Game Artist: The Ultimate Career Guide
£14.20
HOW DO YOU BECOME A SUCCESSFUL GAME ARTIST?
The ultimate career guide walks you through the pitfalls and power-ups of building a career in this multi-billion dollar but secretive industry. Brimming with practical advice, for both aspiring artists and the experienced, GAME ARTIST leads you through the tricky process of career building, boosting you to the next level.
From experienced Art Director and Artist Paul Jones, GAME ARTIST provides you with the golden key to unlocking your full career potential. All you have to do is step through the door. This is a walkthrough and career guide rolled into one!
This book is for you, if:
- You want to learn the secrets of the games industry
- You want to get into a video game art department
- You wonder what makes a successful game artist
- You feel stuck in your role and want to level up
- You want to make the leap into team building and management
You don’t know how to get promoted? That’s ok. It’s because you don’t know the rules of the game. Until now.
Having worked for the last 25 years in the games industry, learning from the ground up, Paul has experienced a wide range of high-profile companies, Epic Games (Unreal Tournament 3), Rocksteady (Batman Arkham City), TTFusion (LEGO City Undercover) and the record-smashing Star Citizen with Cloud Imperium Games.
Game Artist is split into well-defined sections, making it easy for you to pick and chose.
Level One – Job Applicant
Covering the basics – including finding your way into the industry, getting a killer portfolio ready, understanding what an Art Director wants to see, and finally, interview and salary negotiation skills explained.
Level Two – Junior Artist
Your first few months of working in a games company, paperwork and contracts, company benefits, perks and bonuses. Dive into game development pipelines and company hierarchies. What’s expected of you as a new recruit and how to succeed and avoid early burn-out, giving you a heads-up on self-care, keeping you productive, having fun and learning to climb the ranks.
Level Three – Mid, Senior and Principal Artist
Decide where you’re heading next while mentoring others and working widely with the development team. Clear career progression outlining which skills you need for the all-important Personal Development Review (PDR). How and where to upgrade yourself – communication and teamwork, creativity, productivity, self-confidence, mentoring. Chose to specialise (or not) and when it’s time for a change, how best to make an exit strategy.
Level Four – Lead Artist
Making the transition to managerial responsibilities. Development of management techniques, understanding both yourself and your team, how to build and drive a successful team, dealing with tricky situations, meetings, presentations, staff reviews and negotiation. Plus, a section dedicated to self-care – how to set time aside for thinking, planning, and artwork.
Level Five – Art Director
The high-stakes role of Art Director explained. Working with executives and publishers, team deadlines, leading from the front, managing your team and the creative process. Revealing internal and external team pipelines, concept and game team artists, outsource studios and how to get the best from them all.
Packed with hard-won information, from studios around the world, in-depth interviews with seasoned industry professionals, and advice on being the ideal professional, GAME ARTIST is the helping hand you always wanted.
No more messing, no more guessing – it’s time to level up!
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Additional information
| Publisher | Sonola & Jones Ltd. (2 Dec. 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 362 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1915008034 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1915008039 |
| Dimensions | 15.24 x 2.08 x 22.86 cm |
by Hannah Bowker
Really enjoying reading this, I’m an aspiring game artist and I’m really loving it so far!
by Anthony O’Donnell
I found the book very insightful and it represented well my 14+ years in the industry as a game artist. It’s packed full of solid advice and a must read for aspiring game artists as it will answer many common questions and clear up any assumptions of what the job entails across the many levels.
by Jale
I bought this, read it, and immediately shared it with as many of my friends as I could. This is a fantastic book for anyone in any digital creative role. While focussing on game art, designers in other industries would also find a great deal of valuable advice here.
The book is well written, well structured, very entertaining and easy to read. It’s packed with advice, anecdotes and deep explanations of everything from management structures to pension advice for artists. I can’t imagine a more thorough guide on the subject.
by Dan
Sage words from an author with gold plated credentials. This is a comprehensive end-to-end view of a career as a game artist, from application, to climbing the ladders and ultimately through to directorship. In particular, I like the sense that all this comes from the heart with Paul Jones sharing from genuine experience rather than lecturing. Advice given helps not only steer the reader, but also set expectation and highlight where the reader may need to push themselves outside of their comfort zone.
As well as career advice, the book blends in the realities of working in the games industry and how people can expect to fit into the wider picture of gaming projects. What a fantastic resource for any budding game artist to have at their fingertips. Well structured and well written – highly recommended.
by Michael
I have been a games artist of one sort or another for 20+ years and honestly there’s nothing else out there that walks you through the industry – and how you fit into it – like this book does.
I can see myself referring back to this book regularly in future, for those times when I find myself struggling for inspiration or clarity of purpose. I will also be recommending it to my colleagues.
Thanks for writing this book, Paul!
by David Colson
This book is a stellar collection of advice for new game developers! It’s mostly aimed at artists, but it’s got lots of relevant information for other fields of game development, everything from writing good CVs up to leadership tips for people starting a job as a lead or manager.
Thoroughly recommend!
by Alexander L.
I’ve been a massive fan of Paul and his work for quite some time, and when I found out that he was writing a book, I just knew I had to have it.
This book is a must-have for anyone looking to become a game artist, as it provides plenty of genuine advice, tricks, tips, and behind-the-scenes knowledge that can help you succeed in this field.
You should buy the book and read it for yourself (you won’t regret it), but I’ve walked away feeling renewed and invigorated in my desire to succeed and hopefully, one day, get my foot in the door of the industry.
by Daniel Olai Danielsen
Whether you’re just curious about the industry, a junior developer looking for tips, or a seasoned veteran; this book is worth a thorough read-through