Excuse the horrible pun in the title. Anyway, I'm close to being an adult, and that means I have to start seriously thinking about careers, and one of the huge keys to that in the gaming industry is having a good portfolio. One of the main points of GameIndustry International's interview of a team from Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) was the importance of a good portfolio. Game programs need to teach students core industry skills, rather than only software-specific information, and give them the opportunity to create a solid base of work. Students have to be competitive entering the industry, and the best way to be competitive is to show proof of one's skills; game companies look very seriously at portfolios when evaluating a candidate. With that considered, I need to start taking this portfolio very seriously, as one day it just might get me a job. That is, to be honest, a little terrifying for me, considering that at least for the moment, I'm more of a programmer than an artist, and producing a full game is going to take a lot longer than making a piece of art–unless making art should be taking me much longer. Additionally, this class isn't even about programming, so I won't be focusing on that anyway. For the moment, I need to start working on art, probably both 2D and 3D, as often as possible, and it has to be good art–which is not my specialty. I guess I have a whole year to learn. There needs to be variety, too, and actual drawing skill, not my sad attempts at creating hilariously cartoonish illustrations based more on Photoshop loopholes than any real talent–or worse, quick photo edits that don't require anything more than basic knowledge of the program. I should probably also learn to use that drawing pad I've got laying around. In my own defense, I don't claim to be a good artist. In terms of revamping the actual presentation of the portfolio, I really ought to fix the sizing of my images, and maybe come up with a better caption format. In the future, this portfolio will obviously feature a lot more code-based works, seeing as I most likely will look for programming jobs. Making your own game is a huge boost to a portfolio, especially a good game. I've done it before, but it was sloppy and unfinished; I've been meaning to fix it up for a while now. I'd most likely have a section under Student Work leading to downloads for my game(s). Videos of gameplay would also be helpful. So, to summarize:
Citations:
“How to Build a Game Designer Portfolio: 2018 Guide.” The Ultimate Resource for Video Game Design, 2 June 2019, https://www.gamedesigning.org/career/game-design-portfolio/. Mann, Simon. “Game Design Portfolio-Building Tips from a Creative Assembly Vet.” Gamasutra Article, 17 Apr. 2018, https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/316629/Game_design_portfoliobuilding_tips_from_a_Creative_Assembly_vet.php. “Your Game Portfolio Is Your Greatest Asset.” GamesIndustry.biz, 30 Apr. 2014, https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-04-30-your-game-portfolio-is-your-greatest-asset.
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AuthorI'm moving on to my 4th (and final) year as a Game Art & Design student at Durham School of the Arts. I'd like to call myself an artist, but I'm a programmer at heart. Archives
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