Trip • Magazine for Game Students

MAGAZINE FOR GAME STUDENTS

EVENTS

GO AWAY!

TO GDC & GAMESCOM

THE INSIDE STORY OF

VLAMBEER

AND THEIR SUCCESS

HOW A STUDENT GAME

CONQUERED GAMESCOM

ORGANISATION COLOGNE TRIP

Juney Dijkstra • Editorial Coordinator Published by Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region

Powered by LevelUp!

Editorial, Design & Production by Control Magazine

Matthijs Dierckx & Eric Bartelson

Head of Trip Christel van Grinsven explaining to the participating students how to... well, do something important.

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Task Force Innovation Utrecht Region: Wendy van de Lagemaat Christel van Grinsven DUtch Game Garden: Romar Bucur Special thanks: Robert Karsdorp (GLR), Menno Deen (Fontys), Cynthia Spier (GLU), Emiel Kampen (HKU) and Andy Sandham (NHTV).

Partners Level Up: TFI, DGG, HKU, UU, HU, GLR, NLGD The Level Up! program is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the city and province of Utrecht.

Contents Trip?

4.

INTRODUCTION:GDC EUROPE, GAMESCOM:

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? 6.

MY TRIP 1-3 8.

COLUMN: REAL CONNECTIONS DON’T HAPPEN

BEHIND A COMPUTER BY RAMI ISMAIL (VLAMBEER) 11.

MY TRIP 4 12.

MY TRIP 5-7 14.

REPORT: HOW OUR GAME CONQUERED GAMESCOM 17.

MY TRIP 8 19.

MY TRIP 9 20.

MY TRIP 10 22.

MY TRIP 11-12 24.

REPORT: HALL AFTER HALL WITH THE MOST AMAZING AAA AND INDIE TITLES 26.

MY TRIP 13-14

Welcome to TRIP, a special publication chock-full of information and relevant stories for game students.

This August a large group of students from fourteen educational institutes went on a, wait for it… trip to Cologne.

They attended GDC Europe and Gamescom and wanted to share what they’d learned, encountered and discovered with all game students in the Netherlands. Hence, TRIP, a one-off publication doing exactly that.

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Introduction Matthijs Dierckx Control Magazine

The people behind the Oculus Rift explaining their next steps at GDC Europe 2013.

So, what this GDC everybody’s talking about?

GDC stands for Game Developers Conference and basically, that’s literally what it is: a conference for game developers. Well, ‘a’ conference? Currently the GDC sports as many as four flavours: the first and most prominent is GDC San Francisco. It attracts over 20 thousand attendees and offers more than a hundred talks.

Other GDC’s are the one in China, appropriately but unimaginatively called GDC China and another one in Los Angeles: GDC Next, focused on near future developments.

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The one closest to home is Cologne’s GDC Europe. It’s a fully fledged three-day conference that’s not just close to the Netherlands, it’s also partnered with Gamescom, the world’s biggest game expo.

The latter features an extensive business area making the duo an incredibly attractive combo: first a couple of days of learning and inspiration followed by some real business opportunities.

Why you should go to game events? That question has been answered by Vlambeer’s Rami Ismail extensively in his column begin-

GDC Europe, Gamescom: what’s it all about? ning on page eight of this magazine, but I’d like to add: you will always get inspired, you will always learn something that proves invaluable sooner or later and you will always meet new and interesting people. Yes, it’s an investment, but it’s not that expensive considering the rewards you’ll probably reap.

way of experiencing a GDC is to actually attend one.

As Control Magazine, we strongly feel GDC San Francisco and GDC Europe are very important events for the game development community. As an official media partner we usually cover the events in-depth and try to relay much of the inspiration and takeaways to our readers. However, the best

In this magazine you’ll find an abundance of interesting moments that game students from Dutch colleges who attended this year’s GDC Europe and Gamescom wanted to share.

