Success Story: Nizhen “Nicole” Phang

I would like to share another great interview with one of our Alumni, Nicole, who is currently working as a Level Artist at Ubisoft Singapore.

What course did you study?

I studied the (MA) Game Art course at Escape Studios.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working as a Level Artist at Ubisoft Singapore! I’ve only been here for 4 months but it’s been an amazing journey every step of the way. My job is creating awesome environments and working with a team of extremely talented and wonderful people. As for the project I’m currently working on, I’m afraid I can’t reveal much right now but it’s an exciting one and I can’t wait for everyone to be able to experience it!

What work are you most proud of working on and was/is your most notable achievement?

Oof, this is a tough question. I’d say my favorite work would be my final project: The Sci-Fi Repair Bay. It’s a culmination of everything I’ve learnt during my time here at Escape and trying to push my skills to the highest level possible.

But my most notable achievement was working on the Fable group project with my team. It was a challenging experience, especially with Covid and having to do everything online. But we managed to make it work, setting up our own Perforce server for file sharing, having daily meetings to make sure we’re on schedule and the final result is something we are all really proud of.

If you had to sum up your time at Escape Studios in one word, what would it be and why?

Enlightening.

I’ve been playing video games all my life and am a huge fan of them. But to actually understand how it’s all made and the work and artistry that goes on behind the scenes just makes me appreciate them even more.

What lessons have you learnt during your time studying and your time working in Games?

Never be afraid to experiment. Continue pushing the boundaries of what you’ve learnt and keep telling yourself “What can I do to make this better?” Don’t be afraid of learning new software. Once you have the soft skills down like how to model, how to texture, how to make something look great, learning a new program is simply learning how to navigate around it.

What is your advice for those considering entering the industry?

This is a highly competitive industry, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get that callback you were hoping for. Keep improving on your skills and your software repertoire. Post your work online to places like Artstation, CGSociety or Zbrush Central, even works-in-progress. Don’t be afraid of getting feedback and criticisms. You can’t improve if you don’t know how to improve.

Putting yourself out there is also how you start making connections and getting known, which is immensely helpful when trying to land that first job. So don’t be shy! We’re all artists here and we all love seeing each other’s work and being inspired with one another.

What’s your favourite game and why?

The toughest question of all! Hmmmm, it’s hard to say which is my favorite, there are so many great games out there with their own unique charms to it.

I’d say narrative-wise, I’m a huge fan of the Mass Effect Trilogy. I love the various story branches based off the player’s choices, and the world-building of that game is absolutely fantastic. Aesthetics-wise, I’m in love with the dark fantasy look of the Soulsborne games (although I’m not very good at them haha) and I can’t wait to be able to play the Demon’s Souls Remaster as soon as I can get a PS5.