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Author   Topic : "How do you get a job as a character designer?"
XandGash
member


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Joined: 17 Feb 2001
Posts: 156
Location: Boston, MASS, U.S.A.

PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2001 3:10 pm     Reply with quote
Right now I'm doing the runaround route to this. I'm working on a comic book, so that I can get published. I want to get my book popular enough that I can sell the license to a game company and be heavily involved in the production, leading to full on game making. There are a few flaws to this plan. The first is starting out with comics. If I develop a large fanbase, they'll be disappointed if I stop doing comics, or worse, pass it off to a less skilled artist (not that I'm all that) The second is that I'm not likely to get the game produced by the company I most want to work for (Square). The third is time. In comic form, my story takes 25 years to tell. If my plan for getting it made into a game, which would speed things up considerably, doesn't work, I have to get published by the end of 2001. My story involves a possible storyline for the history and future of the universe. The unfolding of events revolves around the theory that the asteroid that will make a close pass in 2027 could actually hit us. I want to end the series before the asteroid comes close, so that I can leave people wondering.

The comic thing is my biggest chance right now, but I really want to do games (writing, designing...). My only other visible option would be to get work somewhere as a character designer and get someone to take me seriously about my story. Does anyone know of how I could do this? Or if someone is already working as a character designer, could you give me some insight into how you got a job? I'm sitting on a story that could potentially have a larger following than Star Wars a Dragonball Z combined. The world wouldn't be the same without it.
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delo
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Joined: 10 May 2001
Posts: 35

PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2001 5:38 pm     Reply with quote
unfortunately, the games industry in the western world is not as neatly regimented as that in japan. it is next to impossible to find a job that will bear the sole title 'character designer' here in the states (unlike, of course, japan, where that title as well as 'mecha designer' et al are pretty common). the vast majority of 'any' design in western games is done by lead artists or sketched out by art directors, and then parceled out to the artist team for completion and realization. to get any of those positions you also have to know at least one major modelling program or photoshop (which you would be using for texture generation, not cg character design) or both.
also, very few japanese companies will work with american licenses in their games, and square? never. you're better off picking a path that you personally will get more satisfaction from; either become a professional comics artist or a professional gaming artist. there aren't enough hours in the day to be become the top of your field in both.
d

[ May 19, 2001: Message edited by: delo ]
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