How To Get Hired At a AAA Studio

How To Get Hired At a AAA Studio

Alejandro Rodriguez and Horia Dociu of ArenaNet recently sat down with us and filled us in on tips to building a killer portfolio, things to expect during the interview process, how to stand out as an applicant and what kind of artists are most sought after.

First, a little background on our interviewees.

Alejandro Rodriguez

Alejandro re-joined ArenaNet in 2016, after working with WB Games, Glu Mobile, and Microsoft. With a background in art and training from industry professionals, he is resolute in building and maintaining outstanding art teams who are passionate about the worlds they create. Alejandro is always looking for opportunities to grow, learn something new, improve his own art, and ways to help other artists to better the industry as a whole.

Horia Dociu

Horia Dociu joined ArenaNet back in 2003, coming off of Half-Life 2 development at Valve Software. Having shipped five Guild Wars titles in eight years, Horia branched out to console development, Art Directing the PS4 launch title, Infamous: Second Son. After four years with Sony, Horia's admiration for the Guild Wars universe and art brought him back to ArenaNet, with renewed excitement to help push the brand forward artistically, attracting and inviting new fans into the rich world he had a part in creating.

Q. Getting to work for a big AAA studio/publisher such as ArenaNet is a dream for many, what is the single best way to get noticed or get your resume to stand out among other applicants?

Horia:

The truth is that a resume is always the second thing we look at, and truthfully, it's just to see if someone can hold down a job. The real important thing to any artist's success is having a solid portfolio. The best advice I ever received was that "your portfolio should look like you've already done the job you're applying for". If we need a killer environment artist, and you've got full-on screenshots of fleshed out environments composed in a commercial engine (Unreal, Unity etc), it looks like you've done the job we're trying to fill (even if you've never technically been employed). That's a huge plus for hardworking artists who need a first break. Of course it is essential for a candidate to show a great understanding of art fundamentals and technical execution, but the ability to finish artwork at a consistently high quality in a context that looks like you've worked on a game is what will seal the deal.

Art by: Theo Prins Concept Artist- ArenaNet

We are interested in an artist that is always growing and striving for improvement. If you've been in the industry for a decade but you're not up on the latest tech, it shows you've plateaued and you'll likely be passed up. If you're applying for a first job, it's important to get across an attitude of wanting to learn through a cover letter or interview, because at that stage, the fact that you've got a lot of potential to grow is one of your most competitive assets.

Above all though, just don't be a rude jerk. Any emails or personal interactions need to be highly professional. Don't let the action figures and nerf guns fool you, game jobs are serious jobs, and mutual respect is a must. On a personal note, also try to convey an approachable and collaborative personality, or no one will want to spend 40 hours a week with you. We pride ourselves, here at ArenaNet, on only hiring nice people to work with, and no amount of talent will change our mind into hiring a rude dude.

Q. Once an application catches your eye or you discover someone online, can you explain the process that follows from there, leading up to the potential job offer?

Alejandro:

The interview process for most game studios all the way up to job offer is generally the following:

Recruiter Contact / Prescreen - after a process of determining if the candidate's art and skill are a fit for the studio, a recruiter will reach out to the artist for an initial interview, this is called a pre-screen. At this time, initial concerns will be addressed such as culture fit, work history, and willingness to join the team.

Art Test (if needed) - studio teams need a reassurance that the artist can join the current studio pipeline and quickly ramp up to be an efficient contributor to the project. Some studios waive this step and use the artist's resume and portfolio as a guide.

Art by: Jamie Ro Lead Concept Artist- ArenaNet

Hiring Manager Phone Screen - at this step, an art lead or art director will speak with the artist to determine culture and technical fit. During this step, the art hiring manager will delve deep into artist's process and work history.

In House Interview - once the art lead determines the artist's ability to work with the team, it is now time to prove the same to the rest of the team. During this step, the art team will determine if the artist is a technical, culture, and studio fit for themselves.

Offer Extended – The artist is to be extended an offer by a member of the team. This offer normally is in writing.

Horia:

One tip about interviews that a lot of junior artists don't think about is that you're also interviewing the company. Of course you should do whatever you can to get that first gig, but you'll then want to ensure that each future job is always a better fit for you personally. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the process or culture of the studio.

If you're going to spend 40 hours here every week, we want to make sure that you're at a place that fits your personal goals too. All of our leads invest a lot of time in fostering the personal and artistic growth of employees, at all levels and all departments. It's in the benefit of our company that we not only hire people with the highest potential, but that we can also retain them, and give them a path to grow at ArenaNet!

Q. The percentage of artists who end up with an offer compared to all the others who fall through the cracks along the way is usually pretty slim - (if you can share that number, it would be pretty insightful) what are some common reasons artists will get the boot during the process?

Alejandro:

It is true that the percentage of artists who end up with an offer compared to all others is very slim, culture fit is a big reason why equality skilled artists might be hired or be passed on. It's not always about how good the artist's technical skills are, but how that artist will fit the dynamic of a studio or add to the critique and development process.

Q. Do you have tips for applicants on how to have a great phone/in-person interview?

Alejandro:

Be true to yourself and have enthusiasm for your art, this carries on into your words and inspires the art lead to believe in your passion. It is also important to show genuine interest in what the studio is developing, art leads want to hire someone who will bring in passion their projects.