Let their stories serve as an inspiration for everyone aspiring to become a professional game developer. •

And the same goes for other events like the ones Rami mentioned in his column, or Nordic Game in Sweden, Gamelab in Spain or our upcoming Control Conference in Amsterdam.

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Felix Leyendecker from Crytek

BLIZZARD & CRYTEK OPENED MY EYES

My Trip • 1 Mandy Besselink HAN Communicatie & Multimedia Design

Having received a broad education, one would

Going to GDC opened up my eyes and there were

think that finding an internship or a job with a

a lot of speakers that inspired me, especially Brian

company should be easy – I could do multiple

Kindregan from Blizzard and Felix Leyendecker

things for them, instead of being specialized in

from Crytek. They made me think about the large

just one field – but these days, that is not the

variety of jobs there is in the game industry and

case. I experienced through applying to companies

while attending the lectures, I told myself to listen

that they want specialized people that can do one

carefully to what these people had to say about

specific job for them. Because my studies are so

their jobs, so I could make a decision about what I

broad and varied, they have not specialized me

actually want to do myself. Before I attended GDC

in a single direction, so I had a hard time finding

I never knew there were so many different kinds

a place to work. Therefore, when the opportunity

of jobs and interests in the gaming industry, and

came up to go to GamesCom and GDC, I grabbed

now I’ve decided, I know what I want to do, thanks

it with both hands.

to GDC and all the people there!

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TALKS & PARTIES

ROMANCE GAMES

My Trip • 2 Els van Rossum Fontys CO: International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies

My Trip • 3 Pieter Hoekstra HKU Game Design and Development

My favorite part of the trip to Köln was the

Attending the GDC went beyond my expectations;

lecture given by Heidi McDonald, titled: “Romance

it was big, special and unique. From all over the

Games: Unpopular Genre or Untapped Market?”.

world, interesting people share their knowledge

I didn’t know what to expect from this, but I was

with their colleagues, competition, students and

somehow very curious about what Heidi would

developers.

have to say. She talked about the role of romance,

I admire the people that gave the lectures, spend-

relationships and empathy in games. Also, she

ing time doing something that does not directly

mentioned the growing market of female gamers

benefit themselves, but helps everybody else.

and the opportunities that romance games could

With that positive mindset and with the help of an

have in these times. Seeing how this is a some-

initiative like the GDC, the industry can grow and

what unexplored area in present games, I would

we all become better developers.

encourage everyone to go to deathbow.com, ­­

Of course, gaining knowledge is just one perk, but

fill in the survey and help Heidi to discover this

you can also discuss the knowledge you have just

interesting element of gaming!

gathered with the folks around you. This gives a big boost to understanding their visions, as well as your own. This was perfectly possible with the many well organized parties in the evenings.

This combination of talks during the day and the parties in the early nights is golden. You need the lectures to have a subject of conversation and the conversations in the evening allow you to understand the information brought to you in the talks even better.

After spending half a week in Cologne I gained a dose of knowledge, made some nice contacts, sharpened my vision about game design and got a

Heidi McDonald

big boost of inspiration for a nice start as a newly graduated HKU student!

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PHOTO: VINCENT DIAMANTE

“ Rami Ismail during his talk at GDC San Francisco 2013.

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“

Column Rami Ismail Vlambeer

Real Connections don’t happen behind a computer

B

etween the time I was asked to write this column at gamescom and the time you read this, I will have visited two or three events in Seattle, Johannesburg and Boston. A question I always get regarding events is ‘why?’, which is a valid question. So here’s an incomplete list of things Vlambeer would not have been able to do if we hadn’t gone to conventions and meetups.

We wouldn’t have gotten inspired by dozens of personal heroes and friends in the gamesindustry, or have met our digital friends in

real life. We wouldn’t be able to discuss our games or talk about solutions to common problems faced by game developers. We wouldn’t have learned to submit our games to every possible contest we can, nor would we have been at shows where we did show floor awards to gain recognition.

