Oliver Miles

Before joining Solent, I was learning how to 3D-model as a hobby, so I already had a passion for making art for games. The course helped me build up my skills base using industry standard tools, so I was able to get a better understanding of game development as a whole, and how the different disciplines work together when making games.

I now work for PlayFusion as a 3D artist, and was involved in a large portion of creating the physical toys on Lightseekers – the game uses real life toy interaction to play. It was a challenge because everything had to be absolutely perfect before it was sent off to the manufacturer. This meant close collaboration with the concept art team to really capture the magic we wanted to deliver.

It’s really rewarding seeing something you worked on turned into a toy, so that’s my career highlight so far.

If you’re interested in a career in the 3D games industry, you have to put your own time in. A university course will show you the tools and point you in the right direction with like-minded people, but you have to take the time to master your trade. If you don't, someone else will - and they'll get the job.

It’s very hard to make big money in this industry, and moving jobs is a harsh reality that happens a lot, so this line of work is for someone who really enjoys what they do. It’s a small industry and managers will hire people that either they’ve had good experiences with or who they think they can stand to spend eight hours sitting next to.