What happens when you give an aspiring artist a chance to work on a real project? Anna Catarina Pereira Finn and Katie Goode, Creative Director at Triangular Pixels, reflect on their experience during the 2025 Into Games Boost pilot programme.

Boost bridges the gap for early-career talent from working-class and low-income backgrounds in the UK by funding salaries at the Real Living Wage, removing financial barriers to entering the industry.

🎮 THE MATCH: CREATING CONCEPT ART FOR VR 🎮

Anna joined Triangular Pixels as a Concept Artist on a pre-production VR project. Her 2D aesthetic matched the game style, allowing her to contribute across materials, environments, characters, UI, research, and moodboards.

For Katie and the team, Anna’s contributions had a tangible impact. She didn’t “just” draw; she also produced research into culture and lore elements, created moodboards, and worked iteratively with the team. Katie highlighted that for a studio, the overhead was small compared to the great benefits of having a fresh perspective and seeing Anna's work used as the basis for the game's look.

✨ LEARNING AND OUTCOMES ✨

For Anna, the placement was transformative. Before, she was not optimistic about landing a job in the industry due to its state and not having “industry experience”, but the placement proved she was equipped to do a great job with the right support.

"I had a chance to show that my work was good enough," Anna reflected. "It’s really confidence-boosting, knowing my work helps with an actual project."

Highlights for Anna included:

🌱 Seeing her work evolve: Watching her concepts being turned into 3D assets was a major "it’s actually real!" moment.

💬 Team Integration: Being included in game design and creative ideation made her feel like a valued member.

💪 New Skills: Gaining UI/UX experience and mastering a structured workflow brief.

The learning went both ways. Katie noted the placement reinforced the importance of practical experience for juniors: "It’s empowering for those who just need to be given that chance. Real project work and working with a real team (...)  is just what you need to put yourself above the competition."

🔮 WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CANDIDATE 🔮 

Anna is now a freelance Concept Artist and Animator open to new opportunities. Her time at Triangular Pixels provided the core skills and confidence to navigate the professional pipeline.

👋 Connect with Anna Catarina Pereira Finn 

⭐ Her Specialty: 2D Concept Art & Animation

📐 ABOUT TRIANGULAR PIXELS 📐

Triangular Pixels is an award-winning, independent remote studio in Cornwall creating games for good, alongside offering consultancy for XR and game dev, and work-for-hire services.

👋 Connect with Katie Goode

📅 ABOUT BOOST 2026 📅

Our 2025 pilot was a success - and we want to make 2026 even bigger. Help us turn five placements into fifteen by donating to our fundraiser: tiltify.com/intogames/boost-2026