Success Story: Erih Pazanain

It was nowhere close to what he had imagined a career in law would be like. 

The exciting days of digging for solutions to complex problems in the books of law were over. They were over on the very last day of law school.

Ever since Erih had stepped into his office as a lawyer, it was just an endless series of quarrels after quarrels. With colleagues. With clients. With clerks…

This was clearly not working out.

That evening, Erih signed out in the same numbed out state that had pretty much become his default state. 

All he could think about on the way home was the rut his life had become. Everyday was the same. No challenge. No excitement. And a series of quarrels between sign and sign out.

The law firm didn’t exist anymore. Not in its overwhelming form, at least.

He was now Geralt of Rivia. And the streets of Flotsam were his to take and dominate.

The chaotic freedom of Witcher 2 was exhilarating. But the recurring flashbacks of his monotonous real life were heart-breaking.

Something had to give!

Erih’s facial expressions were not much  different from those of Geralt on the screen. 

He put down the controller, turned on his laptop, and started writing an email.

“I, Erih Pazanin, am no longer able to continue working at your esteemed firm due to some urgent personal commitments. Please accept my resignation. It was a pleasure working with your firm. 

Regards.” 

The moment he clicked “Send”, it felt as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. 

Geralt’s voice blasted through the speakers, “Fuck you!”

Erih laughed. 

“Nasty. But after we’ve been through so much …” Vernon Roche had just the perfect line for this situation.

Erih didn’t remember laughing so hard in the last three years. 

And jobless. But this was no time to bury himself in the worries of upcoming challenges. The freedom begged to be celebrated.

So he called a few old friends and stepped out. 

Vienna was alive. The city seemed brighter and livelier than ever before. It seemed to be dancing in Erih’s newfound freedom. 

Amidst the laughter and joy he shared with his friends that night, Erih found something else too. 

He found his calling that night.

Geralt of Rivia was calling him. Erih knew he loved video games. And that’s where he was going now. A regular job as a regular office was not working for him.

All the years he had spent drawing as a child better come back to support him now.      

That year, Erih enrolled in a game art and animation course and got a job as a 3D artist.

The next two years proved him right. Working in games, he felt like he was home. 

But his employer shifted it focus from mobile games to casino apps. And Erih found himself writing a resignation again.

But he was home. He was a full-fledged game artist now, and was living in Helsinki with his girlfriend. Since they couldn’t relocate, Erih took this time to upgrade his portfolio. An advertisement for Adam Skutt’s course at Vertex School showed up at just  the right time.  

Adam Skutt’s course, and then a Character Art Bootcamp. This was just the boost Erih needed, and the timing couldn’t have been better. 

Erih was moving back to Austria, and Ubisoft was showing some serious interest in hiring him. But Sperasoft succeeded in snatching him first. It was 2018. And Erih was now lending his upgraded skills to Mortal Kombat Mobile. 

Things were good. And were about to get better. 

When Erih entered the studios of CD Projekt Red in Cracow for the first time, he found an old friend standing in the hallways to welcome him. 

Geralt of Rivia.

But Erih wasn’t there for Geralt. The inhabitants of Cyberpunk 2077 needed specialist help for their hair. 

It was time to make new friends.