We wouldn’t have run into many amazing people in the press that are genuinely excited to play our games, nor would I’ve been inspired to make presskit(), which is now the #1 preferred method of asset collection by the press worldwide.

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“

Nobody cares that you’re good at what you do if nobody kn

At GDC Europe, we wouldn’t have have run into amazing representatives of Steam and Apple that helped our games launch and offered advice to help us be successful on their platforms.

We wouldn’t have successful games on those platforms and thus not be taken seriously by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. We wouldn’t have been able to talk to any of those platforms and talk to them about their indie strategies to try and make things better for everyone.

We wouldn’t have gained the visibility that allows us to speak at conventions worldwide, nor would we have had the ability to practice public speaking enough to be invited to speak at the Game Developers Conference.

There would be less people helping us spreading the word of Ridiculous Fishing launching, there would be no video interviews, less news and fewer podcasts. There would be less fans that we talked to directly.

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There would be no involvement in initiatives like the Indie MEGABOOTH, which so far has helped over a hundred developers showcase at the Penny Arcade Expo.

We wouldn’t have enough of a network to do any of the above.

The trick to getting all of the above opportunities was simply going to every event we could afford to go to. The general counterargument is that ‘events are expensive’, well, if you’re from Europe the following list might be useful.

• Utrecht Indie Meetup, travel costs about €15, no lodging, tickets free.

• Indievelopment, Netherlands, travel costs about €50, hostel €35, tickets €20.

• A MAZE Festival, Berlin, travel costs about €60, hostel €50, tickets free. Total: €110.

• Gamescom, Cologne, travel cost about €40, hostel €150, trade visitor ticket €35.

Total: €215.

• GameCity, Nottingham, travel cost about €60, hostel €200, tickets free. Total: €260.

ows about you or your work

POCKET GAMER BIG INDIE PITCH

My Trip • 4

• GDC Europe through the CA program, Cologne, travel cost about €40, hostel €150, tickets free, total €190.

Justin van Luijk HKU Kunst en Economie / Arts and Media Management

GDC has given me a

If you want to visit all of these, you need about €850. That’s a lot of money, I know, but look at it this way: these are investments to improve your chances for the future. If you cancel your pre-order for your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you’re halfway. If you cut down on three glasses of whatever you drink at the pub, you’re halfway. If you can’t afford any of these options, there are funds in place that you can try to apply for.

chance to participate in the Pocket Gamer Big Indie Pitch. I had to give a five minute pitch to the press, great developers and publishers. During the pitch I met many people from companies such as Pocket Gamer and SEGA. It

The thing is, nobody cares that you’re good at what you do if nobody knows about you or your work. Get out there, talk to your heroes, get people excited and make new friends.

Real opportunities follow from real connections. Real connections happen in real life, not behind a computer. •

was the ideal way to increase my network and to experience an elevator pitch in practice. It was fun, exhausting and very instructive.

Rami Ismail Vlambeer 11

My Trip • 5

HTML5 FOR WII U

Joel Hoekstra Alfa College Game Architecture and Design

Session for tools design

I managed to speak with multiple people from

changed my view on continuing the development

different companies. One developer in particular

and implementation of my own engine.

that stood out for me was Dominic Szablewski.

He is the sole developer for the HTML5 game

The next day I started with the session for tools

engine ImpactJS. He

design, which detailed what to remember and

explained to me how

what to focus on when designing an interface

he started with the

for end users. Combining these two sources of

engine and how it

information I now know where to aim my focus

evolved from there

and time the next couple of years.

to what is now a fulltime job and even in-

Through the opportunity of going to GDC Europe I

cludes being part of the Nintendo presentation for

have been able to get inspired by the people that

the Wii U. I have been thinking about and working

just do what they do. Talking with them gives me

on my own game engine for the past year. My

more drive and a realistic image of what is pos-

engine is just for simple examples and small

sible. It’s just once a year, an opportunity you don’t

implementations in C++, but my talk with Dominic

want to miss!

