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| Students playing "Undertakers" at Columbia College's Manifest 2013 |
My teaching philosophy is rooted in the practical realities
of working in the games industry for over two decades. Throughout the process
of making games, interviewing and hiring hundreds of artists, building art
teams, and surviving the churn & rapid change in the industry, I've developed what I would call a realist philosophy.
For those art students seeking to work for a major game
developer or publisher, competition for jobs is at an all-time high. Only the
most dedicated individuals with rich portfolios demonstrating a balance between
strong art fundamentals and advanced technical skills are being considered by
the top studios.
If students wish to pursue the rapidly growing sector of
Indie game development, here again only the most creative, prolific, and
differentiated individuals will find it possible to sustain a career.
It is for these reasons that I see my goal as closing the
gap between expectations and the reality of what students can expect after they
graduate. Learning needs to be role-focused, so the skills obtained directly
relate to work they will do as professionals. Following is a list of the
techniques I apply toward these goals.
1) Integrate
art fundamentals at every step of technical instruction – Creating art in a
software package is different from creating a visual aesthetic. Without a solid
grounding in visual theory (contrast & affinity, space, line & shape,
tone, color, etc.) many students do not attain the ability to precisely control
their work to achieve a specific outcome. These skills need to be reinforced
and applied at every stage of their work.
2) Create
a culture of feedback & critique – This is done both in the
instructor/student level as well as the classroom community. Critique helps
students prepare for professional environments where taking direction is
required function of the job. Helping students detach ego from their work is
part of this, and will result in a stronger portfolio and the knowledge of how
to critique others in a positive manner.
3) Provide
a platform for experiential learning – There is undoubtedly a large amount
of information that must be imparted to students learning technical skills. To
this end lecture is often unavoidable. However wherever possible I believe it’s
better for students to gain experience in the process of setting their own
goals within time constraints, delivering results, and allowing them to repeat
this loop as often as possible. Quite simply this is what they’ll be doing
continually in their professional lives.
4) Focus
on building a robust portfolio – Whenever practical, every visual project
undertaken in a class should produce portfolio-worthy work. I try to let
students make the work uniquely theirs to elevate their attachment &
investment. In a four year program, students ideally should finish with dozens
of diverse & compelling work examples, curated from hundreds of attempted
pieces. I impress this metric on every student I meet.
5) Teach
the importance of building community – Nearly equal to visual &
technical skills is the ability to effectively communicate and work in a
cross-discipline team setting. The best artists in the world still need to
collaborate and interact to be successful, both in local and the global
communities. I relate my experiences (both successes and mistakes), show
students what professional branding is, and demonstrate why building strong
industry connections is crucial to their future.
The professional games industry is an exceptionally
challenging, often difficult place to establish and maintain a career.
Statistics have shown that the average length of a game developer’s career is
around 5-7 years before they burn out.
My goal is to give students the tools, resources, and skills
they need to avoid the pitfalls, and give them the foresight to know what’s
ahead so they can be successful & happy professionals. I believe the return
on their educational investment is of paramount importance.
