Getting to Knowmade: Adam Sibbick

Drum roll, please, for another of our illustrious founders! It’s Adam, Art Director and all-around oddball – a compliment of the highest order! Adam loves to keep things weird, wonderful, and well-and-truly our own. He oversees the production of how our game looks, feels and flows with unique personality and charm – and boy is he a charm to work with! Now that’s enough synonyms for cool stuff, so let’s get into the real nitty gritty, eh?

Adam! The man, the myth, the legend! What is it you do at Glowmade?

I’m Art Director! It’s my job to make sure everything that comes out of Glowmade is super beautiful. If we were a tube of toothpaste I’m making sure the stripes are splendidly colourful and wonderfully wonky, and that little blob that pops out the end looks delicious.

Now how would your mum describe your job?

“They make games.â€

I say ‘they’ because my brothers make games too!

How did you get to this point in your career?

I always wanted to make monsters for movies because I liked drawing and films, but mainly because in the “making ofâ€s on TV, people wore mucky jeans instead of suits.

After years of ruining my bedroom with liquid latex and fake blood, the fancy CGI bandwagon rolled into town and I jumped on – did 3D Animation at Bournemouth Uni. Then into the real world – 3D artist at Mythos Games, then to Big Blue Box/Lionhead, did lots of sparkly stuff and became VFX lead on the Fable games, teamed up with Jonny and Mike, realised we could make stuff – so we left and made Glowmade.

What made you want to pursue games?

I was heading for movies, but there was a phone call from Mythos Games who’d seen my work at the Uni end of year show, telling me their first choice went to Sony, but they liked my lighting. Here I am, second choicer, almost a quarter of a century later still making games.

Share something you love doing outside of everything video games.

I love horror movies and silly horror anthology shows like Tales from the Dark Side, Tales from the Crypt, Creepshow – I can’t get enough of them.

Who or what inspires you?

My Dad – he was the most talented artist I’ve ever known. His day job was graphic designer, but he could literally make anything look incredible. His mind was an infinite box of ideas and imagination – mad Christmas cards, silly board games, epic snow sculptures, crazy puppet shows, gory home movies. A total inspiration.

What’s something you appreciate about yourself?

I think I can find beauty in the oddest of places and the dullest of things, sometimes only for seconds at a time!

If you could have been involved in the development of ANY game, which would it be?

ToeJam & Earl on the Megadrive – totally bonkers!

What’s the best thing about working at Glowmade?

The people. We have such an incredible hive of imagination and creativity. Literally not a day goes by that I don’t get blindsided by some brilliance from somewhere. Above all though, everyone is just…well…lovely!

What do you want from your career? What goals are you looking forward to vaulting past?

I want to make games that become people’s good memories.

What are your top tips for someone looking to get into games?

Be you. The games industry is so hugely varied now, that there will be a job somewhere that suits the thing that makes you authentically happy. Keep trying.

You might not find it straight away, you might be like one of those pennies in coin fall games where you bounce around from peg to peg for a while before you fall into the slot that fits you right (ooh analogies!) If you only show people what they expect to see, then they’ll probably have seen it before. Put a bit of yourself into your work, whether that’s a piece of 2D art, a 3D asset, a game idea, a story, a level – whatever it is, make it yours, and you’ll stand out.

In your opinion, who is the cutest Glowmade pet?

I’d have to go for Stef’s creepy crawlies – when she brings them in, I’m like a kid in a zoo again.

If you had to pick one game to play for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Red Dead Redemption 2 – makes me yearn for a past I didn’t even live!

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Chugging leftover gravy like it’s milkshake.

(Y’know what… fair enough.)

There’s one biscuit left in the tin and it’s your favourite… what is it?

Pink wafer.