Day 5 was full of both excitement and exhaustion. We attended a site visit to GlassEgg, a game art studio that has been in the game for over 25 years. They create all sorts of different art for a plethora of different video game genres. From the characters in Lego Fortnite to dinosaurs in racing games, GlassEgg makes it all. I am a pretty big fan of the Forza games, but more specifically the Forza Horizon series. In fact, Forza Horizon 6 releases in just a couple days from now, and I think this site visit was quite fitting. GlassEgg produces around 80-90% of all car models for these games, and have made around 2650 car models in total for all Forza games. They have been working with the Forza producers and publisher since 2001, marking an over 25 year long relationship. I wish we were able to take photos of the work environment and those who were making models for other projects. Too bad almost everything was confidential, except the skyline. The entire workplace was amazing. They all had figurines and personalized desk trinkets that made the place seem alive. I even saw them downloading the pre-order of Forza Horizon 6.

There are many significant factors for GlassEgg’s continued global dominance and success in this very competitive market, but I believe it boils down to three main reasons: hard work, great relationships, and a little bit of luck. All of the staff and workers are incredibly nice, but still such hard workers. Our tour guide mentioned how they have almost 200 workers in just the Vietnam sector that have been working at this establishment for over five years. As I walked around the office, everyone was working very hard and seemed to be in a productive trance, but that is probably because a bunch of Americans speaking a different language were looking at them sort of like zoo animals. GlassEgg has great relationships with almost all of the biggest game producers and publishers. They make art for all of them, and you must have a great relationship to keep getting called back and keep getting paid. The teams also must have great relationships and trust with each other. They have full trust in each other and workers get jobs individually which means they do not compete for who does the better job. I believe that GlassEgg also got a little bit lucky, but took full advantage of it. They have been with Forza ever since the first game. Nobody knew the series would blow up like it did. GlassEgg went full steam ahead and made sure to keep delivering for each and every addition to the franchise, while also branching out and specializing into environment, buildings, and other types of art which set them a part as the best in their field.

I believe the biggest challenge the company will face in the future is with artificial intelligence. Although they are the best in their craft right now, once AI becomes more powerful, it may become easier to replicate their work and game companies will not need to pay top dollar for the best work. The space will become convoluted with other low effort, but high quality art because of artificial intelligence.

Ending the day, we moved into our sports day. We played lots of team games and practiced boxing which made me quickly realize I am not in shape. We had to do squats and push-ups and running. We played a game where you had to spin 10 times and hit a shuttlecock/hacky sack-esque item 10 times. Then, you had to get in your line and scoot across the floor and turn around and do it again. Once again, pictures are scarce because we did not have our phones on us, and the UEF took lots of them but they are hard to get from them. It rained for the first time on our trip today as well. As the first week ends, I wanted to share what I have taken from my experiences so far. The people are amazing, funny, and caring. The driving is absolutely so entertaining. You can drive in the wrong direction and people will go around you. If you were in a hovering car, the motorbike drivers would still find a way to get underneath you. The city is super beautiful and the greenery is unmatched. As we move into the Mekong Delta trip, I am excited to see how the landscape and environments change.