Introduction

My name is Alina Vilhjalmsdottir. I know it’s a mouthful. I always get a lot of question about it. My name is actually a combination of a Russian name and my last name means the daughter of Vilhjalmur. That’s my dad. I currently live in Iceland and aspire to get into the video game industry. The problem is, it’s almost non-existent here in Iceland. So I’m branching out by applying for jobs all over the world. I’m really excited to see more of the world and hopefully experience living somewhere else and get to know other cultures.

Journey into Game Design

I started my art journey in fashion design, but when I realized that that world wasn’t for me, I somehow thought programming was similar. After a year of not really fulfilling my artistic needs, I found a multimedia school in Iceland. There, I found my passion for game design and I have never looked back. I worked on numerous small games with my fellow students. I was finding my footing, still unsure if I wanted to be a character artist or an environment artist. But my skills always led me to produce and become a creative director over all my projects which is something I’m also really passionate about. I certainly want to do more of in the future. The human aspect of game design really intrigues me and I often find myself reading books on communication and leadership in my spare time. After 2 years, I decided to finish my degree and got a BA in Animation production at Arts University Bournemouth. I hoped that it would give me an edge when applying for work in the future.

Looking back, I think I have always really liked video games. I did play with Barbies but I still remember playing Nintendo at my grandparents’ house and getting a PS1 for Christmas. I have never really thought about it but I was a real video game nerd back then, and it has really stuck with me. I have always really liked the stories and worlds that video games can bring to life. That’s my favorite thing about a game, the story it shares with me. It’s very impactful and can stay with you forever.

Goals & Copying Dishonored Style

This project actually started in an Environment artist bootcamp at Game Art Institute. After my 3 years of school, I still felt like I didn’t have the skills I needed to get into the industry at all. So I enrolled in a bootcamp last year and my main focus was just to finish an environment and make it look amazing! I know that sounds like a lot and it was. I, of course, had some basic knowledge in all of the programs but there I dove deep into everything from creating low and high poly assets with the construction in mind to creating believable textures in Substance Painter, touching Substance Designer, Marmoset, and Unreal for the first time and mastering them.