Jonathan Rush

What can nine months of focused practice, mentorship, and dedication create? 🎨🎮 Our latest Term III Game Art Student Showcase has the answer. From atmospheric medieval environments to richly detailed stylized worlds, these projects highlight the incredible growth our students achieve while working alongside experienced industry mentors. Each project represents months of planning, sculpting, texturing, lighting, iteration, and storytelling, all using industry-standard workflows and tools. If you've ever wondered what students can create in the Vertex School Game Art Program, this showcase offers a glimpse into what's possible with the right guidance, consistent practice, and a passion for game art. 👉 Check out the full showcase on our blog: https://lnkd.in/ek5W_Jg4 #environmentart #environmentartist #vertexschool #unrealengine #studentartwork #gameart #gameartist #3dart #3dartist #blender #zbrush

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We are thrilled to announce that Brittany Hougaard, Founder and CEO of Moonlite Games Marketing & Publishing, will be joining Texas State University for a virtual guest lecture on April 15th at 5:15 PM CST. As we prepare for the upcoming launch of our new Online B.S. in Video Game Development and Design, bringing in industry leaders like Brittany is vital for our community. With a career spanning Ubisoft and WB Games/Avalanche (Hogwarts Legacy), she offers a wealth of knowledge on building a sustainable career in the modern market. Talk Title: State of Play: Realistic Paths into the Games Industry Key Takeaways: - How to leverage non-gaming experience to enter the field. - Navigating the transition from Indie to Triple-A. - Strategies for career longevity in a shifting landscape. This is a must-attend for students and aspiring developers. Please QR code on the image to RSVP and receive the Zoom details. #GameDev #TexasState #VideoGameDesign #EdTech #GamingIndustry

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Reflecting a lot lately as I come into my 12th year in games (am I a veteran yet?!) My biggest takeaway and what has felt most true for me, is that... You're only as good as the people you work with. And by that I don't mean raw skill/ability. You could be the best artist in the world in terms of visual output, but if you are a nightmare to work with for this reason or that, then you actively have a negative impact on every single person whose workstream intertwines with yours. You could be a junior artist just starting out. Your output needs work and you have much to learn, but you are a good collaborator and communicator and are kind to your colleagues. In my book, that puts you leagues ahead of the accomplished nightmare. I'd choose working with you, every time. Soft skills passively empower the team around you. A lack of them demotivates and causes friction. I don't care if you're Picasso. ✨

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Bethesda president Jill Braff has told Obsidian staff the studio will retain its creative identity after moving under Bethesda’s reporting structure. The reassurance follows project cancellations and a shift in Obsidian’s role inside Xbox. Read the workforce angle: https://lnkd.in/efTSqYw4

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So I’ve been playing with AI quite a bit as it relates to art recently, my conclusion: Production organization with effectively infinite execution bandwidth is great and all, BUT, that still requires someone to know what good is. AI doesn’t know what “good” is because good goes beyond just reason. It still needs a person with good “instincts”. Will AI ever have good instincts? Honestly, I doubt it. Will it speed up production? Yeah, quite a bit, but as the old saying goes “Crap in, Crap out”.

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Hey folks, Check out my brand new interview, "Why AAA Studios Invest in Tech Art." Using my years of experience at EA and Riot Games I touch on topics like what Technical Artists really do, why they're so good at empowering others, and some tips any artist can take away on how to work more effectively. Take a gander and let me know what y'all think! https://lnkd.in/gtz8-w4Q

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It’s remarkable that if you treat your artists as individuals, listen to them, show them respect, find what excites them, provide clear goals and guidelines, give them the time and resources they need, that they will actually produce great work and on time. Artists need to tap into their emotional well to work. Challenge them. Remember, feedback of what we are doing correctly is just as important as what we need to change. We are not machines. Nurture them to grow and they will exceed expectations every time. This is my management philosophy. Treat those the way you want to be treated. Classic. 😎

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A new gaming institute at The University of Texas at Austin will help position students for careers in the rapidly growing video game industry. UT’s Moody College of Communication will be home to the Karch Gaming Institute, which will be dedicated to shaping the next generation of creative leaders in the gaming industry thanks to a generous gift from Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, a worldwide video game developer and publisher, on behalf of the Karch family. https://lnkd.in/gtuEr9mt

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To the recruiters out there, Can we please push an initiative to stop requiring people to re-enter everything from their resume's into the application process. A couple questions is fine, but having to re-enter the resume that I submitted feels redundant for no reason. I get it probably makes things for how you sort through resume's differently. But this also doesn't respect the people's time applying for these positions. Some questions are fine, especially those that people aren't putting on their resume. Seems like so much personal information is gathered just to get denied. All the extra personal information should come from when you select someone to interview and continue going forward. I know this might not seem like much, but with how the industry is and how many people are constantly applying to every position, multiply every time people have to type everything back into a box to apply.

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