k0.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/51-things-every-game-student-should-know.pdf

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  • blankslatejoe
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    blankslatejoe polycounter lvl 18
    Hm..can't say I agree with ALL the slides (when working on MMOs you actually DO see the badguys called "mobs".. so I think she's a bit outdated there) but I can get behind most of them.
  • Kurt Russell Fan Club
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    Kurt Russell Fan Club polycounter lvl 9
    That was a fun read, and a lot of it applies to guys I went to uni with way back when.
  • ysalex
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    ysalex interpolator
    Yeah i feel like I get a lot of these, and then random ones don't make much sense to me. Particularly the one which implies if I do a Mexican/yakuza/thug I am ring racist. Or if I do a woman who has any damage to her then I am a sexist woman-beater.

    Of course, this is my current WIP and I've been worrying that it might be a little too much for a portfolio piece. My wife says it's fine, but I've been starting to wonder if it's just too much.

    http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120297


    I guess the rest of it is common sense.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    ysalex wrote: »
    Yeah i feel like I get a lot of these, and then random ones don't make much sense to me. Particularly the one which implies if I do a Mexican/yakuza/thug I am ring racist. Or if I do a woman who has any damage to her then I am a sexist woman-beater.

    I guess the rest of it is common sense.

    I felt the same way. It should just say, if you are doing anything edgy or potentially offensive, make sure it is tasteful. It'd also be a good idea to be aware of the studio you are applying to when sending your portfolio out. I don't think a Disney studio would appreciate a portfolio full of busty women. But if a studio is known for work like that, I wouldn't even worry about it for a second, even if you are interviewing with a female lead.
  • Bibendum
    I think the point was that you don't know who is going to be viewing your portfolio and a lot of people are sensitive to racial/gender stereotypes so it's probably best to avoid them if you are very concerned about getting the job.

    You'd honestly need to be living in a cave for the last year to not have picked up on the trend of what happens to people who design skimpy clothing.

    As always though its best to tailor your portfolio to where you're applying.
  • ysalex
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    ysalex interpolator
    Bibendum wrote: »

    1 - I think the point was that you don't know who is going to be viewing your portfolio and a lot of people are sensitive to racial/gender stereotypes so it's probably best to avoid them if you are very concerned about getting the job.

    2 - You'd honestly need to be living in a cave for the last year to not have picked up on the trend of what happens to people who design skimpy clothing.

    1 - The argument is that these kind of pieces (black men as thugs, asian men as Yakuza, women with scratches as 'abused' women, should be avoided because you "don't know who you'll offend".

    What are the chances that a person will be offended by an asian being portrayed as Yakuza? Almost none. Maybe sub %.05 of people would find that offensive.

    So to me, what that is is JUST PLAIN BAD ADVICE couched inside of a thought terminating cliche: "Well, don't question me, because really you don't know who it will offend."

    Well, yes we do: a very small minority of overly offended people unlikely to be working in an HR environment. Sure, don't model a woman being raped or abused. Don't model an Asian person as a WWII propaganda cartoon with the buck-teeth and the yellow skin. Don't model a native american getting drunk. But that's all common sense. The rest of it, to me, seems to be a silly fear leading to overly PC sensibility. Hell, pretty much all of these minus the female example can be seen in modern games, so we KNOW that there is a market for cliches. How many games have Yakuza? Ignorant southerners with missing teeth? Black men in gangs? If your job is going to be to model these (admittedly boring) cliches, why would modeling them for your portfolio exclude you from getting that same job? In %99.95 of circumstances, it wont, and it probably wont serve you to tailor your portfolio to %.05 of the population.

    2 - Fair enough, but consider that there are a good number of artists out there who make all their money doing these kinds of things, because there is a massive market. Hazardous, for example. I'm sure the man (unfairly) gets a certain amount of hate mail for his portrayal of women, but the truth is that it's an employable skill. Know your market, sure, but don't discount it. Hell, go to CGHUB and look at the thumbnail gallery. More than half is nothing but thumbnails of tits, ass and pretty faces, because it's a major (like it or not) component of the CG world, and it attracts people to your work, and can help you get known, and in many cases gets you employed.

