Hello guys I need some advice I want to get a job in game design I have a BA multimedia and now and MA Design and digital media. I am trying to put together some work to start sending to companies in the uk.
Is it possible to give some advice to what i have to put in my Showreel?
What is needed for a game design job? Do you need to be also a good in drawing?
Also can i have some more info about what the design documents contain?
thanks you
Hiya.
I’m no expert, but I’d assume that a demoreel for a game designer would include video/shots of games I’ve made using available tools, as well as “mods” for existing games (Unreal, Quake, DOOM, etc.). If I was hireing someone for a game design job, I’d want to know, first and foremost, what they’ve actually done in terms of game modification (or design, if they have). There are a lot of game engines out there that are either free or very affordable (3D Game Studio, DarkBASIC Pro, Cipher, Torque, etc.).
In addition to games or mods that you may have worked on, the important thing to show employers is a set of completed design docs. This is the recipe for the game that gets written before the programming and modeling start. You have to show that you are organized, clear-thinking, creative, and have an understanding of how games work. To be honest, it will be very difficult to be hired as a game designer right away. You may want to consider jobs like beta-testing or in-house QA. This allows you to get known by the producers and gives you a way to communicate your “great ideas” into a real game production.
But I don’t write this to discourage you. In fact, I got into the biz by writing character dialogue. The rest came later. Keep after the jobs, and in the meantime write design docs. You can find some samples on the igda.org forums.
–Kogor
thank you both for your advice
kogor the site looks very good thx. Also it funny you said about QA coz that is was my last job I was QA on Colin Mcrae 2005 for 3 months
This is from Lucas Arts… I forget where I got it from. Hope it helps.
WHAT DO WE WANT TO SEE IN A DEMO REEL?
Animation
---------
Show weight, balance, timing. Basic motions like lifting, sawing, pulling,
pushing, and interacting with scene elements as opposed to simply running,
jumping, or walking.
Modeling
--------
Reality is the key here. If it is a human it should look like a human. Show
a sense of proportion and detail unless youre going for a stylized cartoon
look.
Lighting
--------
Should create a mood or atmosphere. Dont have over-lit scenes just to show
off your models.
Camera
------
Have an effective transition without leaving the viewer in a state of vertigo.
Have a nice flow between shots to help the viewer understand what is going on.
General
-------
Show your best work only. Show your best work first. Demo reels should not be
longer than 5 minutes.
Show each work once. No need to repeat the same piece.
Use good judgment on music or audio that accompanies the work. Didnt someone
say, The audience is listening?
Spend the time to do at least one thing really, really well. Everyone has a
walk cycle - how do you make your reel stand out? Model an object with high
precision and high quality texture maps.
Work on lighting. This seems to be the most overlooked thing on a demo. Show
how lighting adds mood or excitement to a scene or how it can be used to
increase efficiency by reducing the number of elements that need to be built
in a scene.
Use good textures. Are your textures appropriate for the model, or are they
just the ones that come with the software? Show that you can create your own
textures and have good judgment on how to use them. Do they add detail that
otherwise would have to have been modeled?
Show wire frames of models. Wire frames show whether you hacked the model
together or built true shapes and forms. They also show how efficient you
are as a modeler.
Show low-poly work if you want to get into games. Hi-res work is glamorous,
but most games are low, low poly work.
Have high quality (dye-sub) prints made of your work. Low res ntsc video
wont do justice to your environments.
Fix any technical problems. Dont have any dropped frames or animation
spikes in your work.
Yes But Lucas also has a tendancy of poping in a Demo reel and skimming it for something new and unique that grabs their attention.
That being said, If what your offering is something new or unique, or masterfully skillfull it will get noticed.
If it’s cut and dry same as the rest you’ll most likely be skipped over.
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