Want to Be a Video Game Animator? Infinity Ward's Khoa Le Has Some Advice

As Infinity Ward's Animation Director of Weapons, Khoa Le leads the team responsible for your Modern Warfare II armaments. He remembers what it took to get there.

Khoa Le grew up up dreaming of working on 2D film animation. After college, he landed his first contract gig with a video game cinematics team before joining the team at Infinity Ward to work on the iconic Call of Duty franchise.

“I love working here,” Khoa says. “As an artist, you always want to put your own stamp on things, and they’ve given me a lot of autonomy and trust to do what I want. All that creative energy has to go somewhere, and the studio has given me the opportunity to do that.”

As Infinity Ward’s Animation Director of Weapons, Khoa now oversees and contributes to the development of custom in-game animations, from the initial stages of weapon research to final implementation.

Khoa says he’s particularly grateful for the freedom the studio has given him to create.

“That kind of trust is a rare commodity in this day and age. It’s also being around other artists that work well with each other, communicate well, and are talented. That’s what keeps me here.”

Below, the ace animator offers tips on breaking into games:

If someone is interested in a career in gaming, the first thing they should do is… 

Play video games! FPS’s, RPGs, MMOs, all kinds! Playing games can give you an idea of the types of animation states that characters might go in to and out of. We call these states an “animation tree” and it’s a concept that seems simple, but can be harder than it looks. These observations really help with understanding game mechanics.

What is something you know now about the gaming industry now that you wish you knew at the start? 

When I was young, I felt like the only way to learn and get better was to work a lot. I thought the hours put into the work would lead to my skills improving faster. While I did learn a lot from the work, it was equally important to have had a life outside of the work, because that can also inform your animation. It’s important to draw inspiration from life. 

I also wish I knew how technical the game industry is. Game animation requires a very technical mindset, especially given the fact that players have the freedom to make characters go anywhere and do anything at any given moment. Animators are responsible for setting up that movement logic. 

What skills do you think are essential for being a successful animation director? 

Time management skills are important. The higher you move up in your career, the more delegating you have to do. Communication skills also help. You’re expected to interface and have a relationship with different departments, or even similar departments from different studios, which may have different workflows, cultures, and ideas that are contrary to yours. 

I think you also need strong problem solving and critical thinking skills. As a game animator, there’s a handshake between your animation (art) and the game logic (technical), and the two have to work together simultaneously. You then have to consider how your animation can affect the player experience, or the story, or other departments.

What are some common misconceptions you find when talking to people about your job? 

A common misconception about my job as a Viewmodel Animator is that it’s easier to learn or do first-person animations than it is to do full-body animation. Because of this, there’s been a big influx of people diving into first person animation before really focusing on the fundamentals of animation in general. But first-person animation is its own beast with its own challenges. Most of what is seen in first person is much closer to the camera, so micro movements get registered much more, and the level of detail is much easier to scrutinize.

What are some sites or resources you use to stay abreast of developments in your craft? 

The GDC Vault is a great place to learn about cool developments other studios and teams are working on or have implemented. There’s also no shortage of online 3D Animation programs taught by industry vets, but I have yet to see courses that are geared towards first person animation. Maybe I’ll start one!

Where might prospective candidates network with/meet people in your field within the games industry?

If we’re thinking virtually, where everyone can access communities, there are Discord servers that are geared towards animators in film, game, and even teams for specific studios. There are even Reddit groups geared towards Viewmodel Animation. There’s also LinkedIn, but I’m old school, and I always tell new people hoping to connect with me to append a personal hello message to your requests rather than just hitting that “Connect” button. A “hello” goes a long way.

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