Introduction
Hello! My name is Katelyn Salo, I am a 21-year-old Seattle-based sushi chef pursuing a career in Game Development. Prior to starting at Vertex School, I received schooling from the University of Idaho. There I studied for a little over 2 years in Virtual Technology and Design.
During my time at the University of Idaho, I was taught the fundamentals of a wide range of 3D skills including level design in Unreal Engine, 3D animation, and modeling. I even dipped into VR motion capture technology.
Interest in Game Development
I’ve always been an artist at heart. I started drawing at a very young age and developed that skill to give form to my wild imagination. For as long as I’ve been an artist I’ve also been a very passionate gamer. Over the years I have become infatuated with the way that video games create such impactful experiences for people.
I always tell people I find it amazing that humans can create entire worlds with just a collection of their thoughts. Video games are an incredible medium to give form to these worlds. I wanted to join the Game Development Program because of my desire to have a role in creating these amazing experiences for people.
Finding Vertex School
After leaving the University of Idaho for personal reasons I spent some time deciding what career path I wanted to pursue. Every time I branched out into other fields, I always circled back to game design and development. I finally reached a point in my life where I was ready to seriously work toward that goal. First I searched online for a game development program that would fit my needs. I ended up finding Vertex School and deciding that the Game Development Program would be the best fit for me.
Joining the Game Development Program
Prior to joining Vertex School, I did quite a bit of research. I looked through many previous student testimonials and reviews. After hearing about many people’s positive experiences with the courses and the staff I decided to schedule an interview. This would allow me to see if my skills and experience were adequate enough to be considered for a spot in the Game Development Program.
Vertex School was by far the most cost-effective option for me as a young adult who isn’t quite established with a career yet. I decided to join Vertex because they offer an industry-relevant education delivered by real professionals in the field. My goal in joining the program is to sharpen and build on the 3D skills I already have. In addition to that, I want to learn the essential skills I’m missing so that I can develop my portfolio into one that fits the industry standard.
Best Part of the Game Development Program so far
I find it helpful and refreshing that the course structure is set up in such a way that it allows students to create something of their own while learning the course content. The game design process is broken down into iterative steps through each week’s lessons. As we learn new content we are able to add something new to our games.
I find it important in a design field like this that students are given freedom of creative expression. As someone who has a tendency for imposter syndrome, it feels incredibly rewarding to look back at the game that I’ve made and feel proud knowing that it is a product of what I’ve learned and my own hard work.
Watching my game progress from week 1 as some gray cubes on a blank plane into an immersive playable experience feels very rewarding. Each week seeing how my game has changed motivates me to keep improving, and leaves me excited to see what it will look like at the end.
Professional Mentorship
My mentors Matt Board and Paul Layton have been beyond helpful in guiding me through the learning process and solving unforeseen problems. One piece of mentor advice that stands out to me is that in the beginning, it’s important not to focus too much on the little details.
I suffer from perfectionism so it is easy for me to get way too caught up in meaningless details in the beginning stages of a project. I spend way too much time on little things and then feel discouraged when after many hours I’ve hardly made any progress.
They’ve encouraged us to work from big to small, blocking things out, establishing lighting and rough blocky forms, and then as we progress, start filling in more and more of the details. I’ve learned that this is the most efficient way to work through these projects. This advice has saved me countless hours that I would have spent making things too detailed and then scrapping most of those details down the line.
Who do you recommend the Game Development Program to?
I recommend the Game Development Program to anyone who has a passion and respect for the process of making games and wishes to bring their skills to a level where they themselves can create these experiences.
I think that it is definitely optimal to at least have a baseline knowledge of the game development process and some 3D-related skills. The program seems to be most effective for people wishing to improve their preexisting skillset.
The bootcamp packs a lot of information that can be incredibly complex into a matter of months. The challenges someone would be required to overcome learning this process from the ground up with no previous knowledge while still keeping pace with the content seems like it would be a monumental task.
The Vertex School Experience
My experience with Vertex School so far has been quite positive. Instructors are incredibly helpful and willing to set aside time to assist with any issues. Class sessions are very insightful and instructors actively support the student’s game development process during class by reviewing their work and offering valuable advice.
It certainly takes hard work and persistence to succeed in this program, at least for someone with the previous experience I had coming into the program. Although I had some baseline skills there were a lot of gaps. I’ve had to overcome many challenges that stumped and frustrated me. It’s all worth it in the end when I get to see the product of overcoming these struggles and be proud of it.
Learn more about the Game Development Program now: https://www.vertexschool.com/game-development-program
Student Links
Katelyn’s ArtStation Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/ksalo