Well, I've been drawing my entire life, creating everything from sprites, backgrounds, tilesets,animated short films, to manga, and I have a love for video games, so it seems like an obvious choice to become an artist in the gaming industry right? Well, I'm also a composer of videogame music, and I also want to be a game designer..hm. So my question is, what should I do as a career? I've started a few games, creating the concepts, sounds, music, and art myself (though it was using GM's built in language, so I can't exactly say I'm a programmer). However, this is no career, I need to specialize in something if I want to get anywhere, I can't just say "I'LL DO EVERYTHING". So long story short, where would I fit within the gaming industry, and which am I better at between art and music? Alright, first of all, here's were I stand as an artist.(though there are no example of sprites or tilesets here.) http://kiyru.deviantart.com/gallery/ And here's where I stand with music. http://www.myspace.com/451771111 Some smaller midis and melodies. http://midishrine.com/midi/31786.mid http://midishrine.com/midi/31787.mid http://midishrine.com/midi/31788.mid http://midishrine.com/midi/31789.mid http://midishrine.com/midi/32005.mid http://midishrine.com/midi/32006.mid http://midishrine.com/midi/32007.mid

Wow. I'm really blown away with your music, I love it. (And I'm generally not a fan of that type of music.) Really I think it depends on what field you have the most fun in. It appears as though you could be a good concept artist as well, but honestly, to me, it looks like you should specialize in music if anything and begin expanding your skill-set into different genres and everything else.

The choice is up to you honestly. I love the beginning of "Gear" though, I can't get over that. Do you play the guitar and do the drums yourself?

I think the important question is: what sort of career do you want? Where do you want to see yourself working, and in that job what do you see yourself doing?

If you were considering the indie RPG market for example, if you draw 2D manga and compose like your portfolio as well as use Game Maker, you've actually got the entire skillset to make a game like Cute Knight. I think a 2D artist/musician with their own game portfolio could get some good contract work, if you wanted to go down that route. Heck, in a year or so if I get my act together indie development wise, I might be interested in partnering up with someone with that combo.

Whatever you choose, I certainly wouldn't give up either of music composition or drawing if you enjoy them. While I can see some point in focusing on one or the other, I think the combination has a lot of strength.

Halifax2: Haha, you're the first person to ever give me a straight answer between the two. Also, all the music is made digitally with FL studio, none of the instruments are real.

Trapper Zoid: Like most artists I simply want to end up in a position that allows creative control over larger projects. Art and music is fine and dandy, but it's frustrating to work on a game that you know is extremely flawed due to bad design choices, and it's especially frustrating when you're work simply get's thrown into the artistic melting pot. Though that's not as true with music, so if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose music over art.

However, as I said I want to be in a position of creative control.

Right now I know that with time I could make a great game by myself. In fact, I've already created and programmed the building blocks for a 2d action rpg platformer and written a great story for it, all I need is the time to make the game. But, I need a job in order to support myself while I work on my own projects, and I suppose that's where art and music come in. A complete game might lead to a position that allows me creative control in the future, but before that I need to get into the industry, and I need to be financially stable.

So ignoring game design as a career for a second, between art and music which would I be better suited to? And in general, what should I do in order to be successful at either?

Quote: Original post by Kiiryu
Trapper Zoid: Like most artists I simply want to end up in a position that allows creative control over larger projects. Art and music is fine and dandy, but it's frustrating to work on a game that you know is extremely flawed due to bad design choices, and it's especially frustrating when you're work simply get's thrown into the artistic melting pot. Though that's not as true with music, so if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose music over art.

However, as I said I want to be in a position of creative control.

I know the feeling. [grin]

Unfortunately, I'm not the best person to be giving artistic career advice (I'm a programmer, briefly a game programmer, went back into academia, now looking to develop indie games at least part-time, not experienced at all in the business so I'm speaking from second-hand knowledge when it comes to most career paths, third-hand for anything not local [wink]).

If your true passion is in composing music, then my instinct is that it would be folly to ignore that. There's a drawback though if you're interested in design; composers commonly work as contractors rather than as the core part of a game development team, because there usually isn't enough music work to fully occupy a composer's time over the life of a project. That's why, admittedly through an indie lens, I can see merit in being both a composer and 2D artist.

Quote: Right now I know that with time I could make a great game by myself. In fact, I've already created and programmed the building blocks for a 2d action rpg platformer and written a great story for it, all I need is the time to make the game. But, I need a job in order to support myself while I work on my own projects, and I suppose that's where art and music come in. A complete game might lead to a position that allows me creative control in the future, but before that I need to get into the industry, and I need to be financially stable.

Well, if you're interested in breaking into the industry from the music side of things, I know the moderator of the Music forum (nsmadsen) is quite experienced at professional audio. He and the regular posters on that forum would give far better advice than me.

The downside of being a musician in games is that there's not as many positions available. In fact, many larger companies may share musicians between projects, and smaller companies will often either outsource their music, or look for a combined sound and audio person.

On the other hand, your 2D art is fine, but concept art only goes so far in a game. On our art teams, they're either making 3D models of environments or characters, or creating and mapping textures to the models, or creating GUI panels and backgrounds, etc. After the initial pitch and early design phase there's not much call for fancy pictures. It becomes more of a divide between graphic designers on one side and 3D modellers on the other. Maybe larger companies have full-time concept artists though.

If you applied to a smaller development house it might be the case that a combined artist and musician would be a real asset to them, especially if you had some design aptitude too. (Although it's not really worth asking about that until you have something to show for it.) But otherwise, I think you should just think about what you would enjoy most, considering the kind of work you will have to do to earn money as an artist or musician.

I also feel that you should follow-up on the music aspect. There is a lot of quality in that play list, and I think the only other thing you would need to do is just expand your portfolio a bit. Add in some ambient, environmental music as well (it seems you have a lot of upbeat, combat-ish music at the moment).

Thanks for all the responses guys. I really appreciate it.

In the end though, I still don't know where I stand. Sorry for not having much to say, but I honestly just don't know what to do at this point.

It's frustrating. There are so many things I would like to do, so many things I know I could do, but I have to choose between them, because each possibility lays at the top of a different career latter...

Quote: Original post by Kiiryu
Thanks for all the responses guys. I really appreciate it.

In the end though, I still don't know where I stand. Sorry for not having much to say, but I honestly just don't know what to do at this point.

It's frustrating. There are so many things I would like to do, so many things I know I could do, but I have to choose between them, because each possibility lays at the top of a different career latter...

I wrote an article about "how to make an important decision."
You should try it.
http://www.sloperama.com/advice/m70.htm

The problem with me is not which to choose,but not knowing which to be chose from.I had planed a game with my classamtes and realized it to some extent but then stoped.And then I choose to find a job,to be dependent financially.Now I even don't know where to direct,which choices to choose.Sounds stupid..I don't know the programming of 3d RPG game,I don't know the market,the running way,of it.Either do I know which carrier I will have.
I am now working for a small company,not 3d game company.I once dreamt of being a 3d game programmer.Also I dreamt of having a company of myself,3d game company.Now I hasitate.I learnt some C plus books,but not windows programming.I know it is very important the comming 5 years,because after that I will not have so much energy and passion.So I hasitate.Friends told me to summerize every day,that I have progressed.But I missed my destination.........