Page 46 - Developer

pixel pusher // steve theodore

In his second decade in the game where he worked to give visual arts
Quake II.
industry, Steed pioneered another more standing. He remained active
aspect of the game artist’s life cycle: in education and mentoring. In 2008
When you’re too ambitious for the he gave the keynote for the GDC
production line, the next frontier is Game Careers Summit. The focus
entrepreneurship. Three milestones of the talk was how to get a job in
stand out in the last decade: games, but the advice was more
At Microsoft, he was the like autobiography:
“creative director”—that is, the
primary artist—for the Advanced “Becoming a game
Technology group that produced industry ‘celebrity’ isn’t
the Xbox 360. His 2004 demo rocket science—you
“Film Noir” (featuring, naturally, have to have talent and
a curvaceous femme fatale) a good game or three
introduced GDC audiences to what to show it off. Then you
was still, in those days, known give talks, write books,
as “NextGen.” and generally share your
Not long after that, Steed experiences with others.
The industry of the ’90s was them “decidedly mediocre”—a cofounded an outsourcing art The real trick is staying
unimaginably open by today’s characteristically frank, but useful house called Exigent. When a known, staying relevant,
standards (these days, it’s hard bit of feedback that inspired the lot of American artists viewed and staying excited about
to imagine many studios allowing young artist to take a more critical outsourcing with a mixture of what you do... Ambition,
employees to publicly criticize look at his craft. disdain and terror, Steed embraced hard work, perseverance,
rival game studios, fan sites, or Even as a mentor, Steed was the idea. He told anybody who luck, and shameless self-
their own coworkers). In 1997 the controversial. He sponsored would listen, including the artists promotion—it’s all part of
famous .plan file went dark with modeling contests on PolyCount for he otherwise worked so hard to the deal.”
this parting comment: aspiring 3D artists. Mostly, these mentor, that production in the
involved modeling buxom female United States was “finished” a complicated combination
“Restraint and temerity characters in various states of and the future belonged to India » It would be comforting to
aren’t really in my nature undress (one of his online tutorials and China. Like many other have some dignified, impersonal
so rather than risk any taught modeling using a Playboy outsourcing proponents, he found traditions for gracefully summing
further dishonor or bad centerfold for reference). Perhaps that outsourcing did not provide a up when one of our own passes
press to this company his most infamous creation was magical solution to development. on. Unfortunately, it’s harder than
due to yet another a contest featuring a scantily One of his last jobs was working as trotting out a formula—especially
outburst from me, I want clad female model known as the a kind of outsourced studio head when someone as complicated as
to go ahead and call it “Crackwhore.” In his defense, he for UTV Ignition Florida—a project Paul Steed is the subject.
quits with the plannage.” created the model at the request that collapsed in recriminations For better or worse, Steed’s
of an all-female Quake clan of the and bad blood in 2010. uncensored, outspoken
Two days later it started up again. same name, but the controversy personality is as much a part of
Those were different times. made it into the mainstream games Quake III: arena. his legacy as his artwork—or even
Steed’s lack of self-censorship press, cementing his image as a the many young artists he helped
made him a PR nightmare, but it frathouse bad boy. to inspire. His awkward mixture of
also made him a very influential crude fanboy culture, real artistic
figure in the rapidly growing Steed’S Second Stage ambition, technical obsessions,
community of game artists. His » Steed’s polarizing personality— and careerist hustle is, in many
modeling tutorials were popular public and private—became a people’s eyes, a central component
starting places for would-be problem for id. In 2000 he was fired of our industry’s personality.
artists, and he provided feedback over John Carmack’s objections Hopefully we’ll be able to prune
and mentoring to many of the (publicized, of course, via .plan file). away the less-attractive parts of
beginners who frequented his He later called the firing his “exile that legacy and still hold on to the
“Thinking Outside The Box” from Valhalla.” However, he was drive, the passion, and the real
column on LoonyGames. He was a savvy careerist, always on the generosity that he showed to his
an active participant in the early lookout for a new world to conquer. fellow artists.
days of what is now Polycount. If the first decade of Steed’s career
com, providing technical advice, encapsulated the growth of both Steve theodore has been pushing pixels for
critiques, and a little celebrity real-time 3D and of Internet culture, more than a dozen years. His credits include
wattage to aspiring artists. One of the second decade seemed to be Though he filed some of the Mech coMMander, half-life, TeaM forTress,
the most telling online reactions dominated by the major themes of rough edges off his public persona as counTer-sTrike, and halo 3. He’s been a
to Steed’s passing was a poster the newly prosperous, and newly the years went by, Steed remained a modeler, animator, and technical artist,
recalling fondly how Steed corporatized game business: very public figure. He was a frequent as well as a frequent speaker at industry
reviewed some of his models at an the Internet, the next-generation speaker at GDC, and he became a conferences. He’s currently the technical art
Australian trade show and called consoles, and outsourcing. member of the GDC advisory board, director at Seattle’s Undead Labs.

44 game developer | october 2012