What’s your role as an animator here at H5G?

I take the art from the illustrators and I make it move around in a pretty and pleasing way. That’s the bare bones of it, but it’s different every time. I just finished working on a Hayao Miyazaki-inspired game; he’s a Japanese filmmaker, like the Walt Disney of Japan. It was super fun because it’s cartoony and I really like animating in that style. Lots of H5G’s stuff is photorealistic and gorgeous, but Miyuki and Friends, which is the name of the game, is a totally different style. It’s just nice to do something different. (Editor’s Note: Miyuki and Friends is available at Shake the Sky!)

Do you work on one game at a time, or is there a bunch of stuff on your plate constantly?

I work on a bunch of different games at the same time. I could be mainly animating one game while fixing animations on another, planning what we’re going to shoot in a live action game, coming up with game themes, and working with the starting artists to make sure we get the right elements. I’m all over the place — all games all the time.

Are there any games you’ve worked on that really stand out to you? Any upcoming projects you’re really excited about?
Miyuki has been the best game I’ve worked on so far, I love it! If I look at the animations I did when I first got here, I’m like, “Oh god, that’s awful,” so now I’m finally getting into the groove of things. Maybe that’s why I like Miyuki the most. I really liked working on Silk and Steel, and Lucky Animals too. Tall, Rich and Handsome is the one live action game I’ve done so far. It’s an Asian game, there’s a girl with four different guys trying to date her. It’s really cute. Going forward, I’m really excited to do more Wu Xia games, which are martial-arts style. We’re shooting martial artists and cloth with a high speed camera for Way of the Blade, and it’s going to be super cool. (Editor’s Note: Silk and Steel and Tall, Rich and Handsome are available now at Shake the Sky, and Lucky Animals and Way of the Blade will likely debut there later this year.)

What’s your favorite and least favorite part of being an animator?

My favorite part is the end product — once the game comes through the animation stage it looks amazing and really comes to life. Animation is where a lot of the emotion happens, so I like that I’m in a vital stage. The worst part is that it takes a really long time to get it to look right.

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