James' Visual Studies Blog

Last month, indie game developer Manuela Malasaña of company Team Dogpit visited campus. She answered student questions about being a game developer and showed off a demo of her company’s current project, a turn-based strategy card game called Lotería del Adiós. Below are my impressions and takeaways.

Lotería del Adiós is a game built out of another game, the traditional Mexican game of chance lotería. Team Dogpit is a very small team itself, comprised of about 4-5 people. Manuela revealed that she often outsources smaller jobs to people outside of the company, including the voice acting. When I asked if the voice acting was expensive, I was surprised to learn that it’s not as expensive as one would think, as actors usually charge per line.

Manuela also shared some very wise words: “I don’t make games unless I’m passionate about the idea.” However, she also pointed out that it’s better to make many small games than spend years on your magnum opus. This was important for me to hear, because although I’ve spent some time now developing ideas for my ‘ideal game’ that I’d like to create, it would be such a huge and complex undertaking that I haven’t actually made any concrete progress on it.

Before closing, she stressed the importance of going to game jams and gave us information on several upcoming local ones. She pointed out that we didn’t have to participate in the game jam itself – we could also go just to network and play the games. This was something I hadn’t considered before, and I absolutely see the value in it as a game design student.

I was very glad I got the chance to attend this presentation, as I think I really learned a lot from it. I’m grateful to Manuela for taking the time to visit.

This past Monday, four more visual studies faculty presented to the class. Below are my impressions of each:

Tuan Phan: I always enjoy seeing Professor Phan’s work, and this was no exception. The concept of keeping an inventory that can be referred back to later is something we’ve explored in my Foundations of Art & Design class this semester and has really resonated with me, so getting to see it in action was really neat.

Jimmy Luu: I enjoyed seeing art that was more political in nature. I was really fascinated with the pieces that were passed around the class, and impressed with what a risograph printer can do.

Robert Bryant: Although I was already familiar with most of what Professor Bryant went over in his presentation, I was fascinated with his description of his work on ‘My Interactive Pooh’. His advice to always keep a notebook or journal of some kind is something I’ve started doing this semester, and it’s been a really enjoyable and useful activity.

Kim Garza: I thought Professor Garza’s work with the Safe Sleep training program and the Case for Christians in the Visual Arts booklet was very well-done and admirable. What stuck out to me the most from her presentation was the phrase, ‘it must first exist.’ As someone with procrastination issues, I feel this is something I should really take to heart to help overcome that.

I’ve enjoyed being in this class, and I feel I’ve absolutely learned some valuable information over the course of the semester.

Faculty Presentations: Part One

This past Monday I was able to attend PechaKucha presentations given by several of the visual studies faculty members here at St. Edward’s. Here are some of my thoughts on each one:

Bill Kennedy: Bill’s process of taking a photograph and turning it into something so abstract it became unrecognizable was really interesting to me, especially the fact that Bill himself didn’t remember what the original images were. The proccess of creating these images seemed really interesting, and I’d like to learn more about it.

Hollis Hammonds: The combination of many themes common throughout all of Hollis’ work (storms, fires, trash, and apocalyptic imagery) lead to very complex pieces that evoked feelings of destruction and desolation. My favorite piece shown was the video of House On Fire, an illustration of a burning house with colored lights projected onto it to animate the piece.

Alexandra Robinson: I was really drawn to the minimalist look of Alexandra’s illustrations. Her work was inspiring enough to me that I found myself doodling things similar to the pieces shown during her presentation. I really liked her quote, “it’s in the nothingness that you find something.”

Tammie Rubin: I was fascinated by the color and texture of Tammie’s sculptures and the amalgamated look of them. She used the word ‘chimera’ to describe them, which I think is very fitting. She commented on how she’s gotten all kinda of comments on the sensory experiences people associate with her work, and I completely understand. The piece that stood out to me most was the series of cones that I found to be eerily reminiscent of Klu Klux Klan hoods. It gave me a very unsettling feeling that really stuck with me.

Joe Vitone: The work Joe showed was an intimate look into the lives of Texas ranchers that felt extremely real and personal. I loved the amount of information on the day-to-day life and activities of the subjects that was conveyed through these shots. And there was one word from the presentation that I was still thinking about hours afterwards: ‘cowpocalypse.’

Five Year Plan

My main goal for my future is to simply break into the game industry, which for many is no easy feat. Afterwards, while there are certain companies I’d like to work at and roles I’d like to fill, I can’t really predict at all where I’ll end up, and I’m totally fine with this. I see flexibility as an essential component of working in the industry. While I obviously plan on graduating in four years with a game design degree, degrees alone mean absolutely nothing to employers in the industry – they only serve to help me obtain skills and connections, which are the factors that actually determine how appealing I am to potential employers. This is why I’ll be doing my best to rack up as much experience as I can and do as much networking as I can before graduation, to make my transition into the industry as smooth and painless as I can.

I already have several connections at several different companies here in Austin, both large and small, and I’m doing my best to search for any and all kinds of internships or positions of any kind at local studios. While it’s unlikely I’ll be able to land anything as a first-year, it never hurts to put myself out there and make myself known. I’ll also be doing my best to rack up personal experience in game-making, through projects both solo and collaborative. I’ll be taking game creation classes and labs my junior year, so I’m guaranteed to produce some results during this time,but I’ll also be attempting to work on games before then.

