Words with Dinusty
The faces behind the things we love tend to be the most interesting but also get the least amount of attention. It seems most fans think that games are made by a machine where ideas are put in one side and a game is spit out the other side. One of the goals of this series has been to put a face to that “machine” and show the awesome and wonderfully normal people behind it.
Dinusty, aka Jeremy Estrellado, is a Senior Environment Artist working at Ubisoft Massive. He’s also a prolific world artist on his own time and even has a great Twitch stream where he shows the step by step process of his work.
Please join me in finding out more about this lovely fellow.
Who is Dinusty? What should people know about you?
I’m a Senior Environment Artist working At Ubisoft Massive for the last 5 years.
What is your favorite movie of all time? Why?
5th Element easily. Everything about that movie seemed to be thought through. It might have been my age but I realized that everything that was present in the movie had to be designed usually to fit within the universe. You could say it was the beginning of world building for me.
What do you enjoy doing that isn’t related to video games (fun or work) at all?
So in my spare time I do personal art but stream it. I’ve always had a passion for showing people new things and with streaming and game art I can do that. If you want to learn how to make game art or just want to hear about how we think about what you see in video games come check it out.
What got you interested in the gaming industry? What was your path there?
When I was maybe 13 years old my uncle was starting to get into trying to get into the industry of making video games. I wanted to be like him and just started following in his footsteps. I ended up going to school in 2004 to start the learning process but quickly found the best resources were online.
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From there I got an internship in 2005. I got my first job through Polycount (Online Game art Forum) to work on SAW the video game. From there I went to WB Games where I helped make LotR: War in the North, Gothem City Imposters, And LotR: Shadow of Mordor. Wanting a change of scenery I joined Microsofts Turn 10 to help ship Forza 5 for the Xbox One Launch. From there I tried my hand at applying overseas. Seriously never thought that would happen but now I’ve been at Massive for almost 5 years and created both the First and Second Base of Operations.
“Were also not perfect and things end up not working sometimes.”
What simple/complicated concept/reality/fact do you wish the average gamer understood about making games?
That it’s hard. Imagine being creative 40 hours a week. Making time to play a game your working on is the reality when you know how much you need to get done that week but also need to make time to play the game. I guess the other thing is your standard Developer isn’t out to eat your wallet. We generally want to make the most amazing experience we are capable of crafting and sharing it with the world. Every studio I’ve ever been at was like that. We’re also not perfect and things end up not working sometimes. Living and learning is part of our job as well.
Are you a TD fan outside of work? How does that impact your motivations when working on the game?
I’m a huge TD fan. I am a filthy casual when it comes to the grind but i love the Lore and the IP. I want to be in it as an experience all the time. I’m really into the experience of seeing how people interact and see what myself and others have done. Despite what anyone might think. We look at Reddit a lot. For me specifically I ended up getting an app to read a highlight text just so i could keep consuming the messages and conversations even when I needed to focus on work.
What was the highlight for you personally about your work on The Division 2?
Seeing people noticing the smallest details that i took the time to put in. We’re super obsessed with the little details we can find the time to do. I think when someone noticed that I had put tape out for the walls that were planned to be blown away to open up the basement in the white house more.
How was the transition for you to move from the United States to Sweden? Do you miss anything about the US?
So the direct transition is pretty simple. Most everyone can speak English and are welcoming when you try your hand at Swedish (I’m crap at it…) the harder things to get used to are customer service being very different. Up front its actually not there but there are reasons why it is how it is that you understand later.
The second is convenience. Amazon at best is a week long wait and there is no prime here. everything closing early makes it pretty difficult since I came from a Consumerist based country. I’m happy though that my habits have changed for the better. I don’t need to buy everything. :)
And last, your pupper is now your companion in a open world RPG game. What special skills/weapons/armor/abilities do you give him?
So my doggo is a mini Dachshund. His skill would be primarily digging and finding ways into a space or loot. also getting into spaces I can’t and bringing me things i can’t get to. probably the big downside is he barks to let me know something is up or that I need to look at. Sadly this also alerts the enemy…
I want to thank you all for checking this edition of #WordsWithBaun out and thank Dinusty once again for being willing to participate! I hope to do many more of these and even revisit some old ones. Let me know which ones you’d like to see the most!
Until next time.