    So just as good advice it is to say 'don't do unrealistic women because you might not get hired', it is equally good to say 'if that's your skill, that's a market, so have at it.' It just depends on if that's a skill you want to be known for.
  • leleuxart
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    leleuxart polycounter lvl 10
    Some of these are actually kind of motivating. Wouldn't mind printing them out to set up around the workspace... if they weren't black and yellow.
  • Bibendum
    1 - You aren't tailoring your work to the 0.05%. Just because you have a portfolio that appeals to 99.95% of the industry doesn't necessarily mean changing a detail a small number of people find offensive now means your portfolio only appeals to 0.05%. This is not an either or scenario. You also don't need a half naked woman in your portfolio to demonstrate artistic ability nor is anyone going to assume that because there isn't a half-naked woman in your portfolio that you can't make one.

    What people are deriving from subject matter like this is more than just your skills of an artist, they're making assumptions about the type of person you might be to work with or have around based on the content you fill your portfolio with.

    2 - I am aware of Hazardous, I'd have linked to the brief pissing match people had going in WAYWO over his work but the moderators were on top of it and edited the posts. The difference is that Hazardous is not just starting his career, he has extensive industry experience and contacts and his work is at a caliber which he has the freedom to pick and choose who he really wants to work for.

    People just launching their careers (those for whom this slide deck was intended) do not have those luxuries, they don't have industry experience, probably have little in the way of contacts, and quite frankly it's likely their work is no where near the quality of Hazardous work. Lots of them will be applying en masse to anyone who will hire them and won't have the benefit of being picky about who they work for.

    Again, better advice would have been to tailor your portfolio to where you are applying. That slide reeks, but it has merits and people usually profit from self-censorship in a professional environment no matter what their point of view is.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    Pretty good. As student you're probably better off reading this than not reading it. I see many of these mistakes made by juniors. Although the very first slide should be: "BE ORGANIZED" and then I would group the rest of the slides together by professional conduct, interviewing and art advice. Right now it's a mess. Putting game designer advice next to art advice doesn't seem that useful either. And some slides don't make sense. 20% can easily be cut.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    I noticed they forgot something.

    Rule 0: Backup everything
    and Rule 52: Backup everything again.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    ZacD wrote: »
    I noticed they forgot something.

    Rule 0: Backup everything
    and Rule 52: Backup everything again.

    Haha yeah. I'll never forget that one girl from my 3d animation class who was crying in front of the teacher how her only zip disc died with all her work on it. Lots of tears there. I think she really never made a backup.
  • adam
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    adam polycounter lvl 19
    We should do a thread "things every game art student should know". I'd be more than willing to compile it to something presentable.

    This is a great read, by the way.
  • ysalex
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    ysalex interpolator
    Does it have to be students? I feel like this lists applies more to intermediates trying to get in the industry than just students. There are a lot of people who are self teaching (like me) who also get something out of this list.
  • Karmageddon
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    Karmageddon polycounter lvl 7
    What about Naming_ConVentions_101? ;)
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    Yeah, the focus should be people breaking into the industry.
  • ysalex
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    ysalex interpolator
    Well, whatever it's named, make sure whoever creates the thread is willing to keep the first post updated. I would do it, but I'm still outside trying to get in. Someone with experience should start it.
  • BarnabyJones
    A lot of these are good but to be honest 50% of the people reading that presentations are students who already know pretty much everyone of those facts. Unfortunetly we are the 50% that are dedicated the other 50% are kids wasting money and time because they thought making games would be fun. Seriously I don't see half the kids in my university outside of class in the labs. Most of them just show up for classes do the assigned work and assume there degree = a job. Good list though.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    What about Naming_ConVentions_101? ;)

    Not sure if there's much to say. In a good pipeline you have a document you can follow and a checklist, and in film you rarely name stuff yourself, and that's how it should be in games too.
    In a bad pipeline anyone can name anything, files, objects, textures, any way they like. There's no guidelines and no checks for conflicting names (ouch!). There's no automated checks making sure naming is okay.