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THE BLIZZARD STORY

My Trip • 6 Bastiaan van Raak Fontys

It’s hard to pick a single talk or event, as for me the journey as a whole was what left an impression. Getting to meet talented (future) colleagues and fellow students have cemented my desires to pursue

Concept art for a cut scene by Blizzard.

my studies in Game Design. The story of a Blizzard storywriter offered a unique perspective on how many iterations and tiny changes one cin-

My Trip • 7

THE ATMOSPHERE

ematic of one sec-

Arie Gijsenbergh NHTV Breda International Game Architecture & Design

tion of a game can undergo and how much of an impact

I think that the best thing about GDC

to GDC Europe I have been able to

this cinematic can

is not the talks, but the atmosphere

get inspired by the people that just

have on the player.

as a whole. At stands, during lunch,

do what they do. Talking with them

The talk by Heidi

in the halls, at parties, everywhere

gives me more drive and a realistic

McDonald about

you go, you will meet other develop-

image of what is possible.

Romance Games

ers and all these developers are will-

was one that I will

ing to start a conversation with you

remember as well,

about their work. At the end of a talk

as it contained ele-

you can easily walk up to the speaker

ments that I would

and have a little chat with him or her

like to explore with

and of course exchange business

my own games in

cards. I learned how to network dur-

the near future.

ing this trip and I cannot wait to try it again next year!

Through the opportunity of going

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“

Gamescom really means working hard, maybe the most important work you might do as a game developer

How our game CONQUERED Gamescom 14

Report Jeroen van Hasselt Vogelsap / HKU

Student team Vogelsap featured their game The Flock at Gamescom and ended up getting more attention than some of the biggest names on display. Creative lead Jeroen van Hasselt explains.

“I couldn’t say I was feeling tired”. Gamescom had just started a few hours ago and more and more people were passing by. Some people stopped at our stand and were curious enough to start playing The Flock. “I should feel tired though”. The last weeks had been stressful to the point of becoming unnerving. I wanted to slam my fist against my own head quite a few times. We have made stupid decisions before, but this was Gamescom 15

“

There’s a thin line between being rude and having balls. that we were talking about. This was the real deal. There weren’t going to be any people giving us extra points for effort.

surprise hit” in an article later on. However, besides press, we had several parties in mind that we wanted to reach on Gamescom.

The last two days consisted of 19-hour workdays up to near sleepless nights. And still the game wasn’t what we wanted it to be. We made jokes about how we were going to fail. How we probably worryingly would try and make a final build in the car on our way to Cologne or how our computers would break down during the event itself. I guess we started to get to know ourselves after a few months of working together because all of the aforementioned happened and we even ended up making our final build on the show floor itself. But we did not fail. We have exceeded our own expectations at Gamescom and it was all worth it.

I was standing in front of a white door of the most hidden and basic looking white block of rooms with a printed sheet of paper on the door saying SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) Office with Felix (composer). A guy from Sony went in to see if the people I said I was supposed to meet were there. I did know the right people I was supposed to talk to, but I didn’t have any appointment; I bluffed.

I felt a big relief when they said it was okay and I could come in. I immediately introduced myself to the people I was directed to, acting as if this was all normal. Gamescom is a very busy event, you meet a lot of new people and important people are always occupied. As a small indie developer you can make use of that. We went to our stand and meanwhile I sent Felix ahead to prepare everything. We did our routine, they played the game and afterwards they said: “Thank you for dragging us out here”. Wow.

At Gamescom

Three hours in and the game had been played quite a few times by all sorts of people. The team was getting into a nice workflow; with some handing out flyers around the corner, others encouraging bystanders to actually start playing the game and the rest of the team joining the game if more players were needed. It took us the best part of a day to learn what kind of people roam the floors of Gamescom and who you need to go to. Targeting the press already helps, but that still leaves you with so many. It was sheer luck when I spotted a guy with a pink press card that also included a card saying Gamespot.

