Creating the world: Naughty Dog Environment Artist with local roots shares experience | News, Sports, Jobs

The widely anticipated “The Last of Us” was released in 2013 and developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, and has since had a remake, which was released in 2022. The sequel, “The Last of Us, Part II” was released in 2020 and was set four years after the original game.

Since those columns ran, The Express had the opportunity to interview Sean VanGorder, Senior Environment Artist at Naughty Dog, who grew up in Clinton County.

VanGorder has been working at Naughty Dog since 2018, and has worked on both “The Last of Us, Part II” and the remake of the original game.

“My discipline, environment art, is responsible for creating the world that players navigate through. From the smallest pebble to the tallest building, environment artists use technical skills and creative problem solving to carefully craft every inch of the digital world,” said VanGorder.

Sean VanGorder

The overarching environment in both games is an apocalyptic scene — with the majority of areas overgrown with plant life and huge sections of infrastructure crumbling from decades of no upkeep.

VanGorder had the opportunity to contribute to many areas of each game he worked on — such as the abandoned, snow-covered mall section of the “Left Behind” DLC in “The Last of Us, Part I” and parts of the Seattle levels in “The Last of Us, Part II.”

“It was a lot of fun creating the various stores and what you might find inside of them after so many years of decay… I worked on various areas of the Seattle levels, such as the overgrown suburbs and the flooded streets beneath towering skyscrapers. I was also able to create a large portion of the final level set in our version of Santa Barbara. It was a great opportunity to work on an environment set in a location so different from the rest of the game,” said VanGorder.

His specific focus is texture and material creation, such as decaying bricks of a building or rusty metal on an old barrel — each element intricate and adding to the realism of these games.

“Think of the various surfaces you see applied to 3D models… When game designers hand us a new level to work on it is usually a simplified version consisting of basic, gray shapes. It is then my job, along with FX and Lighting Artists, to turn those shapes into a world that is both visually appealing and supports the designers’ vision,” said VanGorder.

PHOTOS PROVIDED
Images show environments in “The Last of Us: Parts I & II” by Sean VanGorder, Senior Environment Artist at Naughty Dog, who grew up in Clinton County.

According to VanGorder, he often references his favorite movies and TV shows when in need of inspiration, but also looks to other video games and their artists.

“As an environment artist you tend to take inspiration from just about everywhere, even if it’s subconsciously. There are so many incredibly skilled artists across the industry. If I’m ever lacking in inspiration it’s very easy to load up a new game and be flooded with ideas. For The Last of Us specifically I frequently browsed through the portfolios of photographers that specialize in exploring abandoned places. Having a guide for how buildings decay or foliage overtakes its environment over time was invaluable when creating our brand of post-apocalyptic locations,” said VanGorder.

The column published in the Oct. 31, 2024 edition of The Express titled “The audio, visual design in ‘The Last of Us’ is incredible” offers commentary on the environmental storytelling throughout the first game.

For those who love exploration in video games, “The Last of Us” series is fantastic at giving players small things to pick up and listen to or read for additional information.

“In both games the player will stumble across various notes or audio logs left by other survivors. They often give insight to that person’s thoughts and feelings, as well as the unique circumstances they had lived through. It was a fun challenge to supplement these bits of storytelling through details in the environment, sometimes even adding to them with carefully crafted spaces throughout the level. If we do our jobs well, players should be able to piece together the stories of how these people lived simply by observing the environments,” said VanGorder.

PHOTOS PROVIDED
Images show environments in “The Last of Us: Parts I & II” by Sean VanGorder, Senior Environment Artist at Naughty Dog, who grew up in Clinton County.

VanGorder described one of his favorite details like these he added to the game that had less of a significance towards the narrative of the game, but instead had a personal significance to him.

“Within one of the many abandoned apartments along the flooded streets of our Seattle level you can find the remnants of a tabletop roleplaying game left behind atop a dining room table. If you look closely you can read the names of the heroic fantasy characters that the people involved in this game had been playing as. These names and details are actually from the real world tabletop roleplaying game that I had been playing with my friends at the time of development. I love that I have that memory of mine preserved within the game, and my friends were really excited to find it themselves while playing,” said VanGorder.

Environmental artists, along with countless other individuals, all work together to bring the stories they want to tell to life — a process that often takes years.

“Every video game you see on the shelf is the result of many talented people across multiple disciplines working together. Artists, animators, programmers, designers, QA testers… There are too many specialties to list. But each and every one contributes their unique passion and skill towards the final product,” said VanGorder, “I think that those unfamiliar with game development often underestimate the complexity of the process… games of this scale take hundreds of passionate people collaborating over the course of years to achieve a singular vision. The intertwining of so many disciplines leads to countless technical and creative problems that need to be solved every day. It’s an arduous process, for sure, but also an extremely gratifying one that I feel very fortunate to be a part of.”

VanGorder expressed his appreciation for the stories they’re able to tell through gameplay.

PHOTOS PROVIDED
Images show environments in “The Last of Us: Parts I & II” by Sean VanGorder, Senior Environment Artist at Naughty Dog, who grew up in Clinton County.

“I would just reiterate how fortunate I feel to contribute to these games that mean so much to so many people. I feel proud to help tell stories that strive to deliver messages of love, hope, perseverance, diversity and acceptance, especially in today’s world.”

“It’s so great that we now have the TV series that allows a new audience to experience these stories. To anyone who has become a fan through the show, I would recommend trying out the games. You’ll get the chance to see things from an angle only possible through the medium of video games,” he continued.

PHOTOS PROVIDED
Images show environments in “The Last of Us: Parts I & II” by Sean VanGorder, Senior Environment Artist at Naughty Dog, who grew up in Clinton County.