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Levelling Up: From Gamer to Digital Artist
With a passion turned profession, alumnus and technical artist Hazel Phua breathes life into digital characters and landscapes, captivating gamers with her work.
Imagine being a gamer and working alongside the very people who created Assassin’s Creed, a best-selling video game franchise, which has garnered healthy sales and gaming fans since 2007. It must be an OMG moment.
“It still feels crazy,” says Ms Hazel Phua Ying Si, a Junior Technical Artist with Ubisoft Singapore. “To have as my first job in a AAA game studio and work on a project that is so well-known by fans worldwide – it feels surreal!” AAA game studios are large-scale companies known for producing high-budget, award-winning video games. Ms Phua was part of the team who worked on Assassin’s Creed Shadows, set to launch in late March 2025.
Blending her passion for art and love for gaming
Scoring a nine-month internship with Ubisoft in August 2023, Ms Phua was thrilled to receive a full-time position after graduating from the SIT-DigiPen (Singapore) Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation programme in 2024. As a technical artist, she collaborates with artists and programmers to enhance the visual quality of the game, ensuring that digital assets meet technical requirements and integrate seamlessly with the game engine.
Growing up with three brothers who love gaming, Ms Phua was introduced to video games at a young age. From playing console games to building her own gaming PC, she developed a passion for gaming. Skilled in Animation and 3D Arts from the diploma programme at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, she also had a strong interest in drawing. Encouraged by her family to pursue her artistic talents, she knew the SIT-DigiPen programme - which focuses on visual storytelling and video game production - would help her break into the digital animation industry.
"I can't imagine myself doing anything else right now," says Ms Phua, who once considered a career in psychology before realising her true calling in digital art and game development.
Almost giving up on school
Originally from Indonesia, Ms Phua and her family moved to Singapore in 2013 for better educational and career opportunities. However, as foreigners, they faced high international student fees which became a significant financial burden despite tuition grants and a bank loan. Surviving mainly on her father’s income from private-hire driving, the COVID-19 pandemic added to their woes when earnings plunged during those years as many people worked from home.
Unable to afford her degree programme, she was close to quitting school until she secured the iSparkle Scholarship in her second year at SIT. The scholarship helped ease the burden and fortunately the family’s situation improved further in 2021 when they obtained Singaporean citizenship.
"The financial support from the iSparkle Scholarship gave me the encouragement and peace of mind to continue pursuing what I love. I'm also grateful to have received support for three consecutive years," shares Ms Phua.
“In addition, the invaluable opportunity to interact with the donor, Ms Tammie Tham, and learn from her continues to motivate me to keep trying my best, which has brought me to where I am in my career.”
Ms Tham is the Chief Executive Officer of Ensign Infosecurity Pte Ltd and a current Member of the SIT’s Board of Trustees.
Mentoring the next generation
Having benefited from the support of others, Ms Phua hopes to give back to the community through teaching or mentoring students in the future.
“I would like to uplift people through my own experiences. I think it would benefit students to have someone share industry insights with them,” she reflects. Currently, she makes an effort to join her juniors in the evening life figure-drawing sessions, which she previously organised as a student at SIT. An avenue where she can put her drawing skills to practice, these also provide her with opportunities to mentor aspiring digital artists.
She hopes that her journey will inspire young individuals to believe in their dreams.
"Stay curious," she urges. "It's important to explore beyond your field of study and see what else is out there. Never give up hope. Life will undoubtedly be tough at times, but know that there are always people willing to support you."
She adds, “My goal was to work in a AAA studio within five or ten years. The fact that this is my first job is beyond my wildest dreams!”