{"id":81809,"date":"2023-11-01T16:21:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T22:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rmcad.local\/?p=81809"},"modified":"2025-10-02T10:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:28:11","slug":"game-art-careers-a-q-and-a-with-deck-nine-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rmcad.edu\/blog\/game-art-careers-a-q-and-a-with-deck-nine-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Game Art Careers: A Q&A with Deck Nine Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What does a game art career look like? Independent video game studio <\/span>Deck Nine Games<\/span><\/a>, producer of installments of the hit series \u201cLife is Strange” and \u201cThe Expanse,\u201d recently visited Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design to answer that question. Students in RMCAD\u2019s Nexus Club, an all-major student organization, were in attendance <\/span>on-campus<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>online<\/span><\/a> to get an inside look into the video game industry as well as receive portfolio advice from working professionals. We rounded up some of our favorite questions and answers to share with those interested in this<\/span> in-demand<\/span><\/a> career path.<\/span><\/p>

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Team at Deck Nine Games answering questions from the audience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What advice do you have for Game Art + Animation students?<\/b><\/h2>

Network with industry professionals\u00a0 and keep learning new technologies to keep up with the fast-paced world of video game development (Psst. Alumni, use <\/span>RMCAD Renew<\/span><\/a> to keep up with industry advancements). Our team loves to give studio tours, critique portfolios, and give any feedback we can to level up the next generation of industry professionals. Whatever you\u2019re trying to learn, spend each day exploring the software to learn something new, whether that\u2019s in <\/span>Unreal<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>ZBrush<\/span><\/a>, or your go-to-tool in class.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

What trends do you see changing within the industry?<\/b><\/h2>

Working incredibly long hours is less popular with new artists entering the industry, and it simply isn\u2019t celebrated anymore. \u201cThat was the mentality for a long time while I was in the industry,\u201d explained Lead Environment Artist Tommy Spampinato. \u201cCulture shifts constantly, and so what was trending years ago isn\u2019t necessarily popular among artists today.\u201d Additionally, if you\u2019re a junior artist, we recommend you specialize in a specific topic within game art to bring increased value to a team and increase your chances of landing a job.<\/span><\/p>

What are the types of roles at game development studios?<\/b><\/h2>

There are many roles that are often found in game studios. Some include game designers, developers, producers, game artists, writers, animators, sound engineers, QA testers, UI\/UX, level designers, and much more. Of course, sometimes you need subject matter expertise outside of the organization to create realistic gameplay. For one of our games, we hired a mixed martial arts expert so that we could capture realistic fighting movements and animations in our game.<\/span><\/p>

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Campus students participating in the panel discussion.<\/figcaption><\/figure>

How did you get into the gaming industry?<\/b><\/h2>

\u201cI took a bit of an unconventional route into the industry,\u201d UI Artist David Kosta explained. \u201cI went to school for Media, Arts + Animation, but not necessarily video games. I knew I wanted to make video games, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do once I got into the industry. I eventually got an internship and my boss wanted to make a video game, so I put my skills to the test and gave it my best shot. It wasn\u2019t a great game, but that got my foot in the door. It was released on PC and mobile, which was enough to get me into Vigil Studios where I first met Tommy Spampinato (Lead Environment Artist, Deck Nine). Fast forward to today and I was able to grow my skill set, and I\u2019ve been at Deck Nine for over seven years now. I love the type of games we make. One of my focuses is creating posters, journal pages, and album covers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

In conclusion, RMCAD students in attendance took away invaluable information from Deck Nine\u2019s expert panelists. Interested in a career in Game Art? Check out our <\/span>online<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>on-campus<\/span><\/a> programs. To register for future events, visit the RMCAD <\/span>events calendar<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Content in this story has been edited for brevity and clarity by the author, but is meant to retain the significance and purpose of the original speaker.<\/span><\/i><\/p>

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