    There are only few universal things that can be applied to ANY project: Any name is better than no name. Check for spelling mistakes in your names. Do not use unicode (like japanese or chinese) because it breaks many tools. Names should be unique and unambiguous. The rest seems to vary quite a bit.
  • redhonour
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    redhonour polycounter lvl 8
    As a student getting ready to graduate in a month, "Holy shit".

    I mean that in a positive way.

    I'm currently killing myself over projects and somehow reading this list makes it feel a little less like I'm doing everything wrong. At least it feels that way.

    Thanks.
  • crazyfool
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    crazyfool polycounter lvl 13
    Yea I agree with all of it, great advice for students/starters.

    The stereotype thing is good advice imho as unless you can own it then you will get looked down on, especially by studios, recruiters and HR peeps. Maybe not looked down on but more forgotten. Theres alot of ladies in the recruitment phase now aswell and the industry itself, so yea, think on that.

    best advice is the get some sleep though, dont wanna burn out or make bad design decisions due to tiredness.

    my advice additions would be;

    - if you are painting out mistakes in your normal maps you are doing it wrong!!!

    - dissect your reference and everything you do, learn at every point in your development. Whether it be life drawing, observational drawing, cloth ref, anatomy ref, architecture, theres always something to learn. Last year I focused on this and it felt like starting over! I wish I could tell the 16 year old me to do this, you soon realise you know nothing about anatomy, about cloth dynamics, about design etc.

    - stand out, make it interesting.

    - get used to moving around in the early days, studios won't move for you

    - learn to spell
  • boyluya
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    boyluya polycounter lvl 10
    Nice. They should've also put this.

    Polycount: best game art community in the world. :poly124:
  • BARDLER
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    BARDLER polycounter lvl 12
    Those are all awesome. Does anybody else go to art school for games/movies and like more than half of the people do not do anything? There are kids in my school who sit around campus for hours on end all week long play LoL. I just think to myself, what do you expect to happen when you get out of here?!?!!?
  • Farfarer
    52: Fuck school, read polycount.

    Oh, and;

    53: Name your objects, layers and files such that anyone else could work out what they are. Every single one of them.
  • Bellsey
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    Bellsey polycounter lvl 8
    I think this is a useful document, though I think its presentation could be better, and I do/don't agree with some of the points but it could be that some of the points might need wording a little better/differently.

    But overall, it's great that someone has done something like this and put it out there. As someone who spends alot of time in front of developers and also students, I see alot from both sides.

    If anyone has seen any of my Uni/College presentations, then I also allocate a good amount of time to this type of thing, essentially dispelling some myths and presenting the reality of the world you're about to enter.

    Some of what I say/present might not be easy reading for some and I was worried about that, but actually students and lecturers have welcomed the honesty and I often get invited back to present.
    I even have a long list of actual quotes from devs under the title of "Don't take my word for it...the most common mistakes a rookie makes". I frequently add to this list and refine it each year.

    Some points I make that you could also add to the list:
    • You won't always work in a game that you like
    • You could be expected to move to find work
    • Naming conventions - it's your asset, be responsible for it
    • Nobody will understand your job - explaining what you do to someone who doesn't work or know about games
    • You will work long hours - not all the time, but at some point
  • FlynT
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    FlynT polycounter lvl 8
    adam wrote: »
    We should do a thread "things every game art student should know". I'd be more than willing to compile it to something presentable.

    This is a great read, by the way.

    Sure why not! But the name should be really "Things every game artist should know".
  • Fango
    Great read! Same as many people, the stereotype one was the only thing that didn't really gel with me. It kinda seemed like the authors personal opinions shined through a bit too much on that slide. Rest was advice I wish I had when I started uni!
  • Qdwach
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    Qdwach polycounter lvl 7
    Really great read !
    Made me think I'm probably not ready for the industry yet though :(
    Well, back to work it is.
  • Mark Dygert
    Good read, I agree with Adam a dedicated thread would be great, especially if its organized.

