Meet Yue Deng | Game Artist & Animator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Yue Deng and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Yue, why did you pursue a creative career?
It all started with a love of art because in my childhood, I could draw for hours on end without getting bored because I delighted in the characters and worlds I created, they made me feel like there is a fantasy and magic world outside of real life. And because of my early experiences with RPG games like World of Warcraft, I realized that artists can create such interesting and rich worlds for all fantasy lovers to live in. Then I realized that if I wanted to refine my artistic skills to the fullest, and if I wanted to pass on my ideas and creations to as many people as possible, the best way to do that was to pursue it as a career and to demand professionalism and dedication from myself. After several years of honing my skills in the field of art, I am now convinced that my goal in continuing my artistic career is to hope that my creations can bring spiritual pleasure, comfort and help to people, perhaps by allowing them to experience an interesting story or to immerse themselves in a creative atmosphere that can mobilize emotions. I also hope that I can create my favorite characters in the process, or that I can explore various forms of artistic expression.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My best attribute would have to be that I can combine various aspects of what I have learned in mixed fields, such as my undergraduate degree in animation and my graduate degree in game design as interactive media in health. So I can combine my concept design, game design, and animation skills at the same time to create my work. I’ve used this mix of skills to work on a number of game projects, working on a variety of designs. I hope that these experiences and skills will help me to make my own independent games in the future. Of course, there are many challenges that come with this experience as well, it takes a lot of time to start gaining experience in each new field, and to be careful not to get lost in a myriad of different directions, and even though I have a combination of skills, I still need to focus on a limited number of areas so that I can have enough time to become professional.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Los Angeles as well as California has an excellent and rich natural landscape as well as human culture related to film and art. In my opinion, a must-see for those who come to visit is the beaches of Los Angeles, such as Santa Monica
Beach, as well as Whale Watch in Long Beach, which is also very local and worthwhile, where the winds of sailing on the ocean and the sight of whales leaping out of the water, including groups of dolphins following the boats, can make people let go of all their woes. In addition, a must-see for tourists should be the beauty of the Griffith Observatory skyline at sunset (as well as a great location for Holly wood Sign filming), and you can immerse yourself in Universal Studios, which you can’t get enough of for an entire day. Highway 1 is also a must-experience landscape around Los Angeles if you can have a longer trip, while super cute wild sea otters can be seen year-round at Morro Bay along Highway 1. They come in packs and stay just inside the harbor only a few meters away from people, floating on the surface of the water and lounging freely. For food I highly recommend the Dungeness crabs that you can try at the seafood restaurant, they are delicious.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my college classmates; there is nothing more inspiring and persistent in pursuing a career in the arts than having friends who share the same hobbies, the same pursuits, and the same personalities. I also keep in fairly frequent contact with some of my undergraduate classmates, and I’m grateful that they are available to me for all kinds of artistic and creative ideas, but also that we can just share the joys and nitty-gritty news of life. We have met through art and have become good friends who can maintain and support each other in the long run. It makes me feel like I’m not alone. When I’m feeling down, help from my friends can make me feel better about regaining the energy to keep going.

Website: https://www.yuedengart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/syramichelle_17/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yue-deng-31a4aa268/

Image Credits
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