Call of Duty Artist Makes Career from Hobby

Twenty-one year-old Serozh Sarkisyan is a 3D artist at Infinity Ward, where he worked on the Call of Duty game as an environment artist. He began by teaching himself animation through the internet in high school and ended up working on the world-renowned video game just a few years down the line.



By GK

If someone like me, who lacks total video game playing experience, had to describe the epic war game series Call of Duty, they would probably sum it up in three words: guns, explosions, and turbulence. Also, they probably would not expect the developers of this violent virtual reality to be anything but aggressive ‘meanies,’ to use more elementary terminology. But that’s just me.

And Serozh Sarkisyan, a 2009 graduate of the Art Institute of Los Angeles, is just him: a soft-spoken, amicable lad from Glendale, CA, whose job description is that of 3D Artist at Infinity Ward, an award-winning video game developer studio. The latest project he worked on was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as an environment artist.

Serozh explained to me in very basic terms what exactly his job entails. “I basically make some of the props you see in the game.” A prop is ordered by the director or game designers, and it is then up to the artists to create it to fit into the levels of the game, which is a rather complex task. It all starts with the locale. Serozh explained that depending on where the game level is set, the props and background changes with it. “Some levels are set in the Middle East, some in America for example,” he explained. For the design to work, some of their artists are sent to the location to snap photographs in order to design more realistic props. Other times, they do research on their own.

Serozh’s favorite levels from Modern Warfare 2 are the ones set in the United States, because “you don’t play a lot of games where America is being invaded,” he said.

So how did this 21 year-old end up with such a career? While studying game art at the Art Institute of LA, where he attended on a full ride, he was awarded an internship from Infinity Ward in December of 2008. Six months later, he was offered a full-time position and has been with the game developer ever since.

It was during his internship that Serozh began fixing up already existing props for the Modern Warfare game. These background items ranged from crates to tables depending on the level and background. He also worked on vehicles, as well as props seen on the downloadable maps.

In fact, it is this part he enjoys the most – the process. “The outcome is nice, but it’s more the process I like,” Serozh insists adding that he also enjoys “actually seeing your stuff in the game, no matter how small.”

And once they have the outcome, “all we do is play,” he explained saying that they have to play the video game over and over for weeks during testing in order to catch mistakes and glitches. It was the first time I have heard a guy complain about being forced to play a video game for a living. But then again, Serozh is not just any guy. He sees the industry for what it is: an exciting field that is quickly growing. And at the end of the day, “it’s just a game,” he said.

I wondered if the nearly 100 people who worked on Modern Warfare 2 were introverted individuals who sat in front of their computers all day to which Serozh immediately countered with “Not at all; it can get pretty crazy and fun. Some people run through the hallways screaming. It is a very open environment.”

Although he grew up playing video games around his family - his favorites being first-person shooter games - the generational gap between him and his older relatives is evident. Video games haven’t been around long enough for the adults in Serozh’s life to understand his relation to the field. “My aunts and uncles think I single-handedly made the game. I don’t know how to answer that” he said smiling as he realized the humor in the situation upon the words leaving his mouth.

Serozh’s hobby began during his sophomore year of high school, when he began playing with 3D software to create everyday props such as cell phones and shoes for fun. He started working on digital tablets as well as learning how to animate through internet sites aimed at teaching the skills. Just five years later, the hobby turned into an exciting career that he wants to continue in the future. Serozh’s drive and motivation is best summed up in his own words: “If you want to do it and have the skills to do it, you can do it.”