SHOOTING STAR

Kaz Adams, lead weapons artist on WARFRAME, is gunna explain how to design boomsticks

-  Luke Kemp

While studying illustration at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, Kaz Adams developed two passions; Second Life, and (self-taught) 3D modelling. They put their skills to use in Second Life projects, until eventually they “fell in love” with Warframe. What started as a game they adored, soon became a career.

“I discovered that the [Digital Extremes] offices were a two hour drive from my parents’ house,” they explain. “So I moved back to Michigan and started putting all my eggs in one basket and just had to get hired here, because I was a big fan at the time. It was a dream job situation.” After a few years as a player, they landed that dream job, initially through consultancy work which led to a full-time staff position.

When it comes to the basics of weapon design, there are some fundamental artistic principles which can and will apply to a huge variety of different types of designs – such as, as Adams explains, ‘shape language’. “If you’ve got a pointy thing, that’s an aggressive shape, right? If you’ve got a round soft form, that’s a lot friendlier.”