10 Things I Learned Working In The Gaming Industry
5. Brand Snobbery Wastes Time
One of the most common questions I'm asked on LinkedIn and Twitter by aspiring game developers is, "which software do I need to learn? I can't afford Maya...".
And that's a fair worry to have - I grew up on a council estate eating fish fingers and gravel for tea. I know what it's like to have to stretch a pound coin. Yet a lot of game developers skim past the brutal barrier to entry that is the fortune required to keep industry-standard software at an even semi-professional or commercial level.
Sure, students catch a break with subsidised or free versions, but what happens after that? Adobe's like a drug dealer, giving you a wee free taste, before leaving you reliant on those sweet, expensive Premiere Pros.
But the industry is relaxing a little. You can use Blender. You can use GIMP. You can use any number of cheap or free pieces of software without worrying about judgement or, more importantly, compatibility issues.
On the 2D side, I almost exclusively use Callipeg, Procreate, Pixaki and Krita now, even on AAA games. So long as you don't cause pipeline issues and your software is legitimate/accepted by your directors, you need not spend a fortune on software you don't need to just because it's the pro-est of pro.
Plus, by not subscribing to the truly exorbitant Adobe Creative Suite, you can now afford literally anything in the universe!