I pitched our game in ten seconds and gave him our flyer, hoping for the best. He thanked me afterwards for showing our game and called The Flock “Gamescom 2013’s spooky 16

Talking (to) big business

Having had our first major conversation taught me so many things. For instance, when talking to Sony - and this might seem obvious - you’re just having a conversation with someone. Beforehand, when we were thinking about the parties we wanted to speak with, they all seemed like big entities.

Because of their well known brands and giant corporations. But you’re not talking to a board full of people, it’s probably just going to be one person representing the company or a division of that company. Realizing this

You have to be confident about your game and show it. made it a lot less frightening and the fact that they appreciated me dragging them out there encouraged me even more.

ing rude and having balls. You don’t want to come off too strong, but you have to be confident about your game and show it.

Next up was Valve. Conveniently, they were just around the corner. I told the lady behind the desk I’ve had email contact with someone from Valve and they had told me to stop by. Which again, was me bluffing. The lady behind the desk - and people behind the desks at these events in general - are not that familiar with all the employees of such a big company. So when she started explaining the situation to a guy from Valve who was supposed to know, I did not let her finish, but - without interrupting her - acted upon the first glance I got from the guy and introduced myself. There’s a thin line between be-

On our first day we had already talked to the two parties we had set as a goal for ourselves to talk to on Gamescom. Later on we could add Ubisoft, Oculus and more to that list.

Now, I might make it sound easy, making you think you can do everything during the event itself. However, having no real appointments still makes it very difficult to reach these big businesses. We have been denied by Warner Bros and Microsoft before we really had a chance to speak and sometimes a party might think your game is not right for them.

The most important lesson that it gave us was: don’t let that get you down. Find some-

My Trip • 8

UNUSUALLY LONG DAYS

Jaïr Franken Fontys CO: International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies

One thing that stands

of events, starting

fellow students that

out when I look back

with interesting early

I met during this trip.

at my trip to Cologne

morning lectures, or

All connections I’ve

for GDC & Gamescom

because I wanted to

gained are the direct

is the long days I

be ahead of the long

result of these talks

made there. Usually

lines at Gamescom.

and on top of that, ex-

the alarm would go

Following the days

periencing Gamescom

off at 7:30, while

of lectures were

was a blast!

we had only fallen

evenings full of

asleep around 4:30.

surprisingly fun talks

This was because the

with people from all

days were packed full

over the world and the

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Jeroen van Hasselt watching Suda51 play The Flock.

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thing that gives you positive energy again and move on.

DIRECTLY APPLICABLE

Personal idol

We always try to aim high, but we were very content with all the small achievements and feedback we got. I’d like to add a more personal story to round things up, which turned out to become a very happy ending for Vogelsap at Gamescom. There was this party I went to with Bo (concept artist) where we hoped to find a big part of the industry. The cool thing about these parties is that it is really easy to talk to anyone. You might talk to the community manager of Saints Row or a tech guy from Microsoft without them looking down on you. When somebody told me that the legendary game designer Suda51 was standing near me, I immediately approached him. We talked about quite a lot of things and I made sure I didn’t come off as too big of a fan. Soon it came out that I was a game designer as well and I gave him a short explanation of our game. He seemed intrigued and I invited him to come to our stand the next day.

This trip offered me the opportunity to connect with My Trip • 9 Juul Joosten NHTV Breda International Game Architecture & Design

various well known developers and to attend lectures that give advice that is directly applicable to the projects I am working on.

For example, I had already had a chat with one of the speakers through Twitter and when I got the chance to go up and talk to him after his lecture, it was really cool to find out he actually

After that night, Bo and I woke up to a phone call from Max (environment artist) saying Suda51 was at our stand “right now”. “Why did I need that extra hour of sleep again?”

