From a niche field into a booming sector, Malaysia’s game development industry has evolved dramatically over the last decade. What started out as a handful of studios has transformed into a growing hub of creativity and innovation, supported by individuals and initiatives that are propelling Malaysian games and talent onto the international stage.
Last month, we had the opportunity to speak with a local game changer who hopes to shape the next decade of game development talent in Malaysia. Lum Siew Hong, who works full-time as a Lead Concept Artist at Passion Republic, came up with the idea for Digital Blacksmith School from a spark of frustration.
“It all started out from frustration. When I was involved in the hiring team at my full-time job, we quickly realised there was a common problem with students and fresh graduates. They had good fundamentals, but their design knowledge was almost zero,” he shares.
The desire to bridge the gap between academic training and industry demands led Siew Hong to teach at The One Academy for four and a half years, but with only twenty students per semester, he realised the larger problems weren’t being addressed.
“Colleges and universities are restricted when it comes to changing their syllabus, so we decided to step out of the system. The idea was to start a school to impact a bigger group of people and help accelerate the industry,” he explains.
The result was Digital Blacksmith School, an online learning platform focusing on skills and portfolio development for the games industry. Unlike typical game development courses, their syllabus features a mixed curriculum of pre-recorded lessons and live feedback sessions designed to be flexible for both the students and teachers.
Digital Blacksmith School currently offers three concept art courses taught by professional concept artists, with more courses focusing on other areas of game development to be added in the future. The platform also hopes to offer more mentorship and portfolio building programmes to address their students’ needs.
“We see ourselves as a sort of tuition center,” he jokes lightly. “I think that makes a lot of parties open to work with us, especially schools, because we can offer a lot of value. Majority of our students are fresh graduates who are struggling to get a job, or artists that are transitioning into the game concept industry.”
“The results so far have been really good. We are very fortunate that a few of our students have already gotten jobs after completing the course, while a few others managed to gain their own clients as full-time freelancers,” he adds.
When we spoke to Siew Hong, he was also hot off the heels of their annual event, Digital Blacksmith Workshop. The second edition happened at Xsolla Curine Academy on 26-27 July, organised in collaboration with US-based Brainstorm School. The two-day workshop was more than just another industry gathering; it was a lively mingling of candid discussions, industry knowledge sharing, and helpful portfolio evaluations.
One of the major highlights was the talk by Robbie Trevino, Lead Artist at Netflix Games. Offering an honest perspective on his journey, he offered participants advice on how to build a unique creative voice, philosophies on memorable design, and even candid insights on rejection.
Other notable speakers included James Paick, co-founder of the Brainstorm School; Alitt Khaliq, founder and CEO of Albrite Studios; and Kenn Yap, YouTuber and former artist at Wizards of the Coast.
“I wasn’t just proud as a school founder or event host, I was also proud as a Malaysian,” Siew Hong reflects on the event weekend. “It brought me a lot of joy to bring four artists all the way from the US to Malaysia, and letting them see that Malaysia has a lot of potential. In fact, we’re already in discussions to bring more artists over for next year’s event.”
Digital Blacksmith School may be at the beginning of their journey, but they hope to grow in parallel with the industry. “Right now, there are a lot of new talents coming into the industry, but not enough job openings to take in those talents. There are many reasons for this, but addressing the talent gap by helping more graduates become production-ready is one way we can help,” Siew Hong says.
“At the same time, we need to have a community that supports these people. It doesn’t matter how big or how small. We need a platform where people can understand that these are normal struggles, this is who you need to talk to, and this is who you need to know.”
When asked about what’s next for Digital Blacksmith School, the founder remains steadfast: “Our next goal is always the same. It’s always to make the community bigger, and help future creatives that are coming into the industry.”
For more about Digital Blacksmith School, visit their official website and Instagram.
