Our sixth and final #GirlsBehindTheGames spotlight is Anh Dang! Anh is an associate concept artist on the Overwatch team at Blizzard. She’s also the genius behind the best skin in the game: Grillmaster 76.
We’d like to thank all the women who shared their stories and joined our efforts to showcase women’s ongoing success in the game industry—an industry that can still very much improve in diversity and equal opportunity.
Happy #InternationalWomensDay!
Credit: @anhdangerous
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name Anh Dang and I’m an associate concept artist on the Overwatch team.
How did you get interested in video games? What are some of your favorites?
My dad introduced me to video games when I was maybe 4 or 5, so I feel like I’ve liked video games since I was old enough to really think.
Outside of Overwatch itself, I really enjoy playing games like Dragon Ball FighterZ, Tekken, League of Legends, Hearthstone, Warframe, and a variety of indie games and visual novels.
Did you always know you wanted to be a concept artist?
I didn’t always know I was going to be a concept artist specifically, but I knew that I wanted to work for video games. I really like art though, so at first, I was tried to become a 3D modeler, an animator, and eventually I just became a concept artist.
Credit: @anhdangerous
Where do you get inspiration for your art?
This is hard to say because everything in life is inspiring and I’m sure everyone wants a better answer than, “I thought this was cool”, but sometimes that’s the only way to describe it.
I love art, video games, comics, cartoons, and anime.
What’s your creative process like? How do you get in the zone?
The sweet taste of caffeine gets me into the zone.
How has it been working at Blizzard? On Overwatch?
Working for Blizzard has been a blast! A real dream-come- true. I love all my teammates and new stuff is always popping up so it never gets boring.
Credit: @anhdangerous
Who’s your favorite OW hero and why?
Ohhhh this so hard, all the OW heroes are great in their own way.
I think gameplay wise, I like Zarya the most because her synergy with other characters is so good and I like playing tanks in general. Also, she’s really buff!
Design-wise I would have to go with Tracer, because she’s so iconic looking and super optimistic and spunky.
What past projects are you most proud of?
I’m so proud of the “Grillmaster 76” skin for Soldier 76 because I drew the idea as a joke at first, but then he became REAL and was included in the game.
What’s that one (career) goal you continue to chase?
I’m not too sure about my career goals at the moment, since my focus right now is just getting better at what I’m doing. I still have so much room to improve and learn more.
Credit: ArtStation
What advice would you give to women who want to work in the game industry?
Work hard and don’t give up your dreams. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Be a shining star!
Is there anything else you’d like to say?
Be kind to others and yourself.
