Meet Tokyo-concept artist and character designer, Rianti Hidayat

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Hello there, my name is Rianti, an Indonesian concept artist and character designer who currently works in Japan’s game industry.

My involvement in the gaming and entertainment industry includes The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild; and you can find my latest work as the main character designer for a Nintendo Switch Game, Ninjala.

 

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

I’ve been living in Tokyo for 11 years; first as a student, and then working as an artist for the game industry. And even though I’ve been in Tokyo for more than a decade; the city always have something to surprise me in every corner~ To live in a bustling city like Tokyo, feels like you’re surrounded by a bubble of information and inspiration, to be able to find something new every day; to mix and match of literally everything I can find; a city that I promise you will never get bored of.

On the other side; Tokyo is also a city full of contradiction, it has a rather strong working culture with various rules; but also an explosion of expression.

 

Tokyo is also a city full of contradiction, it has a rather strong working culture with various rules; but also an explosion of expression.

 

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

Tokyo is a place that encourages visual approach in almost everything; from cute drawing in toilets, mascots for every brand, the range is wide; from the most advanced technology to the most traditional art like Mitama Matsuri.

But sometimes the clusters of visual stimulation can be a bit of overwhelming; with so many visual noises you need to go to the countryside to refresh your mind once in a while. I also feel being an artist in Japan is full of competition; it always pushes you to challenge yourself more.

 

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Challenging, Stand-out, expressive

 

How did you start your career in art?

I love drawing so much. I am one of those kids you always see drawing on every class subject and gets scolded at. By Junior High school; I fell in love wholeheartedly when playing this game called “Suikoden” on Playstation1. This medium called ‘video-game’ turns out into something deeper than what I originally thought, and I wanted to do the same, and so that`s been my goal since then.

But the question is how? Indonesia didn`t have a game industry awoken yet by the time, art has never been a favourite subject in society. And so I can only try to go overseas.

 

This medium called ‘video-game’ turns out into something deeper than what I originally thought, and I wanted to do the same, and so that`s been my goal since then.

 

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

My parents, yes. They sent me to drawing classes; help me buy equipment for competitions, my dad even become pro in choosing the types of paper for my art assignments. I hear a lot of my friends who love art but doesn’t get the support from their family and I feel lucky that I did.

As for most people around me, friends and classmates mostly doubt my ambition, but in the end, I can prove that it`s not the case.

 

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I want to make an RPG with deep world-building. I`ve been involved in many various game projects, but have not yet worked with RPG. I want to make people think, cry, and feel joy when exploring in the world that I help build.

 

I want to make an RPG with deep world-building.

 

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

Yoshitaka Murayama

 

How would you describe the women around you?

I am surrounded by strong women; passionate about their craft, who share the desire to tell stories and to entertain people through our work.

 

I am surrounded by strong women; passionate about their craft, who share the desire to tell stories and to entertain people through our work.

 

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

I am the only one pursuing art in my whole family and extended family. So it`s always been a solo exploration of the unknown world for me. And that is why I hope I can help to inspire others to pursue whatever they want. In my path, I found my own way to be in the field as a game concept artist.

 

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

My experience has been kind to me even though females in the industry are not as many as males. It`s been a fun adventure. Making a game is a collaboration on quite a big scale of people from different fields. I love it whenever I get the chance to voice my opinions from my point of view as a female and a minority.

 

There’s always a choice to wield a big hammer and break the boundaries, so here I am.

 

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

Determination.  The place where I stand now was something almost impossible to reach for many people back then. No mentor, no specific educational classes, with limited information available on the internet, everything is limited. But there’s always a choice to wield a big hammer and break the boundaries, so here I am.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Rianti Hidayat