Our Spring 2018 Brown Bag Series is off to a great start! Michael Kawas, video game artist and founder of Game-U, highlighted the multifaceted nature of the video games industry and the many careers it offers, from art, coding, design, sound, and writing opportunities, to legal, marketing, and social media jobs. The video games industry is a multidisciplinary environment that requires a creative mindset, as well as strong teamwork and collaborative qualities. Mr. Kawas discussed how the $110 billion gaming industry has expanded beyond simply entertainment games; video games are now being used for virtual reality job training, surgery simulations, fitness, education, language learning, and more.
As he discussed his experience in the video game field and his transition from artist to founder and CEO of Game-U, an after school program that allows children to design their own video games, Mr. Kawas offered the audience “pro tips” that could be applicable in any career or industry: don’t be afraid of rejection, know when to move on from a job that is not working for you, get experience however you can, even if it’s only marginally related to the field you want to be in, and most importantly, take inspiration from everywhere, as you never know what skills you’ll need as you progress along your career path.
Mr. Kawas has nineteen years of experience in the video game industry as an artist and art director. He has shipped successful titles like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed I & II for LucasArts, Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in Time for Sony, and X-Men 3: The Official Game for Activision. In 2013, he used this passion to found Game-U, an after-school program that teaches children as young as 6 years old how to design and build their own video games and robotics.