TEAMMATE #3: discover the career path of Margaux, Game Artist

Margaux as a creative is the one who realizes the environment of our future game Harmonia : Goya’s Land ! Inspired by the Ghibli studios, she takes you on board during this interview. So, let’s go and find out more about her background and her impressions about our upcoming games.

Hello Margaux, can you tell us more about your background?

Margaux: I discovered the world of video games very early. This passion began by watching my brother play Diablo II or Prince of Persia. As I grew up, this passion has intensified but I was more focused on studying art history and archaeology which are fields that also interested me. During the postbac admission period in France, I wondered if there was a profession that could combine my two passions: video games and art. Ater some research, I discovered ISART Digital, a school in Paris, specialized in video games, video game development and animation. I followed a 5-year cursus there before getting my Game Art Master in 2020.

Congratulations for your successful graduation! Today, you are a Game Artist at PlayTiX, what did motivate your choice?

Margaux:I met William, co-founder of PlayTiX, at a recruitment event organized by the school. When he introduced me the studio, I immediately loved the mindset emerging from the company. Being able to contribute to the creation of a game that will have a positive impact on the planet, but also on the players and the game creators was very interesting to me, especially as ecology and the global warming fight are causes I care about. I think today it is important to make efforts in all areas and if there is a way for me to play my part and for us to make a difference in video game, it is even better.

What is your role at PlayTiX?

Margaux : As a Game Artist, I am in charge of the graphic/visual part of our video games in development. Among other things, I am creating the Concept Arts to give a precise vision of the universe that has to be set up. This series of illustrations allows our teams to imagine the atmosphere of our future game, to validate the global aspect and specially to foresee the necessary resources to do it. One of my missions is also to model some 3D elements such as characters, sceneries, etc. The tasks are very diversified, I work on all aspects of visual creation. If I had to summarize my job in 3 words, I would say creativity, versatility, but also a lot of rigor.

Since you’ve been at PlayTiX, what has been your biggest challenge?

Margaux: As a game artist, you often face the same challenge: you have to combine art with technique. When you work in this field, you are not only an artist, you have to create more than just beauty. What we create has to be practical, optimized enough to be integrated into the game and understandable by players. Every element created must be adapted to the gameplay and to the platforms on which PlayTiX will be published: PC and mobile. If I have to give an example, we can’t afford to make very heavy or ultra-detailed objects if, in practice, they will be very small on the screens. In summary, the real challenge is to find the right balance between creating something beautiful, pleasing to the eye and something optimized for both PC and mobile.

What made you want to become a Game Artist?

Margaux: As I said before, it started when I was watching my brother play. Then over the years, I spent a lot of time playing (especially RPGs which is my favorite kind of game), watching videos and discovering universes always more exciting. So I wanted to move to the other side of the screen and be part of the teams developing, imagining and offering new content to gamers around the world.

Do you consider video games as a particular kind of art?

Margaux: That’s a tough question. In my opinion, video games are a form of art in the sense that the development of a video game requires many different skills to be brought together. Many different art forms are brought together in the creation of a video game. This can be visual, sound design or gameplay which is also a form of art in itself.

A video game is also, for me, a universe with unlimited creative potential. There are so many types of games, so many different kinds of games that it is very hard to list them all. It is also a way to get messages across, to show the world particular subjects from a different and more immersive angle. As a player, you are immersed in a story in which you are an actor. There is action, you can be directed or not, but you still have a form of freedom that allows you to escape from everyday life. With a game, you can do anything, you can be led to think, to act, to explore. You can also laugh, cry, work out, challenge yourself, meet new people and simply relax and have fun.

What are your inspirations?

Margaux: It’s very vast, it can go from the Lord of the Rings, to feudal Japan to things from real life. As a game artist, we have to be aware of everything surrounding us in the real world in order to feed our creativity. Objects, everyday situations or even walks in museums or different places are then reflected in our illustrations. I also find inspiration in movies, books, series or by reading specialized magazines about history and archeology. An important thing is to be curious about everything and not only about what you like. For example, regarding music, I particularly like metal, but I am also interested in electro, or I can even watch an opera. Don’t limit yourself.

What are your aspirations?

Margaux: Today, I really like what I do because it’s very versatile and my wish is to work in video games as long as possible. If I have to plan for the long term, I would love to work on an RPG, which is a genre I am a fan of. I’m also thinking about maybe specializing in a few years as a 3D Character Artist, which is a job I’m also interested in.

At PlayTiX, you are currently working on the first game: Harmonia: Goya’s Land. What does it inspire you?

Margaux: In the main themes, the game is closely related to ecological and biodiversity preservation issues. When I work on this project, I want to show the players nature in a different way. I found it very interesting to have insect animals because there are so many species that exist and that we don’t even know about. I think it’s important to raise awareness of the different species that exist on our planet.

On this game, the Studio Ghibli films inspired me a lot, because there is this relationship between man and nature that is predominant and they are films of animation that I love, especially the Nausicäa Valley.

When I create visuals, I always try to keep in mind that you have to pay attention to your environment, even in the game. When I create the characters’ houses, I pay attention to the area where they will be located. I will avoid making a large building on an area with a risk of deforestation. However, I can use the mushroom tree and make sure that it is as undamaged as possible. It’s the same with the materials, the energies for the Solar Punk side of the universe. I’m inspired by green and less polluting technologies. Players will also be able to find new magical sources.

In summary, my guideline is that I do my best to make sure that the players of the platform feel that it is a fun and responsible universe. We have to be as consistent as possible with what we want to create. When you look at the game, you have to see the messages of PlayTiX. When I see the game, I think of a cute, colorful, happy universe. The game has to be fundamentally positive.

What is the biggest challenge of the game?

Our biggest challenge is to make a game that players like. We really try to make a quality game that is as close to our values as possible. We also have to keep in mind the initial goal of developing a game: fun. The universe is very rich, the players will have the possibility to discover several different places! The game will evolve over time with new quests, new worlds and new characters but, at first, we must focus on the fundamental elements. We shouldn’t think too big, and focus on quality. And right now we are working on the enclosures for the small animals.

What are the games that made the biggest impression on you? Why?

Margaux:

• First of all, I would say Dragon Age: Origins. It’s not very recent, but it’s one of the best, if not the best RPG I’ve ever played. Right from the start, you have a huge number of choices. The prologues are well designed, there is a pretty huge number of choices, and throughout the game they managed to make sure that those choices were always present. I also really liked the music, the gameplay, the graphics (which are getting old), and especially the storyline.
• The Elder Scrolls Online is a game I’ve been playing since 2014, I had even played the Beta. Every year, I come back on the game when the extensions come out and it’s always a pleasure to play with my friends. You can go anywhere and the classes are really cool. The Elder Scrolls saga, which I know since Oblivion, is one of my favorite.
• And in third place, it’s still an RPG from 2003. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Once again, the choices are ultra-advanced in this game, you really feel that every action has repercussions. The graphics are a bit old but some of the cinematics are worthy of movies.

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Writter : Tatiana TIAO VANNITHA, community manager