Master Studies

I have been practicing by doing a few master studies in my spare time. The best one that I have is a sculpture 'Bust of Pope Gregory XV' by Bernini. Working from a sculpture allowed be to focus on the form of the subject as the colour is relatively simple and contrasts to be able to see the form.

Sumo Digital

The art manager from Sumo Digital, Dave Blewett, gave a talk at the lecture theater about the various artistic roles in the industry using Sumo Digital as an example. He explained that the role of an artist in the current industry is extremely specific. People are no longer calling themselves 'artist' as the term is too broad. Instead, people are being specific to show their particular focus. Roles like character artist and user interface artist are becoming more common as the industry has grown. The size of the industry reflects the jobs it has to offer.

He also suggested to be very critical of yourself as a practitioner. An artist in the current industry should be able to handle several roles while also having their own particular focus. They should be able to understand a development cycle and to prepare for the worst, particularly near the last stages where staying in late is normal to get the work done.

Kentucky Route Zero

Kentucky Route Zero is a surreal game developed by cardboard computer, a company made up of two people, Jake Elliot and Tamas Kenenczy. The game was first brought up on kickstarter where it succeeded and is now being developed and into its fourth act.

Although I have brought up Kentucky Route Zero before, I think the game is a testament to the creativity of the industry and that people are willing to support something as strange and surreal as this game. Kickstarter has managed to kick off several games that would have probably never found funding before. What this means for me and the indie studio me, Tim and Andy are starting up is that people are willing to support a project no matter how strange it is and that there are options out there to start up a game.

Vlambeer

Vlambeer is an indie studio founded in 2010 and is made up of Rami Ismail and Jan Nijman. The studio was formed when both of them decided to drop out from their game design course to begin working on a prototype. Vlambeer developed Super Crate Box and released it for free as a way of promoting themselves. Super Crate Box is simple but has compelling and really addictive mechanics. Releasing it for free showed people what they were capable of.

After Uni

I have been going over my options after leaving uni and trying to find the best course to take. Would it be better for me to work at a studio, become a freelancer or even start up my own studio. I feel like all of these options are open to me, it's working out how to proceed from there.

Working at a company provides the security that freelancing doesn't however I am still drawn to freelancing. I want to be able to understand marketing properly before I take a job at a company. I think it would do me and my work a lot of good to be able to be open and critical. Freelancing would come with its out set of challenges and would depend on my ability to sustain myself financially.

Whether I decide to freelance or find work at a company, I still need to understand the limitations of my current situation. Money being the most obvious, but things like available resources and programs to develop work as well as the lack of contacts within the industry will limit what I will be able to do. However I understand that the abundance of social networking and the accessibility of various tools to make work has made it easier than it ever has been.

To keep track of any possible work, I have started to keep a database of studios I would like to work for. As I develop clients or find other studios, it helps me to keep an eye out on the work available and something to fall back on.

Modding

Over the past year, I have also been learning how to mod Skyrim using the creation kit. People have managed to get jobs from developing mods. For example, I believe the original Team Fortress was a quake mod. It shows to potential studios and clients that you can work creatively within the boundaries of the game engine.

A more recent example being the Falskaar mod for Skyrim. Alex Velicky spent a year developing a mod to get a job at bethesda. The mod became wildly successful and he did manage to get a job at Bungie.

You can make entirely new things out of the tools modding provides. The Stanley Parable was made using Valve's Source game engine.

Saturday Night Vengeance

ZFH's first project is Saturday Night Vengeance, A side scrolling 2D platformer set in the 80's with obsolete chunky technology and bad hair. We were inspired by music from artists like LazerHawk and Glass Candy as well as films like Drive that have a sleek aesthetic. We also wanted it to be like a parody of 80's film stereotypes.

To begin with we did some research and found a game called Broforce, a game that makes fun of the american badass film stereotype. It has ridiculous characters like Bronan and BroGyver and seeing what other characters they come up with next is hilarious.

The gameplay is traditional but compelling and the humour introduces an interesting spin on these mechanics.

ZFH

After FMP myself, Andy and Tim have decided to form a development team called 'Zeppelin for Hire'. I think we worked well together during FMP. I liked the ideas we all brought to the project and look forward to new projects. Plus it means more work outside of uni and a chance to develop a network with other people.

Andy came up with this logo.

Here is a variation that I painted for fun since we haven't decided on one yet.

Our first project will be a 2D sidescrolling game with an 80's aesthetic called 'Saturday Night Vengeance'. The only thing we know we want is an awesome soundtrack.