    Adam if you don't get it started today I'll kick it off later tomorrow.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    crazyfool wrote: »
    - dissect your reference

    I don't recommend doing this in the life drawing class. the rest is spot on though ;)
  • LRoy
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    LRoy polycounter lvl 10
    i thought it was going to be 51 slides of : dont go to video game school
  • ikken
    > AND ALL THE WHILE I FEEL LIKE I’M FALLING INTO THE VOID OF DISPAIR…

    coming off a confirmed grammar nazi's presentation in an unironic manner is very qt <3

    gr8 read btw

    one thing that bothers me is that I can find her twitter much quicker than any samples of her actual work (which is odd, given she's been a lead artist at some point)
    LRoy wrote: »
    i thought it was going to be 51 slides of : dont go to video game school


    she's currently employed at one.

    pass ur lolcats onto the cueen
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    ikken wrote: »
    > AND ALL THE WHILE I FEEL LIKE I’M FALLING INTO THE VOID OF DISPAIR…

    coming off a confirmed grammar nazi's presentation in an unironic manner is very qt <3

    Haha. yeah. this slide is wrong in so many ways. I wonder, what would Steve Meretzky say to this?
  • valuemeal
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    valuemeal polycounter lvl 6
    All nighters? At a certain point in college shouldn't one have figured out how to
    regulate their bodily functions in hectic times without horrible repercussions?

    It's training more so than anything.
    I can go for 30 hours and still be cool if I have to.
    (I never really had to because I am one who usually plans ahead)

    One must figure out how to activate one's "power save" and "survival mode"
    functions.
  • Lazerus Reborn
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    Lazerus Reborn polycounter lvl 8
    This made my morning. Just got back from presenting my research aha ;)


    The only roundabout thing i could add right now would be;


    Think big

    Start small
  • Eric Chadwick
    adam wrote: »
    We should do a thread "things every game art student should know". I'd be more than willing to compile it to something presentable.

    How about this?
    http://wiki.polycount.com/CategoryGameIndustry#Industry_Insight
  • redhonour
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    redhonour polycounter lvl 8
    Something that's really helped me out as a student is time management.

    For one of the most boring sounding subjects, it's totally worth it when people are so amazed that you stay on top of your work that they offer you food, companionship, and games.
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    valuemeal wrote: »
    All nighters? At a certain point in college shouldn't one have figured out how to
    regulate their bodily functions in hectic times without horrible repercussions?

    It's training more so than anything.
    I can go for 30 hours and still be cool if I have to.
    (I never really had to because I am one who usually plans ahead)

    One must figure out how to activate one's "power save" and "survival mode"
    functions.

    Not good for your health - you'll find that ability will disappear as you get older.
  • slipsius
    page 17. Fail. "This is where you learn how learn". Learn2Grammar.

    Also, 51 is a lie. PEople talk about porn all the time. The girls usually start it.
  • Isaiah Sherman
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    Isaiah Sherman polycounter lvl 14
    slipsius wrote: »
    page 17. Fail. "This is where you learn how learn". Learn2Grammar.

    Also, 51 is a lie. PEople talk about porn all the time. The girls usually start it.

    Which is ironic, because the author was female and was probably one of the females that was severely bothered by it. Some guys are bothered by it too. Everyone is different. Err on the side of caution I say.

    If you've been in a studio for a long time and you know the people around you very well, then yeah you can talk about bad shit all day. For a college student, though, which this is directed to, you should be chill for a while.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    if you have to do all-nighters you're doing it wrong. better learn some time management. Working harder(longer) and not smarter will kill you in the long run. If you want to quit the industry by burning out, by all means, embrace overtime, unpaid work and wasted time at your own desk - after all, you're young and you can do it (for a while) ;)
  • J0NNYquid
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    J0NNYquid polycounter lvl 5
    Kwramm wrote: »
    if you have to do all-nighters you're doing it wrong. better learn some time management.

    This. I can't tell you how silly it makes you look when you pull all nighters and turn in work that shows no marked improvement over those that did their work on a reasonable timetable. I saw this all the time at school, so frustrating.

