Allwyn Dsouza
Bangalore
In these past 4 months in the Dhruva Academy, the amount that I've learnt is much more than what I learnt during the 3 years in my earlier institute.
In India, the problem is that the institutes teach you art and animation well but they do not know whether what they are teaching is meant for films or games, i.e., we are never explained which pipeline our work is meant for. There are some restrictions when designing for films, which are not present in designing for games, and vice versa. But this was never explained to us. At Dhruva Academy, you are clearly told the difference between film and game designing. You are made to work according to the pipeline.
If you are interested in gaming, remember that there isn't just one way through which you can enter this industry. There is 2D, 3D, scripting, analytics, and many more such divisions. There are a number of ways you can enter gaming. You just need to research thoroughly and understand what goes behind making a game and the skills that are required. Then you can, accordingly, decide which profile would suit you the best. You just need to dedicate enough time. Information is not limited - everything depends on how much time you decide to dedicate.
Akash Dambal
Bangalore
At Dhruva Academy, you are taught how to work as a team. It's unlike college, where you come in, finish off your individual assignments and leave. Over here, you are made to work as a team - this way you learn from your teammates' strengths and draw inspiration from them. Each teammate will have something which the other would lack. Hence, it's a great learning experience. You understand your weaknesses but you are also exposed to many new skills.
Gershom Ben
Bangalore
Dhruva Academy is vastly different from the institute I graduated from. In an institute, you are not treated as an industry professional but as a child. You are given a toy to play with. So through trial and error you keep experimenting with it, not bothered about the consequences. It’s like you're in the dark. You don’t know whether the pipeline you are choosing is the right one or not. Over here in the Dhruva Academy, you are clearly shown the right pipeline which you need to follow for your designs to be properly implemented.
The curriculum of the academy might be tough if the field does not interest you. A lot of times people who love playing games think they will be able to create games easily. But that's a very wrong notion. What we do is very different here. You do not necessarily have to be great at playing games for you to develop and design games. Over here, your analytical and reasoning skills matter. Your sense of art matters. And of course, hard work and determination! A game might look pretty but it is very difficult to make one.
I have to talk about the people at Dhruva. Some of them might look much elder to us but when I speak to them, I discover their thinking is exactly like us! They're great company to hang out with! No one really questions you here when you decide to get up for a break. You are not accountable for every minute that you spend at the Academy. Everything is very casual here. Yes, people do work here but they understand that everyone requires some amount of freedom as well since it's a creative field.
Priyanka Debnath
Bangalore
I always enjoyed playing games but I was more interested in knowing how a game is made since it requires a lot of art and creativity. And I love being creative. I never imagined that in a corporate world, people could be so helpful. Every single person in this company is accessible at any given point of the day - no matter which level of seniority he/she belongs to. You can just feel the positivity in the atmosphere. I'm surprised a corporate company has such helpful people - maybe because everyone here is an artist and artists are supposed to help each other for only then do they grow.
Dhruva is a great option to start your career with. You will never feel like a newcomer here. Rather, you will always feel like an equal.
Bharathi Bhai
Chennai
Since childhood I've always loved creating things. Giving life to things. Even now I dream of creating realistic fantasy characters.
Before I got selected for Dhruva Academy, I took part in their online Speed Sculpt Contest which they organise often. A second place in the same enabled me to fulfill my dream i.e. to be a part of the Dhruva training programme and be sitting here in this studio.
In an institute you won’t really learn much. There is a major difference in what you learn at an institute and what you implement in a studio which is why you need to do a lot of self-learning as well. By going through online tutorials and videos one can learn how artists are actually making use of gaming tools to make things in real.
Sadguna Mohanty
Bhubaneswar
I love art. I draw all my inspiration from watching artists work. People who are artists have a different mindset and thought process altogether - they are unafraid to think and speak their mind. They are not hesitant to change something that has been the norm in society for years. I aspire to be the same.
After arriving at Dhruva Academy, I finally understood what a pipeline is. I gained a lot of clarity after coming here.
The good thing about this place is that people do not look at you as a fresher or someone who is new to the industry. I have never felt out of place here. Even if I don't know anything here, I don’t hesitate to ask because I know people here have the desire to help. This is a creative medium, and people here grow only when they help each other out, share experiences (good and bad) so that all of us can learn from the other's mistakes. This is what art and creativity is about.
ABOUT PROGRAMME
Game Art Professional Programme (GAAP) is an initiative from Dhruva to address one of the challenges the gaming industry is facing at the moment. In a young and thriving country like India, there are many young artists and game enthusiasts who want to make a career in this niche industry. Unfortunately this talent is not coupled with quality education and exposure to meet the needs of the industry. We come across a large talent pool with basic understanding of tools and techniques, but without skills necessary for game art creation. GAAP is a one year on the job training program to bridge the gap between industry standards and the quality of talent that’s currently available. This is a gateway to join Dhruva, where artists work on some of the biggest game franchises in the world.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants should be proficient in tools and skills such as 3DS-Max or Maya, Z-brush, Photoshop or their equivalent, hard-surface or organic modelling and texturing. Also, people with traditional art background will have an added advantage during our evaluation process. Further details regarding the evaluation process will be communicated once the applications are received in the prescribed format.