I’d started learning 3D modeling in Blender, and made a few models, including a car which wasn’t half bad. I realized I enjoyed modeling so I thought I’d look around to see if people needed a 3D modeler for their projects. It was a bit hard to know where to begin – many modelers seemed to be asking fees for their work, but it didn’t feel right to expect this as a beginner.
The more I looked into it, I discovered there were plenty of ways to make some cash as 3D modeler, such as:
- Marketplaces like TurboSquid, CGTrader, Sketchfab, BlenderMarket,
- Game asset stores like Unity Asset Store, Unreal Marketplace
- Freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer
Marketplaces and asset stores have passive income potential, but only really make sense for established modelers who’s work is very high quality and/or niche. Freelancing platforms are similarly competitive and not really viable unless you have an impressive portfolio.
And then there’s the r/INAT (I Need A Team) sub reddit. This is a mostly hobbyist community of people wanting to make projects with others. You’ll find all kinds of levels of experience on there, but a lot of it is people who are learning and offering services for free, or teams working as a rev share as they learn together. This seemed like the perfect place for me – most of the projects required no experience, just a willingness to get involved!
The Reality of INAT
Looking back with a bit more experience and clarity, I think the groups in INAT can be classified under a range of different categories. I’ve identified these (and there are some which are combination of these):
- The Ideas Guys – plenty of ideas but no actual skills, looking for others to actually execute the vision
- The Unorganized Horde – large, chaotic Discord servers with plenty of members but no defined roles, tasks, or deadlines
- The Scope Dreamer – a (so far) one-person team looking to make a huge open-world game “inspired by Skyrim and GTA” with 50 hours of content
- Small Group Going Nowhere – the team seems to be continuing with the project, but they keep posting the same updates and WIP screenshots month after month
- Big Group, Mostly Ghosts – those teams that have lots of members but there’s only one person actively working on the project
- No Synergy Group – each team member seems to be working on their own thing, even if it conflicts with what their team mates are doing with different programming or art styles
- The Serial Restarter – they post a new project every 3 months, different genre each time, and none of them ever get past the prototype phase
- The Pivot Project – the scope and vision change constantly: it starts as a platformer, becomes and RPG, then is suddenly “more of an interactive experience”, before it (usually) dies completely
I joined a few teams, most of which were pretty underwhelming right from the start. I feel I’ve seen all the above groups, but a lot were definitely Unorganized Hordes, with crowded Discord servers but no actual direction. I did stick with one of the teams for a while. They were making a 3D game and looking for modelers to make simple props and they seemed more organized, they were even holding weekly meetings. The meetings did seem to help, and at least we all had an idea what the rest of the team were working on.
However, progress was slow and after submitting multiple models as requested, I became frustrated that it seemed like the project wasn’t going anywhere. It was difficult as people seemed to come and go on the Discord, but as everything was unpaid, commitment was often lacking. Programmers and artists need to pick up where their predecessors left things when they’d gotten stuck, which makes things even more complicated. The project itself wasn’t as creative or innovative and the team leaders were working on a parallel 2D project at the same time which seemed to be their priority (unfortunately this game still hasn’t been released, more than 2 years later). Demotivated thanks to a lack of feedback and no acknowledgement that my work was valuable or even going to be used in a game at all, I called it quits.
Finding rewarding groups to work with isn’t easy – even established teams often have no idea about scope, or the amount of work required to make and complete and actual video game. Of course, there are exceptions but these groups are hard to join if you have no previous experience. The experience I gained while looking for teams was definitely valuable from at least one perspective though – it helped me realize that making models for others’ projects is not where my aspiration lies. It also taught me a lot about scope creep, team dynamics, and what’s actually involved in finishing a game. So I decided to go back to what I’d wanted all along: making our own project.
Stay tuned for more on that. In the meantime, let us know if you relate to any of these experiences working with these kinds of hobby groups. Which of the above groups have you been a part of?
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