"Dobby is... free"

So it’s come to the end of the year now and so much has happened, I never thought that it would go by so fast! But as the year has gone by there has been so much for me to reflect on and this is what I think.

So what am I going to get out of coming to University? It’s not just drinking and clubbing, passing out and getting alcohol poisoning, but it’s learn. It’s a huge step in education and one where you do have to stand on your own two feet. You may still be lead when you go astray but a lot of it moves where you take it. This depends on where you want to go. For me over the year I always wanted to work as an environment artist. But it isn’t just about making a pretty picture, it’s more than that. It’s more of refining your skills, learning new ones, creating pieces of work that you didn’t think your skills could do, all through sheer practise. Back in first year it was like learning all the fundamentals of everything, how to move this pivot point, how to move that vert. Now in second year it was all about how do we make this model in the most effective way, how do we refine our models in engine, how do we learn new tools in CryEngine. It’s taking those fundamental skills from first year and bring them in second year and refining them to a crisp while learning extras on the side. Now when it gets to third year, it’s bringing everything together as one, the fundamentals, the refinement and then it will be the “stand on your own two feet”.

At the end of the day I want to get a degree in Game Art Design and make games as a living, whether it’d be mobile or console.  I want to be able to be a part of a team and create new innovative games. Some may be piss poor, some may be fantastic even a next best seller. But what I do know is I want to work with environments or weapons. Over second year environments have stuck with me, but I have gained an interest in weapons and I’d like to pursue this a little more. After three years of university, I will be employable to games companies with fundamental skills at modelling, texture, concepting and working within engine and I’d hope to refine these more to an industry high level.

There were some major down points within second year that have opened my eyes to what the real world is going to be like. A lot of this was time management and after two years of not working out my time I have suffered greatly, and now it’s time for me to pick it up again. It used to be oh this can wait and that can wait. But now I realise it can’t wait. Anything outside of my course can wait, this course can’t. This determines where my life goes and I don’t want to waste. Yes I’d like to relax but I want to make it in life. Where it takes me I’ll follow with my head held high and proud.

At the end of the day it was a successful/unsuccessful year and I’ve learnt so much in such a small amount of time compared to what my life will give me in the future. It’s been an interesting year. But I’m ready to relax, practise and come back with a fresh mind-set. It’s been a good year!