Strengths & Weaknesses
Professional Qualities
Despite the obvious differences among the various professions within this specific industry, it is possible to identify and asses certain characteristics and qualities that are generally shared by all those who are respected in their fields and those we would recognise as “good professionals” – we would label this overall set of traits professionalism.
A good professional seeks to continue learning while practicing the profession by doing the necessary research to handle new situations and issues as they arise; as taught as a crucial part of the first year final major project, bugs, errors, and other issues will always appear over the course of larger projects, especially when they involve collaboration with colleagues over a multitude of devices and software. In turn, I try to follow the advances in this field, in terms of technological expertise and technique. For as long as I pursue a career in the games industry, I plan to ever-expand my theoretical and experimental knowledge of the profession.
Likewise, a good professional seeks advice as needed from others both in their field and in other fields, and is interested in learning from anyone who can provide an insight to help them expand their knowledge in their work. Again, using the first year final major project as a prime example, I sought advice from both staff and peers in and around my chosen field to better my own body of work. More specifically, despite focusing on environment modelling as the defined pathway stated in my project proposal, I made sure to receive detailed advice on scene lighting and setup, to further my knowledge in and around my own field.
On the other hand, a good professional is fair in dealing with others and honors their commitments even when it might seem contrary to his own advantage; they do not lie or cheat. To summarise this particular professional flaw, I do not go out of my own way to help my peers unless they seek specific and direct advice – I also cut corners when attempting to achieve a high quality product, through various means. For example, my final body of work goes through a somewhat intense post-processing stage via Adobe Photoshop to create the best possible outcome for the exhibition. Although this is not frowned upon in the games industry, the exhibition board does not represent the true body of work produced for real-time gameplay.
Similarly, a good professional understands that their professional work is a part of their life and not their whole life. They do not neglect other parts of their life (e.g. family, social, cultural, etc.) due to excessive dedication to professional activity; they may achieve this by dividing their use of physical and mental energy, reserving energy for the other aspects of their life. Whether it be fortunate or unfortunate, I personally struggle to separate professional work from hobbies which may lead to a ‘burn-out’ or unfinished projects.
Technique and Methodology
Mastery of the knowledge, expertise and skills that are used in a given profession – technical competence – is absolutely essential for professionalism but must be assessed in conjunction before considering them for a position in the workplace. To remain a good professional, then, a person needs to acquire both the technical expertise required by their field as well as a good number of positive professional qualities; it is the balance between virtue and vice, and technical competence that determine the potential of a professional.
As any effective environment artist should, I seek to continue learning while practicing the profession by doing the necessary research to handle new situations and issues as they arise. For instance, despite not knowing the best way to produce high-quality, realistic materials for my scene, I was determined to find a method that worked. As of February 2019, I did not know how to create advanced materials in Substance Designer for use in the final major project. However, over the course of the 11 weeks provided, I’ve managed to maintain steady progress, from research to practical development, while also learning new and improved methods for achieving the final high-quality goal, including the most effective ways to create high resolution, natural materials. In conclusion, I believe I’m efficient in independent studying and am able to learn new methods to old ideas quickly; this is especially important in the games industry due to its ever-evolving nature.
With familiarity in 3D Studio Max, Substance Designer, Painter, and Unreal Engine 4, I feel I am well equipped to create a large but high quality project if I remain organised and well-versed in the methods I’ve been taught over the last 2 years. Using these skills, I plan to create a small game demo over the summer holidays, which will consist of a small environment, props, basic game-play function (character movement, melee attack, health system, etc.), and a day/night cycle. With knowledge of up to date production pipelines, I hope to emulate the most efficient processes while developing this minor project – these key skills should be reflected in my portfolio by September.
In contrast, there are plenty of areas or fields of profession that could absolutely benefit from more focused and repetitive work. For instance, though my knowledge of Substance Designer may be adequate for the first year final major project, there are still fundamental skills I’m missing to be able to work on more advanced, intricate, or broader projects. Following Alllegorithmic’s tutorial series would provide a more in-depth insight to the potential that software has to offer. This method of thinking can be applied to all software expertise as there is always room for improvement, no matter the experience or position in the workplace.
As discussed over the course of the first year final major project, time management is crucial to a successful and effective product, therefore it’s important to remain organised throughout the duration of the task, through a multitude of means. For example, in 2018, it was suggested that my colleagues and myself utilise the features offered by Trello to record and compare our progress against both the action plan and our peers. Whereas, in 2019, we were directed toward more independent methods of self evaluation and documentation. This is a key skill I will need to focus on over the next 5 years, and something I’ve been avoiding for the last 2 years.
Personal Qualities
Unlike professional qualities that can be measured, like computer programming skills or 3D modelling knowledge, personal skills are soft skills – intangible qualities or traits that enhance day to day interactions. The category itself is just as, if not more, important to a job role or position in the workplace, although a mixture of both is essential for success in any profession. Those who are respected in their fields, and who we deem professionals, posses strong personal skills and are able to communicate ideas concisely, and listen well to others.
