Going Indie, Changing Crunch, Mocap SWAT, Bungie, Wild West Days, Management Lessons, and VR with Richard Lico

Game industry veteran Richard Lico joins me on this episode to discuss his career. Hear how he got started in the industry going from SCAD’s 3D Computer Art program to now being the Studio Animation Director at Polyarc 20 years later. Richard talks about working on Triple-A games like Halo, Destiny, and more recently, the indie VR hit, Moss. Learn about working at Bungie, advice to fellow animators and artists, his excitement around VR, a few wild stories, and his online animation school. Hosted by John ‘JP’ Podlasek (See gamedevadvice.com for in-depth show notes and links.)

In This Episode We Discuss:

[01:07] Introductions

[02:19] Richard’s current role as the Studio Animation Director

[03:41] How Polyarc started and evolved

[04:12] His story getting into the industry

[07:47] What he wishes he’d known before getting started

[10:47] Advice for someone looking to get a first job

[14:42] Career advice for fellow animators on how to bring characters to life

[18:11] Richard’s favorite project so far

[19:16] What Richard’s curious about right now in the industry

[19:44] Concerns around the industry and crunch culture

[25:59] Thoughts on opportunities for the game industry

[29:40] Glimpse into the VR creation process

[32:34] Wild West game development and SWAT teams

[37:38] Discussion about Final Fantasy 7, and the nostalgia that follows

[38:16] The secret weapon of AR and VR, including Half-Life

[40:40] Finding Richard online, including Animation Sherpa

Full Bio:

Annie and D.I.C.E nominated animation director at Polyarc with 20 years of experience making games. Previously animation lead at Bungie and Monolith Productions. Richard's latest adventures have been in VR, animating Moss. As well as opening an animation school, "Animation Sherpa".

Resources:

*Richard Lico Twitter

*Richard Lico Vimeo portfolio

*Animation Sherpa website

*Polyarc website

*Polyarc Twitter

Game Dev:

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*Game Dev Advice Hotline: (224) 484-7733 - give me a call and ask a question for the show

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