I’d never cleaned out a room and packed my bags this fast, only to come to the conclusion I had been tricked and my teammates (rightly) wanted me to be there on time the last day. We were amazed when three Japanese people, including Suda51, came towards us when we were about to close down our stand! I was so damn excited. He and his PR manager played the game and they really liked it. Honestly, this was the best ending we could imagine to an amazing, but exhausting three days. I am really proud of my team. •

recognised my name.

I will also be using techniques from some of the talks in my newest projects, such as those shown

by Oliver Franzke (Broken Age’s Approach to Scalability), David Lightbrown (The User Experience of Game Development Tools) and Steven Masters (Designing Assassin’s Creed III).

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I MUST BE A SPY “Where am I?” “I don’t remember anything!”

“But... I’m dressed like that... I must be a spy...”

“This must mean...”

“That I’m on a mission to plant a bomb deep within a mad scientist’s laboratory with lasers!”

“Let’s do this!”

This is the intro to Spy Trouble, a game created by Sos Sosowski, who created the Achtung Arcade. The Achtung Arcade is a custom made videogame computer containing all sorts of small games created by GDC-attendee playing with the Achtung Arcade

Sos. I played a few of his games on the Arcade at GDC and very much enjoyed the silly stories and fun gameplay. And

My Trip • 10 Valentijn Muijrers Utrecht University Game and Media Technology

honestly, when I wear sunglasses, that must mean I am a spy as well!

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Smite by Hi-Rez Studios

GODS & GAME DESIGN

My Trip • 11 Henk-Jan de Groot Windesheim Zwolle Technische Informatica – Minor Serious Gaming

I was very enthusiastic about the opportunity Level Up! gave us to visit GDC and Gamescom, as I’m only just starting off in the whole game development scene myself and I really wanted to see how far others have made it in this industry and how they did it. My expectations were met: not only had I heard of the story behind the development of, for example, Thomas Was Alone, there was also loads of information of how to use the right techniques and applications to properly tackle a whole variety of issues within game development.

During the whole trip, there was one particular thing that really gave me some insight and motivation in the whole development scene. The funny thing is, it wasn’t at the GDC or GamesCom, but at our hotel! A couple of employees of Hi-Rez Studios were standing just outside of the hotel and we had a chat. Turns out Hi-Rez Studios has a very small development team, which is working on three titles right now. They told me they wanted to do something with playing as a god, bringing me to their newest title: Smite. I particularly liked how they made a game where gods add to the experience instead of being a restriction in the designing process!

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If there is one thing I took home with me from GDC, it is being interested in people sharing a mutual passion for the industry we’re in, or want to get in to. I’ve learned to ask questions and to be open, not arrogant, about what I do. I’ve

My Trip • 12 Maïsha Andriessen HvA Communication and Multimedia Design

TALKING SERIOUS BUSINESS

met a couple of awesome people I didn’t know before the conference. All I did was say hi, and start a short chat about the things they liked and disliked at the conference. For example, I met two developers who were networking to push their new game and I gave my e-mail to get an invite for their beta, but didn’t talk about myself. That evening I got a mail from one of the guys and he gave me compliments about my site, which he found through my e-mail address and asked me why I didn’t tell him about it earlier. Later that day I met up with him at GamesCom and right now we’re talking serious business!

So, do it! Tell people what you do, dare to ask and above all go to conferences, even if you’re shy – it’s a big opportunity to meet new people that are in the same business as you that know what you’re talking about.

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“

Hall after hall with the most amazing AAA and indie titles

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A scholarship might make a trip to GDC and Gamescom cheaper, but certainly no less exciting. With a triple booked lecture schedule and multiple appointments with amazing companies for Indievelopment, our student conference, in my agenda, the trip to Cologne starts, where beds and a rather short night await us.

Getting up early? A little troublesome, but more than worth it, as the first day starts with lectures by AAA companies and is followed by a wide array of lectures on design, tech and art. A day full of intellectual violence, finishes with the ‘opening night party’ where GDC visitors get together to catch up.

