Animex Game

Games talks from industry speakers.

Animex Game features two days of exciting talks from a range of speakers working in the games industry. Speakers share their insight into games they’ve worked on, their journey into the industry, career advice for those looking to get into games, and much more.

We’re busy behind the scenes working on our schedule for 2024. Keep an eye out for updates. Talks and speakers may be subject to change.

11 November 24

Middlesbrough Town Hall | TS1 2QJ

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8:50AM

Registration

Middlesbrough Town Hall Foyer.

9:15AM

Welcome talk

A talk to open Animex 2024.

9:30AM

Portfolio tips and tricks for game artists

Jeff Parrott | Blizzard Entertainment

Develop a clear understanding of expectations with regards to your art portfolio as you enter the video game industry. This talk covers networking, interviewing, and working as a professional in the video game industry.

10:30AM

Designing levels with dyslexia

Raphael Kidd | Ubisoft

Raphael Kidd talks about how he designed levels with dyslexia. Covering open world design and linear level design, he discusses dyslexia and its challenges, how it can be used as a tool to your advantage and explaining his experiences and practices with VR, having worked on The Persistence (PS4 VR).

11:30AM

Lunch break

1:00PM

An insight into the role of a technical artist

Nigel Middleman | TT Games

Technical artists have become a critical part of many development studios and are often required to be able to work on animations, tools development and art creation. This talk is aimed at people who may be interested in getting into the field of technical art or for people who may not know about the role of technical artist and the types of skills that a technical artist may require. This will not be a tech talk, it will cover some of what the role and responsibilities of a technical artist is.

2:00PM

From programming to marketing – a gaming industry story

Opal Cadman | Team17 Digital

This talk shows the range of careers available in the games industry, and the journey your career can take. This talk shows how much you can grow, and how fun the publishing and marketing careers in the games industry can be.

3:00PM

Break

3:30PM

The perilous 9ft journey: taking RimWorld from desk to couch, an adventure in UI

Kevin Mann | Double Eleven

Kevin Mann delves into the details of converting a complex and much loved PC game, RimWorld, to a console game from a UI/UX perspective. The task of converting a game from PC to console is never easy, but in the case of RimWorld, it was particularly challenging. The game's complex mechanics and user interface made the transition to consoles a daunting task. During the session, Kevin will share Double Eleven’s experiences of the challenges they faced during the conversion process and how they overcame them, to receive 5 star reviews and praise from the players.

4:30PM

Designing key game moments

Daniel Arriaga | Hundred Star Games

Daniel Arriaga discusses why specific video game moments have persisted in time as iconic and memorable. You learn how the human memory works and how certain patterns and features make spaces, actions and experiences easily recallable, recognisable and relatable to your target demographic. Daniel shares insights on how game mechanics can establish a strong product identity. The talk closes with a Q&A.

5:30PM

Close

12 November 24

Middlesbrough Town Hall | TS1 2QJ

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9:00AM

Registration

Middlesbrough Town Hall Foyer.

9:30AM

How I designed Cyberpunk 2077 levels

Max Pears | Hangar 13

Max Pears discusses the creative minds - who was involved with making the level and the team dynamics, his design process - how he approached a level when starting, working with brands, and mistakes and growth.

10:30AM

The Tanglewood Games optimisation playbook

Adam Capon | Tanglewood Games
Rodrigo Roldan-Romero | Tanglewood Games

The Tanglewood games team take a look at an introduction to game performance optimisation, efficient coding practices and algorithm optimisation, rendering and world optimisation, memory management, platform-specific optimisation, tips and best practice and finish off with a Q&A session.

11:30AM

Lunch break

1:00PM

Animating characters across the Sword Coast: cinematic challenges in Baldur's Gate 3

Adam Smith | Larian Studios
Logan Prové | Larian Studios

Adam Smith and Logan Prové highlight some of the challenges faced making animations for Larian Studio’s largest cinematic game, Baldur’s Gate 3.

2:00PM

Video game structural layers for narrative design

Eoghain Meakin | Ulster University and Can You Eat It?

Eoghain Meakin discusses the structural layers present in many video games that impose and motivate the shape of any narrative within them. By outlining and understanding these layers it should help designers create effective narratives in games.

3:00PM

Break

3:30PM

Cinematic design for games

David Pumpa | Playground Games

David Pumpa talks about what you need to consider when you’re creating and implementing cinematics into games.

4:30PM

From concept to controller: inside the game design process

Karolina Latka | Behaviour Interactive

How do you recognise a successful development cycle? What can help your game stand out? What should be at the core of your game design? In this talk, Karolina Latka dives into game design and also how it impacts the game development holistically.

5:30PM

Close

Animex Game SPEAKERS

Jeff Parrott

Jeff Parrott

Associate Art Director

Jeff Parrott will be talking about portfolio tips and tricks at Animex Game

Blizzard Entertainment

Opal Cadman

Opal Cadman

Brand Manager

Opal Cadman will be talking about careers in games at Animex Game

Team17 Digital

Adam Capon

Adam Capon

Senior Technical Artist

Adam Capon will be talking about the Tanglewood Games optimisation playbook at Animex Game

Tanglewood Games

Nigel Middleman

Nigel Middleman

Technical Art Director

Nigel Middleman will be giving an insight into the role of a technical artist at Animex Game

TT Games

Rodrigo Roldan-Romero

Rodrigo Roldan-Romero

Intermediate Programmer

Rodrigo Roldan-Romero will be discussing the Tanglewood Games optimisation playbook at Animex Game

Tanglewood Games

Adam  Smith

Adam Smith

Cinematic Animator

Adam Smith will be talking about the cinematic challenges in Baldur's Gate 3 at Animex Game

Larian Studios

Logan Prové

Logan Prové

Cinematic Animator

Logan Prové will be talking about the cinematic challenges in Baldur's Gate 3 at Animex Game

Larian Studios

Eoghain Meakin

Eoghain Meakin

Lecturer and Researcher in game design and Narrative Designer

Eoghain Meakin will be talking about structural layers for narrative design at Animex Game

Ulster University and Can You Eat It?

Max Pears

Max Pears

Principal Mission Designer

Max Pears will be talking about his approach to level design in Cyberpunk 2077 at Animex Game

Hangar 13

Raphael Kidd

Raphael Kidd

Senior Level Designer

Raphael Kidd will be talking about designing levels with dyslexia at Animex Game

Ubisoft

Karolina Latka

Karolina Latka

Senior Game Designer

Karolina Latka will be talking about the game design process at Animex Game

Behaviour Interactive

Kevin Mann

Kevin Mann

Systems Development Manager

Kevin Mann will be talking about creating the RimWorld UI for console at Animex Game

Double Eleven

Daniel Arriaga

Daniel Arriaga

Senior Level Designer

Daniel Arriaga will be talking about designing key game moments at Animex Game

Hundred Star Games

David Pumpa

David Pumpa

Lead Cinematic Animator

David Pumpa will be talking about cinematic design for games at Animex Game

Playground Games