My hope is that five years from now, I’ll have successfully landed a job somewhere, whether it be in QA or design. From there, I can begin working my way through the ranks to whatever future awaits me in the industry.

This past Monday I attended a presentation by three game developers from Spacetime Studios: Gary Gattis (CEO), Eva Tran (Art/UI Lead), and Bryant Wood (Game Designer). I was extremely happy to be able to see this presentation, as it was a great opportunity to learn more about the industry and career I want to pursue. Gary spoke about the production, marketing, and overall development of a game, Eva spoke about the process of making art for a game, and Bryant talked about the different categories of design and the roles each type of designer fills. I was eager to take away as much new knowledge as I could, so I took a landslide of notes, and as a wannabe level designer I focused especially hard on the design portion of the presentation. While there were some things I already knew going in, I also learned an incredible amount.

Tons of great advice was given on how to become a good game designer – advice on things like analyzing games, evaluating your own design, and how to get started with everything. I learned about the difference between a system designer and a content designer. I was given a great list of programs and toolsets to start designing my own levels and games in. I was exposed to a wonderful quote from Bryant: “A game designer’s best friend is randomness.” Perhaps most importantly, I learned some very valuable advice for entering the industry for the first time. I’ll now be able to enter my search for internships and jobs armed with the powerful tool of extreme persistence, used for both scanning local companies for positions and for messaging said companies many different times. I also heard the reassuring news that if I can’t manage to find an entry-level position in design, I’ll surely be able to enter into Quality Assurance, and from there a job in design isn’t too far off.

I’m truly glad to have been able to experience this talk. I walked away from it knowing that I must be persistent, always receptive to new knowledge and the ideas of others, and most of all: that I must create, create, create, and have fun doing it.

Question for this week’s faculty presenters: How big of a role did internships play in starting your career?

This past Monday, I attended presentations by academic counselor Roel Martinez, study abroad coordinator Meghan Ryan, and several representatives from student groups Cabra, Command G, and the Student Art Group. All of these presentations showcased what students could do to customize their academic experience to fit them specifically, and they led me to do a lot of thinking about my own future.

Roel happens to be my own academic advisor, and he’s been a great help in creating my degree plan and figuring out what classes I need to be taking when. My major is currently undergoing a lot of changes, so it can be hard to know what requirements are being changed to what, and when. However, with guidance from both my IGST professor and Roel I have a mostly clear idea of what I’ll be doing, and so far, I feel content with everything.

In terms of studying abroad, I feel pretty neutral on the subject. Academic ventures that aren’t related to my major don’t usually interest me. The study abroad office emphasizes that they can find opportunities for students regardless of their major, but it’s not something I can see myself doing unless something arose that was directly connected to my major.

It was the presentations on student groups that really got me thinking. The Art Student Group representative, Brittany Fucik, mentioned how there was no IGST club when she talked about her process of creating an ARTS club. I began thinking about all the opportunities and benefits that could come from such a group. After class, I met with a few of my peers and we did some brainstorming on the possibilities of such an organization, as well as the logistics of implementing everything. I’ve also already gone with some of my peers and talked to faculty members about creating something similar to an IGST LLC. Even if neither of these ideas come to fruition, I know I want to become more involved in enhancing my major and building a community within it.

Below I have created an inventory of some of my strengths, weaknesses, and skills in various aspects of my academic life.

Classes

1. My greatest strengths in Foundations of Art & Design include: completing my work on time, correctly meeting the criteria for assignments, paying attention and contributing in class
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: manage my time better to reduce stress

1. My greatest strengths in Video Game History include: paying attention and contributing in class, absorbing the information given well, clearly communicating my ideas
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: complete assigned readings on time

1. My greatest strengths in Social Justice Seminar include: paying attention and contributing in class
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: complete community service hours and attend more school events

1. My greatest strengths in Disabled Bodies at the Edge of Justice include: paying attention and contributing in class, giving good presentations
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: complete assigned readings on time

1. My greatest strengths in Rhetoric & Composition I include: understanding difficult concepts, clearly communicating my ideas, paying attention and contributing in class
2. For greater success in this course, I need to: make sure I fulfill all the requirements for assignments, complete assigned readings on time

Computer skills

1. My computer skills include: Photoshop, video editing, troubleshooting, modding video games, HTML and CSS+
2. I still need to learn: various game making tools such as Game Maker Studio and Unreal Engine 4

Research & writing skills

1. My greatest strengths as a researcher/writer include: finding useful sources, formatting correctly, going beyond simply summarizing my sources
2. I need to work on these aspects of research and writing: inserting enough quotes and evidence to support my points, eliminating run-on sentences
3. I learn best & accomplish most when: I have a clear enough knowledge of key concepts to formulate and communicate my own ideas

ACTION PLAN: Disabled Bodies at the Edge of Justice

My biggest struggle in this class is performing well on tests and quizzes. I have difficulty predicting what will be on the tests and often find I’ve studied the wrong things, or I’m just plain unprepared. I can work towards solving this problem by:

1. Doing the assigned readings when they are assigned, not later on

2. Taking notes while I read

3. Going over and reorganizing my notes multiple times throughout the semester

4. Reading chapters more than once throughout the semester

5. Focusing more on key concepts and ideas than historical facts

6. Talking to the professor after class or during office hours about the tests

7. Talking to classmates about the readings and key concepts

8. Forming a study group

9. Reviewing the posted study guides

10. Creating my own study guide

If I want to perform better than I am right now, I must put in more work than I am right now.