During the next day, it becomes obvious that at the lectures, we are seated between developers from big and small companies alike, whom will all gladly answer any questions you might have for them. There is also enough attention for the indie and business/marketing sides of the game development field, as there are dedicated tracks for these subjects in particular. By the end of the day, regardless of bringing good shoes as had been advised, we have very sore feet and are up for an evening at a cafe terrace.

The third day doesn’t hold too many interesting lectures for me personally, which makes the choice to visit gamescom on its most quiet day very attractive. Even on Wednesday, Gamescom is crowded, but with endless advice that the coming days will be worse, we make our way through hall after hall with the most amazing new and upcoming AAA and indie titles. There are multiple

extravagant indoor and outdoor sports activities as well, which allows you to try out things you have never tried before. The evening is filled with a night full of just about everyone you can find related to or in the Dutch game development industry.

You can also visit the Gamescom Business Area if you purchase a (very affordable) business ticket, which gives access to another two halls with business booths from all companies that are also on display in the entertainment halls. My fourth and last morning, therefore, has an agenda filled with appointments with companies I’ve looked up to for years (Valve, Crytek, RiotGames, ...) for Indievelopment and other events I’m organising.

We also drop by the Ubisoft booth where, just like at most business booths, you can take a much more intimate look at new games and network with the right people to help you advance after you finish your education. Of course, the resting point within the Business Area is the Holland Pavilion, filled with Indigo arcade machines and a lot of interesting Dutch companies. • What did I gain? New connections with national and international game development companies, game developers and fellow students; appointments with aforementioned companies to extend and improve Indievelopment and an overdose of fantastic visuals and audio of titles that will be in stores soon. Cherry on the pie? A year’s access to the GDC Vault, where all missed lectures and lectures from years past can be viewed!

Report Juney Dijkstra Universiteit Utrecht Game & Media Technology

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MY PORTFOLIO

At GDC and Gamescom, my main goal was to show my portfolio to several different people and get feedback. Innogames was one of the companies I showed my portfolio to, and this was their response: “At first glance, we can see that you have talent and that you have some interesting pieces in your portfolio, but it’s more about what we don’t see. We don’t see UI design, logo’s and we see no male characters. What we recommend is that you show more than just your characters. You should also work on your presentation, because it’s not consistent. Think about your signature and don’t leave your characters with just a transparent background. Even just a shade of grey as background is better than plain white.”

It was nice to hear this, because now I know what I can work on and what needs to be improved. The highlight of the trip was meeting one of the character artists from Riot Games, famous for their game; League of Legends. At the League of Legends booth I looked for an artist and Joshua Singh, also known as Grumpy Monkey, was sitting there drawing for fans. I got there as soon

Illustration by Joyce Moenen

as I could! I asked for an autograph and got to take home a sketch of Sona. I really couldn’t ask for more.

On top of all that, I’ve met so many people.

Really inspiring people, that opened up a lot of new doors for me. I hope that next year, I can meet everyone again and return as a better artist.

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My Trip • 13 Joyce Moenen Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht Game Artist

THE JOY IN THEIR EYES

1

My Trip • 14 Yan Knoop NHTV International Game Architecture & Design

2

3

4

1: David Cage • Quantic Dreams (Beyond, Heavy Rain) | 2: Patrick Plourde • Ubisoft (Child of Light) 3: Steven Masters • Ubisoft (Assassin’s Creed III) | 4: Dino Dini (KickOff) | 5: Tom Francis (Gunpoint) Gaming has become really big in the past few

5

decades but still preserves some of the late night bedroom development fantasies from the past, mostly though indie developers. There are teams of hundreds of people, but there are two man studios as well. It’s great to see how both types are present at the GDC, sometimes with clashing ideas, sometimes reaching out to each other.

What is shared though, among all of the speakers, is the joy in their eyes when they are talking about games. Whether you want to work on big projects or small ones, the gaming industry has a place for you.

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