    In response to the entire presentation, I wish someone had showed this to me when I started at college. Alas, it took me until AFTER I graduated to wise up. I have polycount to thank for that.
  • valuemeal
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    valuemeal polycounter lvl 6
    Well, I would never leave anything to the last second when I was in school.
    It was just fun to work alongside those who had to do all nighters, because I got extra portfolio stuff done.
  • blankslatejoe
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    blankslatejoe polycounter lvl 18
    You know, thinking about this more...I can't remember the last time I used "vertex" OR "vertices". I know those are correct, but game devs ain't got time for that nonsense. It's VERT and VERTS 4 me 4 life.

    Remove the slides where the teacher seems to have some sort of beside-the-point semantics issues and I think it's pretty solid though.
  • ZacD
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    ZacD ngon master
    "vertexes" is probably one of the least important grammar/pronunciation issues. Since people often learn 3d from tutorials and books and don't have to discuss the terms until getting a job, they say a lot of stuff in odd ways.
  • Denny
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    Denny polycounter lvl 14
    There should be a slide that says "Don't neglect life outside art", as inspiration can be drawn from there as well. Your life is most likely reflected in the art you make. Lack of intimate relationships? Not unlikely that you have a bunch of sexy looking characters in your portfolio, or nothing else than that, no offense. To be frank I think most successful artists does other things aside from being locked in a room all day producing stuff. Anecdotaly, most great artists I know personally have good relationships going on. While they might have issues in their life at the moment they at least appear to be contempt with what they have. If you're not contempt with life and are frustrated about it you're unlikely to become focused and relaxed with the art you make, unless you manage to get joy or use it as a sort of escapism regardless of how you live.

    This is just anecdotal patterns I've noticed with artists I know, it is not true to everyone. I do think that your life do reflect in your art in some way and if you're not successful with art a poor social and active life might be the source of the problem.

    I personally have been socially awkward and a downright computer hermit most of my life, I have never truly gained traction with my art and programming. I have however noticed in late years, when I dropped the ambition of becoming a good artist and instead let art be a hobby, I have improved passively as an artist while trying to live a more fulfilling life. I doubt I'm alone experiencing a similar improvement.

    So students, get to know your classmates and do fun things together! You can do art and be social too. Start a sketch group at a local subway or street. I don't think being a hermit working on the 'folio all day works for everyone.
  • Snacuum
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    Snacuum polycounter lvl 9
    So depressing. Where's the positives? So much of these 'advice for beginners' is beyond daunting and confronting. If anything I expect this to deter more people from making games. It's doing it for me right now.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    but you have to admit that some is just common sense, and some is good advice (although some is rubbish too). Invest in a scanner? good idea if you're at art school. Try to express yourself in a mature way? even though we make games it is still a business setting, more and more so as the industry matures. Game school is not about playing games? well this should be clear. And a game uni is still a uni - well yes, or at least you should treat it that way unless you want to become one of the failed game school graduates.

    I think most students and juniors will agree with many of the statements when they think about them, or have a discussion with their teacher about some of the finer points being made.
  • ikken
    Snacuum wrote: »
    So depressing. Where's the positives? So much of these 'advice for beginners' is beyond daunting and confronting. If anything I expect this to deter more people from making games. It's doing it for me right now.

    she's offering some legit reality cheque kind of advice early in the presentation and quickly descends into a hypocritical asshole realness later
    the positives is that you generally work with nice(r) people once you settle in this industry & you are not constrained to game art only when working as an artist.
    You know, thinking about this more...I can't remember the last time I used "vertex" OR "vertices". I know those are correct, but game devs ain't got time for that nonsense. It's VERT and VERTS 4 me 4 life.
    she's British, which might explain the whole eye-roll over litteracy and gremmar, but the verts/vertic
  • Snacuum
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    Snacuum polycounter lvl 9
    she's offering some legit reality cheque kind of advice early in the presentation and quickly descends into a hypocritical asshole realness later
    the positives is that you generally work with nice(r) people once you settle in this industry & you are not constrained to game art only when working as an artist.

    True I wasn't really thinking of it in context of a presentation. Don't know what kind of speech went along with it. Reading it as one big block just made it sound like the kind of reality cheque some people just wouldn't want to cash.
  • Farfarer
    ZacD wrote: »
    "vertexes" is probably one of the least important grammar/pronunciation issues.
    It's still one of my pet hates of the industry :P
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