When gamers log in to their favourite video games, they immerse themselves in fictional landscapes and kooky surroundings crammed with legendary characters, however creating that world begins with manufacturing professionals like graduating senior Danie Gray.

The Cal State Fullerton Class of 2023 graduate works as a manufacturing assistant at Obsidian Entertainment, a well-liked gaming firm identified for such titles as “The OuterWorlds” and “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords.” 

With a ardour for vibrant storytelling and immersive world-building, Gray will graduate with a B.F.A. in laptop animation and sport art earlier than persevering with her profession at Obsidian Entertainment the place she helps the manufacturing crew monitor sport belongings to create the worlds that gamers love. 

“When it comes to animation, every piece and every element of a story affects me. I appreciate the process and all the moving parts. It inspires me, and I want to be a part of it,” mentioned Gray. 

Getting Into Gaming

The mother of two younger youngsters, Gray first joined Obsidian Entertainment as a manufacturing intern earlier than her final 12 months at CSUF. After six months working alongside one of many firm’s sport administrators, they supplied her a contract as a manufacturing assistant. 

With a knack for visible storytelling and sport creation, her position includes monitoring the varied props and belongings that make up a sport’s universe. 

Using a “roadmap” to make sure that all the sport belongings make it to the manufacturing crew, Gray mentioned the job helped her understand how a lot she loves the manufacturing course of. Her objective is to turn into a full-time member of the manufacturing crew, particularly engaged on setting and prop modeling.

“I’m succeeding in a field that’s very intimidating and male-dominated, and I’m really proud of myself,” mentioned Gray. 

Finding Confidence Through Creativity

It was the youngsters’s film “Trolls” that first sparked Gray’s curiosity in animation.

Not solely did she really feel moved by the storytelling, however she beloved how the animated designs created a enjoyable world for viewers. When she arrived at CSUF with that curiosity, she was shocked when certainly one of her professors advised her that her ardour for 3D animation and character improvement could be finest suited in gaming. 

“I was nervous because I didn’t know a lot about games. Sure, I played ‘Super Mario Bros.’ and ‘Sonic’ when I was younger, but I wanted to be transparent about my experience. I didn’t have a lot,” defined Gray. 

After speaking with professors who inspired her to pursue this avenue of research, she utilized to the pc animation and sport artwork focus, and throughout the first couple months, she was constructing the portfolio that landed her an internship at Obsidian.

“The program opened my eyes to career opportunities that I didn’t know were available to me.” 

In addition to her inventive endeavors, Gray was concerned in student organizations, serving because the social media coordinator for the Polysquad membership and occasion coordinator for CSUF’s chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques (ACM SIGGRAPH). 

“Danie is a wonderful artist and also a good leader. I’ve seen her bring together many different types of artists to create some really amazing projects in my 3D group production class,” mentioned Andrew Fedak, affiliate professor of artwork. “It’s no wonder that Obsidian picked her up so quickly.”

Although Gray is grateful for the experiences these organizations offered her, she mentioned the extra vital consequence of her work as a campus chief has been the way it helped her discover a house at CSUF — one thing that she feared wouldn’t occur when she returned to high school as a pupil father or mother nearly 15 years after she graduated from highschool. 

“I was really scared because I was a parent, and I was from a different generation,” she shared. “I feel a lot more confident today. Being involved with clubs and getting to talk to more students, I’ve had the opportunity to put myself out there and succeed in this field.”