[El_Diablo]

talent + luck

/thread

[goin-god]

You need formal education dude.

[Eagles]

Before joining a big company you will usually need some experience in a small developer. They don't pick up people that never formerly worked in a game before.
But it's not that hard to join them. I mean, you need some talent - this you will learn from the time, and it seems that you already have yours -, you will need to focus on what you want, you will need to find a place to live near the office and of course, as you said, you will need a great portfolio. There's a lot of "artists" trying to join this segment of work, but most of them are untalented and will never be hired because all they create are copies from other real artists.
Another point that counts a lot is your experience in the modding community. If you go to Valve's careers page, you will see that they are always looking for people that have experience in this area.

Dude, I'm with you. I'm also a 3D student, and we'll be reaching it very soon with effort and focus.

[Warlord.]

I feel that if you keep improving in the field you want to work in, and then send them some samples of your work, you'll get hired even if you don't have any of the other requirements they've stated. But your work will have to be really good, good enough to make them think, 'Damn we need to hire this guy, he knows what he's doing'.

Trust me, no company will turn down a guy who's really good at a position they're looking to fill simply because they don't have a university degree.

[Indi]

Being a smooth operator, being persistant, having endurance, charisma and self-discipline.

Takes years to get into a triple A company like Rockstar sometimes, but then sometimes you do get lucky. You just basically need to keep working on things that suits the style that Rockstar does, which is vector art and very high use of filter work woth a program like PS. Shiiiit, just noticed 3D art, well Rockstar uses basic geometry, so: Circles, Squares, Rectangles e.t.c., they do it because it cuts down on time, and is not a resource hogg. Good thing about it is you can acheive a good enough detail with it that the person playing the game doesn't even know itps basic geometry, because in the game... They look quite daunting, but its just basic shapes.

It's also good to get experience with other companies as well. Sometimes you won't get the job because there are other people in the gaming industry that might have been in there for years and they take the biscuit... and the best way to deal with that is take it with a pinch of salt and remember humility.

You need education as well though, you can't drop out of school and expect to do Art all day long, it doesn't work like that, you need degrees. Well... That actually depends how sh*t hot your work is.

Oh and yeah, there was a fella who had his first job at Rockstar North as a 3D Environment Artist, so that goes to show it isn't impossible on your first try. If you don't get the job just keep trying, it actually increases your chances because you're showing the company you believe what they are trying to sell.

Oh and try setting up a portfolio and commission some art pieces, don't mean to be patronizing, you probably already have one .

Not much else to say really, set a target within your reach, stick to it and think realistically.

Edit: Oh and best not to just stick to Rockstar styled stuff, have a variety. Friend of mine who is a game designer and works with me on my project says he plays tons of games because if a company decides in the future to change their styles of games, and you don't know a f*ck about that genre, then you're sh*t outta luck.

Have you also seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G15hTiOZWw...be_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0TAIamNFvs...be_gdata_player

Edit 2: Ta-da, found the guy's pictures of his models, and had his first job at R* North:
http://www.thegtaplace.com/news/4376/so-ho...rockstar-north/

This post has been edited by Indi on Sunday, Jul 29 2012, 05:45

[Piperka]

If you want to render and model 3D buildings for Rockstar, I'm pretty sure you have to be an Architect. Unless you get lucky.

[Eagles]

QUOTE (Piperka @ Sunday, Jul 29 2012, 02:41)

If you want to render and model 3D buildings for Rockstar, I'm pretty sure you have to be an Architect. Unless you get lucky.

Nah, not really.

Concept artists will create sketches for the environment and character artists to follow, and they have to be sure that they will not escape from the base idea of the project.
You don't really need knowledge about architecture to create building models. I mean, if you know how a building shape is and if you know how to model based on a concept, it's alright.

[Tchuck]

You need a degree. Unless you have insanely good artistic abilities. A degree will take you closer to it.
In any case, This guy has all the advice you will need if you want to get into the game industry.

Read the link above. Now. Don't post until you have.

[ZoomZoom]

I think you need talent+creativity+good knowledge in gaming+ humor to get there. But I don't wish to work in Rockstar. I have my own ambitions.

[Otter]

...I wouldn't reccomend it. They just closed up and skipped town here for no other reason than salary subsidies.

That's right, folks, in Canada some of the biggest f*cking entertainment companies still work their employees to the bone... But are god-damned subsidized by the government. So not only was Rockstar milking that teat for a while, but when the grass looked greener they didn't think twice but to lay off damn near 100 people in Vancouver.

Think about that the next time you shell out for a game. Or apply to work with them.

[finn4life]

If you're still at school you have a much better chance of getting there so you can get good grades and such because you will definitely have to get university education then work at various development studios building a good resume and then you could apply.

If you have talent and creativity lucky you, now work your ass off for fifteen years.

[nightwalker83]

QUOTE (biotch69 @ Sunday, Jul 29 2012, 04:42)

QUALIFICATIONS -2+ years of post-secondary educational experience in 2D and 3D art production. -Superior 2D and 3D art skills. -Eagerness to learn new software tools and technologies. -Ability to work in a team setting, under deadlines and time constraints. -Expertise in 3ds Max, Photoshop, or other technologies utilized in the production of game art. -Strong technical background with ability to grasp new programs and systems quickly. -Ability to work with a high degree of self-direction and motivation. -Strong communication and time management skills. -Able to prioritize and multi-task. -Creative nature with strong problem solving skills. -Game experience preferred. SOURCE "Superior 2D and 3D art skills" seems kinda vague to me.. how do you measure "superior"?

That's for artist for coders where would be different one.

[Dragonjack]

One of the members show me this and its pretty interesting or helpful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj8YAxCC3Ew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HFD_uvZroo&feature=relmfu

But working with Rockstar? is alot of hard work my friend.

[RARusk]

Based on the information you provided you live reasonably close to Rockstar North which is a huge plus. To echo what SmC12 said the easiest way to get in is to become a tester. It is a low entry level position but can be used as a way to help climb the ladder. As a tester you will also be learning how to do technical writing which is necessary in bug report writing and better allows you to get your ideas across.

If you get in as a tester you will need to focus on that but do let them know of your long range plans. Follow their advice on what you need to do to get to where you want to go within their company so you can climb out of the testing pit. Even if things don't work out and you leave the company for one reason or another you will still have Rockstar North on your resume. This may impress future employers.

My advice is based on personal experience. I was lucky enough to end up in San Francisco many years ago and did gametesting work for both Broderbund Software (Carmen SanDiego, Prince of Persia), and Lucasfilm Games. Although I do not live in California anymore I do live in San Antonio which is an hour away from Austin, TX which is another notable place where there are a bunch of gaming companies. I have been trying to re-enter the gaming industry after many years away from it and also using my FAQs and guides at GameFAQs as a portfolio to leverage my way in. It has been slow going so far.