Environment Artist Rick Ruiz on his past experience as an architect, previous games he worked on, and some clever use of Lego’s.

Rick, tell us a little about what you do at Hi-Rez Studios.

I am an Environment Artist.  I model and texture many of the architectural sets as well as many props and key objective structures.

How did you get into the gaming industry? How did you get to Hi-Rez Studios?

I have been in the industry for nearly ten years.  I majored in architecture when I was in college and in my free time taught myself 3D Studio Max and Photoshop.  I decided architecture was not the route I wanted to go, so I decided to pursue my hobby as a career.  I went to a school in Santa Monica, California to study computer graphics and 3D modeling, and through the school was offered and internship to work on one of the Spyro the Dragon games.  After working on a few big name titles over the years I stumbled upon Hi-Rez Studios (which was then, hiring a new team to develop an online game) while looking for a job in my hometown of Atlanta.  Turned out that one of my co-workers in California was friends with a former art lead at Hi-Rez and the rest was history.

Describe your video game experience; when did you start playing/making games?

I was pretty much raised on video games.  I remember first playing games on my Atari 2600 when I was just a few years old.  As I got older, I remember spending many late nights with my brother and cousins trying to master the latest game on the NES.  Over the years, my brother and I owned almost every console when they came out.  With the amount of time I spent playing video games as a kid it was only fitting that my career would be to make them.

What is your favorite class/character to play in Global Agenda?

Assault. I have mastered the art of using tracking rocket launcher as a sniping weapon much to the dismay of others during our internal play test. Nothing more satisfying than blasting someone from the opposite end of the map.  Sometimes I’ll switch to Recon to mix it up a bit.

What are you most excited for in Global Agenda?

I’m most excited about the release of Global Agenda after working on the game for the past few years. Also excited about the environments and how they are shaping up.

What experiences do you draw from when creating content for the game?

I draw a lot of my inspiration from architecture around the world.  Also much of my inspiration comes from film and art, especially science fiction.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into gaming?

Master one facet of the industry whether it is art, animation or programming.  Always be ready to learn new techniques and grow your skill set. Be willing to keep up with the latest technology.  As an artist, having a killer demo reel would be a great asset.

Favorite game(s)?

Many of the NES classics like Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Kid Icarus.  Newer favorites include the Sim City series, Team Fortress 2, Rock Band, and World of Warcraft.

What do you do in your free time?

Aside from video games, I like to get creative.  I enjoy painting, but my medium of choice is Lego.  I build a lot of Lego structures in my free time.  I’m not talking about your kid’s Lego set they got for Christmas, but building realistic larger-scale structures with Lego.  I have a large collection of buildings I have made from the past 8 years which are inspired by real-world architecture including several skyscraper models that are several feet tall.

I also enjoy spending time with my wonderful wife Macy, traveling, watching football and hanging out with friends and family.

What is on your iPod/MP3player?

Everything from more popular bands like U2, Coldplay, and Moby to more obscure stuff like The Echoing Green and the Benjamin Gate.  I also have a lot of soundtracks, classical, Techno, 80’s and 90’s rock, and video game music as well.

Personal art from Rick Ruiz:

LEGO CREATIONS