Tips for working as a video game designer
By J.T. Buchheit
Far Cry 4 is one of the many titles that Megan Hobby has worked
on. The poster above is signed by the animation team who worked on
the game.
Photo courtesy of Megan Hobby.
Students aspiring to land jobs in the gaming industry gathered in the Regnier Center to listen to Megan Hobby, an animator for RedStorm, which is a UbiSoft Entertainment company. Hobby appeared on Skype from her conference room in North Carolina on Monday, March 9, speaking about different facets of video game animation.
“I think it’s really important for students to be able to talk to professionals in the industry,” said event coordinator Aaron Garrison, a professor in the animation department. “It’s also important to get an idea what work culture is like in the career path they’re choosing and to be able to ask technical questions that might not be able to be asked directly in a classroom.”
One piece of advice given by Hobby was that in order to be hired in the gaming design profession, it helps if one is connected to somebody presently working in the industry; thus, networking is considered extremely beneficial.
“Me and Megan both went to the same college,” said Garrison. “We worked on the same projects together and were in a lot of the same classes, and we’ve stayed in touch since then.”
Due to the enormous amount of people looking for a job in the gaming industry, being hired is notoriously difficult. Hobby gave a few pieces of advice that Garrison passed on to increase the likelihood of being hired for a job.
“I think the number-one thing that stood out to me is the way that her portfolios and showreels are visually presented to potential employers,” said Garrison. “She mentioned that to keep it short, simple and to the point was very important. I think defining the way of a work culture is also very important … You have to make sure you have those intrapersonal skills as well.”
Hobby told students quite a few interesting facts about video game animation, and many of the viewers hope to take advantage of what she said and use it to help further their career paths.