Challenge: bringing Australian comedian Nina Oyama to life as a game character

Can you do this on Paint? I don’t think so.

In partnership with Punkee, we challenged our graduates to put the skills they learnt at Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia to the test. 

Enter Aleksandra Korinnaja: a super-skilled concept artist and Billy Blue graduate. She was tasked with turning Australian comedian Nina Oyama into her very own game character. 

The final look? Next level. Watch Nina’s reaction as Aleksandra details her creative process, from research and ideation to final render and everything in between.

“As part of the game design degree... you will go over all of the components that make up a character concept sheet,” says Aleksandra. 

At Billy Blue, we’re master problem-solvers. Drawing from the core principles of design thinking, our Game Design students learn how to formulate and apply creative solutions throughout their studies. It’s all about preparing them for challenges (like this Punkee one) on the outside. 

Plus, our courses are designed together with industry. Which means our students leave here with the theoretical know-how, business insights and practical skills to launch a successful career. 

Steps to creating a game character

To create your own game character, follow Aleksandra’s steps:

1. Read the brief

Understand the task at hand and begin ideating solutions to the proposed brief or creative problem.

2. Conduct research and look for inspiration

Begin planning your approach by researching ideas and finding inspiration.

3. Create a concept sheet, then experiment with your design

This is the fun bit. Start creating your character by trialing different ideas to see what works best. What do you want your character to look like? What will they wear? What accessories do they have?

4. Create orthographics

Create orthographics of your character, including front, rear and side views.

5. Export your final render

Time to show off your magic.

Want to see Aleksandra’s final creation? Full video including Nina’s reaction below:

Start your adventure into Game Design and Development.