Animex Game
Games talks from industry speakers.
6 - 7 November 2023
Check out our schedule for Animex Game talks below, more speakers to be confirmed soon so keep checking back. Talk times are subject to change.
06 November 23
Middlesbrough Town Hall | TS1 2QJ
8:50AM
Registration
9:15AM
Welcome
9:30AM
10:30AM
The technical animation pipeline of Fort Solis
Matthew Lake | Fallen Leaf
Dive into the technical animation pipeline of the Fort Solis, covering how Unreal Engine 5 helped breathe life into the characters for Fallen Leaf's debut title. The talk covers approaches to these technologies, and the many hurdles and lessons learnt from trying to push the animation envelope with an indie-sized team. This talk features spoilers from the game, so tread lightly.
11:30AM
Lunch
1:00PM
Self-determination theory and submarines
Peter Yates | d3t
Peter Yates explains the central tenets of self-determination theory, viewed through the medium of a cold war submarine simulator.
2:00PM
Brick by brick: Creating your dream career as a games artist
Jade Crosby | TT Games
Piotr Czternasty | TT Games
Nigel Middleman | TT Games
Get an overview of different career paths within the art team at TT Games. You look at environment, technical and VFX. Jade, Nigel and Piotr talk through the type of work they undertake daily, along with highlighting career paths into their respective disciplines. The presenters share experiences of how they began their journey, with tips and tricks of how to break into industry.
3:00PM
Break
4:00PM
Finding the plot: Level design techniques for visually communicating narrative to players
Fern Griffiths | Ubisoft
Story is a crucial part of many games, offering players the unique experience of being an active participant in the storytelling process. Level design is central to player experience and an integral way that games communicate with the player. It’s not just designing cool spaces for gameplay to take place in, but an important tool that can be used to tell stories, set the mood, and impact player emotions. This talk will cover ways that level design can be used to not only physically reflect the narrative but communicate it directly to the player.
5:00PM
Programming: Getting into the industry
Jason Lee | d3t
Stuart Pentelow | d3t
Jason Lee and Stuart Pentelow talk about entering the industry as a programmer, navigating the competitive landscape, and understanding things you can and can't control about most studios’ recruitment processes. Plus additional thought on what progression looks like in the industry from d3t's perspective and insight into co-development.
6:00PM
Close
07 November 23
Middlesbrough Town Hall | TS1 2QJ
9:00AM
Registration
9:30AM
How to effectively use your time in QA to get your foot in the industry
Zaid Shaikh | Firesprite
The game industry can be extremely competitive to enter, there’s no doubt of that. A common piece of advice is to get into QA to get your foot in the door. Rarely does anybody ever elaborate beyond that. You could be looking to use QA as a stepping-stone, genuinely be interested in the department, or hoping to figure out your spot in the game industry. This talk touches those points and how to best utilise your time in QA.
10:30AM
Deep dive into Cake Bash: Game art and programming
Laura Hutton | High Tea Frog
Clement Capart | High Tea Frog
A technical deep dive into Cake Bash was made. The game was shipped with online play on five platforms in two years, with a core team size of two. Laura is the artist who made everything you can see in the game, and Clement is the programmer who made it all work. Come and hear their story.
11:30AM
Lunch
1:00PM
The Art of Direction
Ron Ashtiani | Big Thursday Creative
Ron Ashtiani presents lessons learnt from his 24-year-long career crafting compelling art direction for games (Mortal Kombat X) and movies (Guardians of the Galaxy and The Avengers). In sharing how to develop a unique visual style, Ron talks about understanding target audiences, gathering references, presenting to a team, managing artists and more.
2:00PM
Bringing LEGO to life: character creation on The Skywalker Saga
Ruthie Nielsen | TT Games
Felix Pereira | TT Games
Daniel Martin | TT Games
Reice Collishaw | TT Games
Go behind the scenes on LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga and see how TT build characters from character art to animation, bringing LEGO to life. This talk covers the entire character creation pipeline, going into depth on how TT collaborate with LEGO to strengthen the LEGO brand, and provides an exclusive window into future development work.
3:00PM
Break
4:00PM
Get in the Game – Career Talks
Nikita Lord | Aardvark Swift
Learn about the games industry and how to make yourself stand out. This talk highlights the benefits and reality of a career in video games development, giving you guidance on how to prepare and improve your employability. Get the most up-to-date guidance including the skills studios look for, tips for constructing the perfect CV and portfolio, how to network, and more.
5:00PM
A designer's role in Minecraft Dungeons
Tom Pedalino | Double Eleven
An in-depth look at the designer's role during Minecraft Dungeons' development. From the initial ideas phase up to post-release support.
6:00PM
Close
Animex Game SPEAKERS
Laura Hutton
Artist and Director
Laura Hutton will be giving a technical deep dive into how Cake Bash was made at Animex Game
Clement Capart
Programmer and Director
Clement Capart will talk about developing Cake Bash with a tiny team at Animex Game
Matthew Lake
Lead Technical Animator
Matt Lake will be discussing the technical animation pipeline of Fort Solis at Animex Game
Jason Lee
Programmer
Jason Lee will be discussing getting a job as a games programmer at Animex Game
Stuart Pentelow
Associate Programmer
Stuart Pentelow will be discussing getting a job as a games programmer at Animex Game
Fern Griffiths
Junior Level Designer
Fern Griffiths will be speaking about level design at Animex Game
Ruthie Nielsen
Lead Character Rigger
Ruthie Nielsen will be speaking about bringing LEGO to life at Animex Game
Felix Pereira
Senior Animator
Felix Pereira will be speaking about bringing LEGO to life at Animex Game
Zaid Shaikh
Game Designer
Zaid Shaikh will be speaking about working in quality assurance at Animex Game
Jade Crosby
Lead Environment Artist
Jade Crosby will be talking about creating your dream career as a games artist at Animex Game
Daniel Martin
Advanced Character Rigger
Daniel Martin will be speaking about bringing LEGO to life at Animex Game
Nikita Lord
Graduate Partnership Manager
Nikita Lord will be talking about enhancing your employability in games at Animex Game
Reice Collishaw
Lead Character Artist
Reice Collishaw will be speaking about bringing LEGO to life at Animex Game
Piotr Czternasty
Junior VFX Artist
Piotr Czternasty will be talking about creating your dream career as a games artist at Animex Game
Tom Pedalino
Lead Level Designer
Tom Pedalino will be talking about Minecraft Dungeons at Animex Game
Nigel Middleman
Technical Art Director
Nigel Middleman will be talking about creating your dream career as a games artist at Animex Game
