Tito Pagan

Current project:
A Soccer game. In a small team of only 5 people on the project, my involvement is to manage all aspects of, and create all art assets for, the in-game characters we'll need for this fast action sports game.

Academic Info

College: University of Florida
Degree: A Bachelor of Design degree from the College of Architecture

Were there any particular projects or areas of study that you pursued?
Custom design work as it relates to interiors furnishings and commercial spaces.

Did you do any internships?
Yes, a couple of times I worked for architectural firms.

Career Info

Tell us about your first job in the industry. How did you get the job? What was it like? What were your responsibilities?
My first job in the PC game industry was for a company called Dynamix, in Eugene Oregon, 10 years ago. I was hired despite having very little computer art experience at the time. They were in need of art talent who had strong traditional training in design and visualization of original and realistic environments. It was an entry-level position with much room for learning and growing in so many areas. This was a time when very few artists specialized in any one aspect of creating computer art. Each wore many hats out of necessity. If they did become specialized they would soon be in danger of becoming obsolete. Dynamix was developing many titles at the same time and so offered many opportunities and challenges for an up-and-coming artist. I soon became a sponge for new and cool tricks and techniques using authoring software for artists, as I worked with several very talented individuals.

What jobs have you held in the games industry thus far? Briefly describe the career path you took to get where you are today.
I feel very fortunate having worked with several well-respected and established companies in the Northwest. Besides Dynamix, I've worked directly within development teams for Trilobyte, Sierra, Gas Powered Games, Microsoft, and now WildTangent to create published titles. During my career, I've focused my attention on creating real-time art content of environments and animated characters. This is what I enjoy, and so I've always worked towards the goal of securing more of the same opportunities in today's competitive market while maintaining a broader scope of artistic ability as a contributing artist on any team.

Advice

What fields of study, specific courses, or life experiences would you recommend to students interested in your field?
I'd strongly recommend that aspiring art students pay close attention to what "good art" is and what makes them strong and engaging visuals. A strong understanding of more traditional art, combined with training in several mediums that artists use to express and convey good design in a well-composed image, is very important in this industry. This artistic ability and contribution is highly sought after by development teams. It just isn't enough to know a particular 3D software package or a drawing program. These are still important tools you will have to know as well in our industry. Just remember that these powerful tools, like any other available to everyone, are not what will guarantee your long-term success as game artists. They never have and they never will. Your own ability to create original work of high quality will.

Is there anything you wish someone had told you before you got into the games industry? Is there anything you would have done differently?
It is important to make time to play games early in your career. This is something I wish I had done myself and still find hard to do due to lack of free time. If you find you have the time to play PC or console games of any kind I recommend you do so, often. Besides this being a common ground for all developers to relate to each other - artists, managers, and programmers alike - making reference to them is often an aid when conveying ideas and concepts throughout the development of a project. Just take care to not "borrow" too much from them at the same time.

As games increase in complexity, what are the various kinds of jobs that you foresee development companies needing in the next five years?
Every developer I know of has the same concerns about their company's ability to grow and deliver on high expectations for quality and quantity in the future. The promise of cooler, better and faster hardware and software is quickly becoming a reality, and we developers have to change what we do and how we do it to meet these expectations. As an industry artist/developer myself that will help define and improve my company's production processes, I feel the skills that will be most attractive in the near future are experience or proven ability, an "eye" for quality and attention to detail, creative and proficient use of existing tools and techniques, maturity, flexibility, and proper attitude. The notion that quantity will be addressed by having more people working on the project is quickly fading away because of unfavorable changes in our economy and current trends in down sizing development teams. This will make landing a "game job" even harder for entry-level people relying on higher production head counts to get them in the biz.

Do you have any other advice or recommendations to share with students who are interested in doing what you do?
As an adjunct Instructor at DigiPen in Seattle for the past two years, I have ongoing contact with a wide variety of students specifically interested in working as a game artist in our field. I have often seen what prior backgrounds, special interests and long-term gaming experiences have contributed to students' ability to learn and create game related content successfully. Early preparation in high school and other more specialized training programs, along with personal interests in computer games and specific hobbies go a long way to better prepare such students for more demanding college level classes and curriculums in gaming. Participating in sports and self-defense training can also be valuable experiences. You never know when you might be approached to work on a game title that involves such knowledge. Other well-developed academic skills, like writing or math, are often called upon on a project to document ideas, complete reports, outline art paths, resolve technical problems, etc.

In general terms, one of the most important things I believe one should learn is HOW to learn new things. This industry in many ways is hinged on ever improving and changing technology. This in turn imposes a high demand on all who embark on this career. They too must have developed the ability to learn, change and grow if they are going to stay in the game of making games for many years.