Game art, and the games industry as a whole, is a difficult profession to tap into straight from education; like almost any career, it can be gritty, cruel, and largely unpleasant to challenge. The odds of succeeding in this broad spectrum are slim, and more often than not, the key to success is the connections a social group has collectively – hard facts and harsh truths are difficult to process for almost anyone. However, with great ambition and plenty of hard work, I plan to break into this career path head first. I am determined to succeed, no matter the odds; I will take up challenges others won’t and overcome obstacles that stand in my way.
What I often refer to as ‘luck’ is my willingness to learn new things and logical problem solving skills; these two coupled together have gotten me through the last two years of independent studies and final major projects. Despite not having solid knowledge of common programming languages such as C# or C++, I’m more confident in the logic-based graphs utilised in Unreal Engine’s blueprint event graphs, and Substance Designer, than I am in my creative abilities. Exploiting these two attributes leads to technical competency and confidence in this profession.
Everybody uses interpersonal skills every day. Strongly associated with emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills in a professional context are attributes that are used to understand people and their ability to process knowledge to achieve the best results in their respected field. They are required to work collaboratively, communicate effectively, and display the commitment and work ethic that is necessary to succeed. Although this category can be divided into a long array or basic attributes a professional can posses, I believe, as a whole, that this area of soft skills is something that I need to work on the most before breaking into the industry. For me personally, communicating can be extremely challenging, and to help me solve this issue, I’ve begun to privately tutor GCSE subjects to multiple students in hopes of gaining confidence regarding conversation.
Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking; it presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. As an artist who is determined to succeed in their respective fields, it’s not uncommon to self-criticise one’s own work, and for the most part, it can be a healthy and effective form of self improvement. However, after a certain point, this attribute becomes an unhealthy habit and can negatively affect a professional’s work ethic and ability. I believe I can be over critical of my own work and of those around me, and is another area of soft skills or a personal quality that I will need to improve upon by the time I start University.
Skills Audit
Education & Training
As requested from these slides, I have filled out the template provided with my official qualifications, as of 24.05.19, plus the predicted grade for the first year of UAL’s Level 3 Games Development – all listed subjects are evidenced by GCSE certificates dating July 2015. It should be noted that these qualifications have been ordered by relevance to the profession I am pursuing, and that UAL grade D is not equivalent to the standard GCSE or A-Level D. Outside of the selected certificates stated above, I have achieved a total of 10+ GCSEs and/or GCSE equivalents graded A*- C, including: IT, Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Religious Education, Physical Education, German, and Games Development.
Games Development Skills
The table depicted above consists of a breakdown of the key skills I have learnt over the past 2 years; this assessment of ability focuses on games development as a whole, rather than the generic professional and personal qualities evaluated prior. As the chart encourages, these skills have been cateogrised appropriately and have been rated between 1 and 4, in regards to specific proficiency. Some software has been repeated so that I’m able to pinpoint particular expertise and provide a more precise rating, as one package may provide a multitude of services. For instance, Adobe Photoshop can be used for both 2D digital sketching but can also be utilised for post processing visual effects and photo editing.
As the ratings suggest, my personal strengths remain in use of 3D Studio Max for modelling and unwrapping, as well as Substance Painter for material application and smart material production. Likewise, I’m also confident in my use of Adobe Photoshop for post processing visual effects and photo editing, as well as Substance Designer for logic-based material creation. In contrast, I have almost no experience sculpting in ZBrush or Unity for general use – although these can be learnt as easily as anything I studied over the course of the first year final major project, they are key areas that require great improvement over the next couple of years. In conclusion, an artist can’t be proficient in everything but they can always try their best; there is always room for improvement.
Transferable Skills
Unlike soft skills and personal qualities that cannot be measured, like punctuality and problem solving, transferable skills are hard skills – tangible qualities or abilities that collectively lead to technical competency. The category is an important part to almost any technical job role or position no matter the profession or field of work, and can be game-changing bonuses for any University or employer. As stated previously, those who are respected in their fields, and who we deem professionals, posses both strong soft and hard skills. These abilities include categories such as IT expertise, communication, and team working attributes.
Evaluation
I believe all of this critiquing and personal evaluation can be quite helpful for self-discovery, and could provide a much better understanding of one’s self through assessing one’s professional qualities or personal attributes. However, it is an extremely unreliable source of reference for self-improvement and can sometimes prove more damaging than beneficial – a professional should always seek the critique of others both within and outside of their own field, rather than rely on their own warped views of themselves and their capabilities. For instance, I may perceive my ability to work with online documents as proficient because I have no experience in the real world within this harsh industry, but in reality, I could have only just scratched the surface of this software’s potential. Therefore, satisfied with my warped view of my capabilities, I may not pursue improvement in said field, which will in turn reduce the probability of success – whether that be in applying for a University, or seeking full-time work. In conclusion, assessing your own capabilities against your own knowledge may be unreliable, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
Level 3 Year 2 