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Question: Concept artist, a rewarding well paying job!. What are the pro's and con's !. !?
What are some good colleges around chicago that can get me in the electronic entertainment industry!. I would like to have a job like that of Yoji Shinkawa, the artist behind the immensely popular Metal Gear Solid Series!. Advice from experienced concept artists, or people who have helpful advice would be greatly appreciated!. Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Well, to get a good job in the games industry as an artist you'll need to demonstrate a well-rounded portfolio or showreel showing good traditional drawing skills, digital art skills (esp!. with Photoshop), and 3D modelling/texturing skills (Autodesk Maya and 3DS Max are the most-used in the industry)!. Knowledge of 3D animation is a bonus!. I don't know about colleges in your area, but many colleges have courses geared toward the games or animation industry which will teach you all of these things!. If you can find something like this it would be your best option!.

As for pros and cons!.!.!. well, it's certainly rewarding if you love to do it (the old saying about work not being work unless you'd rather be doing something else applies)!. Cons are that it's probably not something you'll become rich or famous at - the odd concept artist like Shinkawa who people are familiar with are the exception and not the rule and not many concept artists have high salaries, though if you make a name for yourself as a particularly good illustrator or modeller you can do well!. It's also competitive; there are a lot of good artists out there, many of them with more experience, and all of them want the job as much as you do!. You may have to start out doing basic modelling and or other things before you start getting the jobs you really want!.

One bonus is that there are a lot of other areas you can work in - the skills required for the games industry overlap with those for the animation industry and other roles in film/TV/advertising/etc, and you could also freelance and take work from all over the place, which makes for a very varied and interesting career!.

I've just graduated and am heading into this career myself!. Good luck!. :)Www@QuestionHome@Com