Art by: Carlyn Lim Concept Artist- ArenaNet

Horia:

Be polite and be humble. This sounds obvious, but we'll stop perusing a candidate without hesitation if we feel that their attitude is going to be a problem. There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance. The most talented, skilled, and intelligent people I've ever met in my career, were also some of the most humble and easy to talk to. Making games is a team sport, so it's important to show your enthusiasm for learning, growing, sharing, and pushing yourself to do a great job. Your reward will be getting to work with people that share those same values!

Q. This obviously varies between projects and studios slightly, but what is the typical ratio between the various types of artists and other developers within a game development team?

Alejandro:

These numbers vary between studios but the ratio will be somewhat similar to the one below:

Environment art - 9%

Character art - 6%

Concept art – 3 %

Animator - 5%

UI artist – 2%

FX – 2%

Total 27% art

Some studios place greater emphasis on certain departments, such as design, art, engineering, or any of the others. However, you will notice that large studios devote around 30% of their overall team to the development of visual assets.

Q. What is the artistic position in highest demand? Lowest? How do you see that changing in the future?

Alejandro:

Highest demand is always tech related - tech art and anything else involving tech - the more technical an art job is the more in demand there is. Today its technical artists and VFX artists.

Art by: Tsveta Komaticheva Concept Artist- ArenaNet

Game art is getting more procedural and modular, we are using more computer algorithms, scan data, and outsourcing to generate the huge amount of content our games demand. If you are an artist, you will need to know how to be even more integrated with the technology that is being developed now.

Naughty Dog's Andrew Maximov gave a great talk on this subject - The Future of Art Production in Game

Horia:

Alejandro is totally right, but as one of the least technical people at ArenaNet, I'll speak for the other end of the spectrum. A procedural painting or song won't bring a tear to your eye or fill you with joy. Tools and tech are a means to an end, so for me, what I look for and always favor when I'm hiring artists is their artistic eye. You can teach anyone the basic use of any digital art tools, but the creative way an artist will lay out a map to inducer vertigo in the player, or light a map to imbue it with an eerie feeling is something that no algorithm can replace. So keep that eye sharp, and be your own harsh critic, because that's the edge that creative people have. If you're just going to do a by-the-numbers modeling job from a photo, that's work that will be going to an outsource house. We need creative minds and critical thinkers.

Art by: Zhengyi Wang Concept Artist- ArenaNet

For 3D artist, there's the most amount of work in environment art, so that's where a majority of the jobs are. Each game has a handful of characters, but the terrain is ever-changing, and it takes a lot of people to make it gorgeous at scale. What is in lowest demand? There hasn't been a ton of need for "sexy anime babe designers" at any of the companies I've worked for… yet somehow a huge portion of work I see on digital art sites is just images of scantily-clad, buxom, sweaty, anime babes. Draw and model whatever makes you happy, but just know there's not a whole lot of demand for that stuff in the professional field.

Q. Formal education vs self-taught - do studios care?

Alejandro:

Hiring managers and recruiters do not worry about a degree when it comes to considering candidates for art roles. It is all about ability to work with a team and overall talent.

Horia:

We do not care. But if you're a student looking to get into games, you've got to be honest with yourself. Some people are amazingly focused and are able to parse through tons of discordant information on the web, and have the grit to stick to a self-made career plan. Others benefit greatly from the structure and content breadth a solid college programs can offer, even making the debt worthwhile. But the through-line for both of these methods of learning is that you'll only get what you put in. Not an ounce more. A college is not a carwash where you just sit back and expect to be good by the time you come out on the other end. Nor can you take the attitude that "everything I need is all online, I can do it whenever"… that's a trap. You've got to be aggressive and hungry, organized and diligent, and you've got to have non-biased people reviewing your stuff constantly. Whether it's a professor, or a credible art forum community, you need to get your butt kicked… often. Then you gotta get back on the horse and learn from each critique. Your mom might hang all of your art up on the fridge, but employers are a just a tiny little bit more picky.

Q. Any final words for artists out there who might be just starting out and are interested in working in the gaming industry?

Alejandro:

Understand that no one is born as the best artist; everyone who has "made it" is a human being just like you. It takes time, dedication, perseverance, presence of mind, self-reflection, and a desire to always improve.

Many artists might be able to render you under the table, but one of the main qualities that makes a great artist is their understanding of design and art fundamentals.

Getting good at art is a marathon not a race.

It is important to not become jaded in our industry, setbacks will happen and mistakes will be made but do not allow those life events to lead you in a negative path. Learn from those and become a better person because of them.

Horia:

Having your hobby become a job is hard for people; it's emotionally draining. It's easy to get art-depressed, thinking that you'll never improve. Conversely, it's easy to get in an echo chamber, getting hyped on your own work, never seeing mistakes, and not growing. But trait all the successful people I admire have in common is that they're constantly "putting miles on the car". Do work. Constantly. Make stuff that is beautiful, make stuff that you care about, make stuff that challenges you. Take a moment to look back at each piece and learn a lesson. Plan your next piece to be a little better, but don't linger. Just keep working. Time will not make you better. After all, you don't get miles on the car by keeping in the garage for ten years. There's not replacement for learning through doing. So… just do it.

Be mindful of your lack of improvement, if a studio sees someone with 6 titles shipped, yet no obvious improvement over the last few titles' work, that tells us a lot about that person's ability to keep up with the ever-increasing quality curve in our industry. As people mature in their career, their skillset needs to reflect that.