The presentation is what we started with, and it was very informative. It talked about all their locations and what exactly they do and I was definitely impressed. It was so weird for me to physically see where all these famous video games are made. Afterwards we walked through their work cubicles on multiple floors each with its distinct task and to me it was just amazing to see the detail that goes into graphic design for video games. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures. I wish we could have taken pictures because it is hard to describe how cool this office spaced looked. All the workers had crazy decorations and super nice monitors where like I said seeing them work was very intriguing.
Today we visited Glass Egg, a video game art studio. I didn’t think I’d be that into it, but the longer the tour went on, the more I liked it. We started with a presentation about their different locations and what they do, and I was honestly impressed. It is pretty wild to think they have been around since 1999, working on massive games like Forza, PUBG, and Apex Legends, games I don’t play but have definitely heard of.
I think their success comes down to how specialized they are. They are basically the experts for 3D cars and high-end vehicle art. It was so weird to physically see the place where all these famous games are made. We walked through floors of cubicles where everyone had a specific task, and the level of detail they put into the graphics is amazing.
A big part of why they stay on top is their partnership with Virtuos, which helps them work on even bigger projects like Spider-Man 2. Unfortunately, we could not take pictures, which sucks because the office looked so cool. Every desk had decorations and high-end monitors. Seeing them work was really intriguing. It is clear that their “Be Happy” culture and the talent here are why the biggest game companies in the world keep coming back to Vietnam.
The site visit was over pretty quick, and I wish we had more time there because like I said I had no real interest walking in, but when we left I did. We then went to lunch which was amazing and I was able to sit next to Travis one of the UEF students. I always make sure to be able to sit next to a UEF student to be able to talk about how Vietnam is like for a local. We talked about his job and how American and Vietnamese cultures are opposite when it comes to how families play a role in daily our lives. When he told me about his job/internship he mentioned that he got it through a family friend and getting an internship like that is not a foreign idea. He talked about how he made 1000 VND a month which is really good and he said, “If you make that much you are balling in Vietnam” I kind of laughed and then he also said that he does pretty much nothing and just smokes cigarettes with his friends the whole time. He also showed me how to properly prepare and eat the Vietnamese meal we had at lunch. He also asked if I had had Banh Me yet. It is apparently very popular in Vietnam so I figured I would give it a try and Travis gave me a recommended restaurant to go to. Let’s just say that this is some foreshadowing to my first incident. To be honest still a very minor one.
Afterwards we went to the hotel real quick got changed and went to go boxing. It was a lot of fun being able to do some exercise. I have never sweat so much, it was so hot and humid. Regardless I had fun. I even got to spar a little bit. I don’t know if I should count it because we both went so easy on each other, I didn’t know how hard to hit or how hard I’d be hit, but it’s fine. I had to skip the Ted Talk because of how tired and drenched in sweat I was, so I went back to the hotel. This is where my incident started. I ordered the Banh Me and it was the only food I haven’t liked. I opened bags of veggies to put on the sandwich, and it smelled pretty bad. I ate the whole thing and felt sick.
