LoL Designer Would Rather Quit His Job Than Use AI

As Art Director at one of the largest game developers, Nguyen Khanh Duy always values creativity, and believes that AI will affect young artists.

Nguyen Khanh Duy was honored by Apple on the App Store homepage, in the list of Southeast Asian creators. Photo: Minh Khoi .

League of Legends is the world's leading game from Riot Games, attracting millions of players every day and becoming one of the most engaging e -sports .

One of the factors that makes a game successful is the designs - from characters, costumes to effects - that not only create a visual impression but also contribute to shaping the experience, emotions and long-term commitment of the community to the game.

Behind many of League of Legends' creative designs is Nguyen Khanh Duy, Art Director of Riot Games, currently working in Singapore.

Early failure with “safe choice”

Nguyen Khanh Duy is also one of five Southeast Asian innovators recently honored by Apple through the "Dreamers" campaign. Sharing with Tri Thuc - Znews, Duy said that after a big failure at the age of 18, he decided to pursue his passion and the Internet helped him access many new opportunities.

Nguyen Khanh Duy failed the university entrance exam when he wanted to choose a school that suited his interests. More than 15 years ago, with his talent and passion for drawing since childhood, Duy only had the choice of the University of Fine Arts or Architecture. In the end, he chose architecture based on the advice of his relatives, because he thought it was a safe career choice.

However, the biggest hurdles were subjects like Math and Physics, which eventually caused Duy to fail the university entrance exam. This made Duy consider his next path. Realizing that he still had strengths in creativity, he decided to pursue his passion for art and started working at a game development (outsourcing) company in Vietnam, where he had the opportunity to work on international AAA game projects. "I was surprised that in Vietnam at that time, I got to do a lot of cool things for international games," he recalled.

Nguyen Duy Khanh shows off designs he drew with his daughter on his personal page. Photo: Instagram.

After a year of working, Duy realized that he wanted to learn more about the game development process, beyond just production. This desire prompted him to decide to study abroad in San Francisco. Here, he had the opportunity to connect with the League of Legends team and began his internship at Riot Games, the developer of the hit game.

What impressed Duy most when working at Riot Games was the democratic culture that respected the opinions of every member in the company.

"Ever since I was an intern, when I raised a problem, everyone respected me. At Riot, if you have a good idea, it will be listened to," Duy shared.

The big difference from other companies Duy has worked for is the bottom-up approach instead of the top-down one. He was encouraged to contribute ideas and participate in many different projects, even as an intern. Of course, the company also sets high standards, with the hope that employees will truly care and invest in each project.

Drawing is fun so don't like AI

Reflecting on his journey, Duy believes that his work as an art designer in games has helped him develop his true strengths, which are creativity, rather than logical thinking. In addition, he also feels lucky to have relationships and opportunities that come at the right time.

One of Duy’s favorite projects while working at Riot Games actually came not from artistic satisfaction, but from the spirit of collaboration. When designing the High Noon Senna skin, the idea of turning guns into horses in the game created an opportunity for all the different departments such as animation, effects, and even the story team to show their abilities.

Design in Nguyen Duy Khanh's personal project. Photo: LinkedIn/Duy Nguyen.

"When I have a good idea, the whole team will focus on developing that idea, and I feel like everyone complements each other," he explained.

Currently, in his managerial role, Duy’s work involves a lot of coordination, meetings, and feedback on other people’s designs rather than direct drawing. To maintain his passion for art, he still has personal creations, sometimes drawing on paper, sometimes sculpting.

Because drawing is fun, Duy doesn't use AI. The designer believes that AI can help create images faster, but every step in the creative process is worth cherishing.

“There is not a single step that I find boring. I enjoy all of them and I don’t want anyone to take away my joy. I chose this profession in the first place because I wanted to be an artist, and I find it fun. If AI did it for me, it would take away my joy,” the Riot Games designer said frankly.

He also believes that when making art, the difficult path, without the support of AI, can help young people progress better. If AI is applied too much, beginners can ignore the meaning of making art as a journey, only seeing it as a result.

“There were nights when I drew so badly that I felt embarrassed, so I kept practicing until I improved. That process helped me go 15 years in the profession. If everything came too easily, there would be nothing left to try for,” said Nguyen Khanh Duy.

As for the future, he admits that AI will not disappear. “AI will always be there. If one day I am forced to use AI for my drawing work, I will change my profession,” Duy said firmly.

Where should young people who want to enter the gaming industry start?

For young people who want to pursue the gaming industry, Duy emphasizes the importance of clearly defining their goals and strengths. The gaming industry is very large and has many different jobs, from design, programming, management, marketing. No matter which field you choose, if you want to work for large companies, developing AAA games, the requirements are always at the highest level.

The artist said he still likes to create and draw by hand, and using AI would affect the joy of art. Photo: Instagram.

"No matter how small the detail is, I have to do it with all my respect. Because who knows, one day, my finished product will contribute to a great project," Nguyen Khanh Duy shared, quoted by Apple in an article about Asian creators, posted on the App Store homepage.

Another important thing Duy emphasized is that even if a game developer is not passionate about it, he must actually play the game to understand the needs of the players. When he first joined Riot Games, Duy had to spend 3-4 months playing League of Legends to understand the game enough before daring to contribute his ideas. He often played 2-3 hours a day with his boss to grasp the gameplay and the needs of the players.

Regarding the future, Duy cherishes the idea of making a game about Vietnamese culture. He believes that young Vietnamese people are very talented and wants to have the opportunity to cooperate to create products with strong national identity. "I think there are many things to exploit in mythology, fairy tales, and culture that I can do very well."

He used the example of China with the recent game Black Myth: Wukong to demonstrate the power of combining ethnic culture with modern gaming.

Source: https://znews.vn/hoa-si-thiet-ke-lol-tha-bo-nghe-chu-khong-dung-ai-post1575275.html