There's no better way to learn than learning from a professional. Except maybe learning from a whole bunch of them.
Introducing the Game Art and Design Faculty, a roster of game industry veterans who love to share their knowledge. Their credits include more than 50 published video games, titles that include Dungeons & Dragons, Superman, Godfather, MADDEN Football, Halo 2, and Half-Life 2.
When not pushing the envelope in game development, their goal is to push you to your creative limits, helping you develop the skill set and creative portfolio to get your start in the industry.
Beth A. Dillon is the former editor of Gamasutra's GameCareerGuide.com and Education Editor for Gamasutra.com. Beth currently serves on the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Committees for Game Education and Game Writing groups. She has been a presenter /panelist at many major game industry conferences including "Getting In to the Game: Careers in the Game Industry," FuturePlay 2006, October 10 - 12, 2006, London & Ontario and "Meet the Press," Indie Games Conference, October 7 - 9, 2005, Eugene, Oregon. Beth holds a Bachelor of Arts and Letters with emphases in Native American studies, creative writing, and technical communication and a Master of Arts in Writing from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon.
Alex Jimenez is a veteran game designer and Vice President/ Lead Designer of Tesseraction Games. The creative force behind the original Dungeons & Dragons games by Capcom, Alex has contributed to the concept, design, story writing, and development of a host of high-profile licenses including X-Men: Children of the Atom, Army Men Sarge’s Heroes, Darkstalkers 1 and 2, Super Street Fighter 2, Battle Tanx 1 and 2, Marvel Super Heroes, Enigma: Rising Tide, Minigolf Maniacs, and Alien Vs. Predator. Alex has implemented projects on a wide range of platforms including PS 1 and 2, PC, N64, and coin-op formats. Alex has lectured on the game industry topics at conventions and to college students and both developed and taught video game development courses to high school students.
Cristin McKee is a character animator at Anzovin Studio, where she has worked on a number of high-profile projects including the features GI Joe: Valor vs Venom and Action Man: X Missions, game cut scenes for Halo 2, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the Da Vinci Code, and Sid Meier's Railroads, as well as a number of television projects and short films. Cristin has spoken about animation on panels at Siggraph and Northampton Film Festival and taught animation at Hampshire College, MA. Cristin earned her Bachelor of Arts from Hampshire College, MA, and is currently co-directing an animated short.
Jesse Brophy is a 3d artist who has worked at a range of game design companies, including THQ, Atari, Breakaway Games, and Sony. Throughout his career he has worked on numerous titles in various capacities including character, environmental, and technical art positions. Jesse currently works at his dream job as an artist for Blizzard Entertainment. Jesse has a BFA in drawing and visual communication from the University of Arizona.
Michael Casalino is a Senior Environmental Modeler and Texture Artist at EA Sports with over six years of experience getting high-end art into games and visualizing new environments. Michael's list of game contributions includes Superman Returns, MADDEN Football, NCAA College Football, NASCAR Thunder, and NFL Street. Michael has done freelance design work for MTV Networks, IBC digital, and various graphic design firms. Michael's current focus is on games for next generation consoles. He graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Computer Animation and a Minor in Art History.
Nathaniel Stein is a modeling supervisor and CG artist at Anzovin Studio, where he has worked for the past several years. He has worked on animation for games such as Sid Meier's Railroads and Halo 2, as well as a variety of TV shows and movies. Nathaniel attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he also taught courses in Animation and Modeling after his graduation. Nathaniel co-authored the book Visual Quickstart for Maya 7.0, and is currently working on a new book. Nathaniel received his BA in Computer Animation from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Read Nat's interview.
Course Author: Steve Kalning is a ten-year veteran of the game industry, beginning his career as an intern at LucasArts. For nearly four years, Steve was a technical artist and lead producer for Blizzard Entertainment, makers of the Diablo, Starcraft, and Warcraft franchises. In his current role atValve Software, Steve is working on episodic expansions for Half-Life 2, and has contributed to the forthcoming Team Fortress 2. Steve graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree, and studied computer animation, 3D modeling, and traditional art at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco.
Todd Gantzler is a game artist, educator, and writer. Todd has worked as a 3D artist on such games as Gex 3D, Cyberia, and Akuji the Heartless and specialized in game design work and character animation. Todd has served as Program Leader for game development degree programs at the Media Design School in New Zealand and at the University of Salford in England. He has been designing and teaching game art and design classes since 2000. Todd’s first book Game Development Essentials: Video Game Artwas published by Thomson Delmar Learning in July 2004. Todd moved into games from work in graphics and animation for TV and film; his film credits include The Pagemaster (1994).
