NAME: James Chung

AGE: 31

JOB TITLE: Art Director of EA games 

LOCATION: Playa Vista, CA

TIME AT YOUR PRESENT JOB: 2 years

 

 

Describe what you do.

Sometimes I sit down with a producer and come up with what the new games should be like. Most of the time, I get handed a description of a game already designed. I have to make it look better and/or come up with a look for the game. Both times, it’s mostly about searching for artists online, hiring them to do the job and directing them.

What are you working on right now?

Can’t say. Something pretty hush-hush.

What’s your work environment like?

Since I am at a corporate office, I am in a cubicle. I am, however, surrounded by game systems, games and toys that I use as “reference.”

How did you get into this career? 

I am actually trained in narrative form of entertainment art. I always wanted to be a story artist or director for the animation or movie industry. I had to look for a steadier job when my daughter was born. Since I enjoy everything about video games, I decided to jump into the gaming industry where there were more jobs available.

What are games you’ve worked on?

Call of Duty: United Offensive and Call of Duty 2 for console games, and Sims2: Pets, Minigolf for iPod, Simpsons Movie, and Spores for the mobile market.

Where do you find ideas?

Major sources are movies, animation and mangas. One of the ideas for a game I am designing comes from a traditional Korean game from my childhood.

Do you play a lot of video games?

Believe it or not, I don’t really play that many games. Especially now that I have two kids. But I follow the trends and news about the games very religiously. And when there are games I need to check out for the project I am involved with, I try to find time to play them.

Do you let your kids play video games?

I know this is a very politically charged topic these days. I recently let my 22-month-old daughter try the tennis game on the Nintendo Wii system. We had such a great time together. I don’t mind my kids growing up with video games, but it will be strictly guarded and guided. It’s no different than any other form of entertainment.

What gaming trends do you see emerging in the future?

The front runners of the core gaming market product, such as Zelda, Resident Evil and Halo, to name a few, will continue their path and remain the superstars of the video game scene. But as the video game industry becomes more “mainstream,” mobile gaming will become even bigger. And with the upcoming iPhone, I think this will happen soon. This is received with much anxiety to those that are the core part of the gaming world, because it’s seen as a setback of sorts. I also had this attitude before I entered the mobile gaming market.