Where to Now...?

I remember how I wasn't exactly sure where I want be last year, now that time has passed since I've gotten a clearer idea where I hope to go. Though there's still some questionable thoughts, there's no reason pass them off as possible directions that I might take in the future.

While my initial interest to work at Sony Cambridge hasn't faded away, there's all sorts of things I can end up doing. One particular job that caught my interest was pixel artist, where the job mainly involved making detailed sprites that would be used as menu and HUD icons and occasionally character sprites. Kind of similar to the job of interface designer but primarily about the sprites alone as opposed to the actual layout and placement of those sprites. Another job is visual FX artist. This is the job that deals with special effects like weather and explosions. Can't exactly remember who offered the job of pixel artist but the visual FX is offered by Blitz, and plenty of other companies are probably offering the same job too.

Even then I don't necessarily need to work for a game company. I could end up working for an animation studio, R&D for a car manufacturer or dare I say and architecture firm. The skills I pick up from my course is incredibly versatile I could end up anywhere that would require people with 3D skillset. It's funny knowing that I dropped my pursuit for studying architecture to do a course that teaches me plenty of things that would make me somewhat desirable as an employee at an architecture firm. The irony is that Game Art students at De Montfort are doing a better job at building 3D structures than  the architecture students.

My mum asked me a while back whether I've ever considered moving to Hong Kong and work there for a game company. My response to that was that the pay there would be utter shit and the companies aren't exactly looking for my kind artistic ability. Sad truth is they are more likely to employ wanabe manga artists who lack any real artistic ability seeing that the market there is primarily interested in that kind of poo-poo. Mum then just said so? You can draw pretty well in manga style can't you? I guess... but that would kind of put all the effort to realistically for the past few years to waste. Not to say manga can't look realistic, I mean series like Berserk has a pretty realistic style as opposed to the moe-crap that Japan seems to interested in pumping out, but as it stands the market in Asia has no real interest in the realistic looking stuff.

Another place my mum asked me to think about is New Zealand and work at Weta Studios. Now that would be interesting, I always liked the stuff that Weta Studios made. Also moving back to NZ would mean a much better living environment, compared to this shithole known as the UK. Good food, relatively cheap properties... sounds good. Only problems? Really slow and expensive internet and phonelines and the fact that NZ is the last country that is to receive anything. Films, games, electronics... you name it. But hey it's a choice worth thinking about right?