Time to get serious

The final decision making is getting closer.

The end of the year is really what's doing it since so many courses in schools will be beginning in January. The choices are fairly narrow, but it has been hard to focus on what would be best.  A new school called The Art Department has come into play with the added bonus of being in Kansas City, MO, only 15 minutes away.  This would allow me to remain living where I am without worrying about the cost of living that I do when thinking of attending Gnomon (in Hollywood) and VFS (in Vancouver).

I don't know if The Art Department is the best for me compared to the others, but I have more to think about than just what I would like to do.  I don't have money burning a hole in my pocket or anywhere else in my clothes to be honest.  My goal is to get good connections, yes, but it is also to get a portfolio geared to Game Design.  I believe that almost any place that I attend will help me to do that and the work at The Art Department is impressive enough to make me feel confident in attending.

I've also been trying to go to different places for information.  I've been reading a lot of gaming magazines (not platform specific or company specific ones) to see what has been new and interesting in the industry.  Obviously a few games have been chatted up more than others - Like Assassin's Creed III (which I would love to play), but I am learning a lot about the smaller game companies that are out there making new and interesting games that are forcing the larger boys to sit up and take notice.  Its important to know that there are more options for me than just EA Games or Nintendo to look at.  On top of that, more and more girls are getting some respect.

If you know me at all, you know that I have been involved in a lot of industries that have had a larger percentage of males than females.  It started with comic books (I was the ONLY girl in the department while attending School of Visual Arts) and then moved on to animation and then to anime/sci-fi and fantasy conventions.  My first convention was Otakon and there was only me and I think two other girls there.  It has changed in anime of course, with the amount of girls now outnumbering the boys, but in industries like comics and sci-fi/fantasy art, it is still more males than females.  This is still the same for game design, but there appears to be a certain amount of respect for 'gamer girls' for many (though not as much as there should be).

There are scholarships for girls getting into gaming and a lot of opportunities to get in there.  This was a great thing to learn.  It means I have options.  Ones that I don't think I would get in an industry like comic books which appears to still have a lot of issues with having women holding the art brush. 

I have a few books I've picked up as well and I'm going through them to get as much information as I can.  I know that no matter what school I attend, a lot is going to depend on what I bring to the table.  I can't just sit back and do the assignments - I have to really focus myself and my work so all of it is funneling to that portfolio that's going to get me a job in pre-production.  Sure, it would be great to start working now, but I don't know that I am ready for that - that my art skills are well geared for it.  I would rather come on strong instead of hearing, "Well, I think you have a good start here.  Come back after you do some more work..."  I've been told so far that I have a lot of good skills to start, but I need more work.  So, no point in wasting time looking for a job I won't get and instead, spending the time doing the work so I can get a job.

But speaking of games... I saw Wreck-It-Ralph today.  It was a lot of fun thanks to all the retro game references.  The animation was also interesting as the more pixel-version characters moved differently than the fully rendered ones in the more modern games.

Having said that, I can't say it was the best animated film I have ever seen.  I enjoyed it and it was good and I had a good time watching it, but I would find it hard to say it was better than movies like Toy Story 2 or Monsters Inc.  I will say, after spending so much time in the Sugar Rush game, I was feeling pretty hungry for candy!  (I will add though, that I did really enjoy the animated short "Paper Man" which was a beautiful and sweetly done piece with a slight retro style.)


With things like Wreck-It-Ralph out there though, it means that video games are becoming relevant in mainstream, the way comics have been.  More movies will be coming out that are based on video games and that is a good thing.  It means I am entering an industry that has legs to keep moving forward and is finding new ways to keep us addicted to the entertainment.  That's the type of thing I want to be a part of and making better.  I'm hoping that what ever decision I make regarding my schools and future plans, all will lead to exactly that.