How a passion for cars led to a career in games and teaching Game Art

Lee Walton’s route into games was anything but typical, moving from car design into roles at leading studios where he helped shape one of the most influential racing franchises of its time. Now teaching on Falmouth’s Game Art course, he draws on that wealth of professional practice to show students how design thinking, collaboration and detail can make the difference in production.

We spoke with Lee about his career journey, how it shapes his teaching on the Game Art course, and his thoughts on the future of the industry.

You started your journey aiming to become a car designer. How did that evolve into working on games like Burnout at Electronic Arts?

It began in 1998 when Codemasters visited the Transport Design course I was studying in Coventry. They were headhunting graduating vehicle designers, and I still have the brochure they gave us showing they had a pool table in the office. None of us had thought we could work in games, as 3D car games were still relatively new and the PlayStation had only just arrived. Three or four of my peers took up the offer and went to work on Colin McRae Rally 2.0.

I still wanted a car design career, so I enrolled on a master’s degree but spent a lot of time playing Gran Turismo. My thesis on automotive design research looked at the future of digital modelling and design for vehicles, and I enjoyed experimenting with new CAD tools. I sent my CV to recruitment agencies in the games business and, 12 months after graduating, a studio in Oxford invited me to talk about a serious GT racing game they were developing. I had read about it in EDGE magazine and was excited to work on then-secret PlayStation 2 hardware.

At the same time, I was actually working in an engineering office, in a role linked to my degree. When the Oxford interview came up, I decided to take the leap into games — and the rest is history. Later, after a stint in London working for a web design agency and feeling bored again, a job agency put me forward for Criterion Games. That led me to Burnout, which finally brought me back to designing cars!

My role at Criterion started as 3D Car Artist, but I convinced my Art Director to give me more control of the vehicles. I created the job title Lead Car Designer and introduced processes from real car design. Until then, no one person oversaw the concept phase, but I was brought into design meetings and, for Burnout Paradise, onto the creative team tasked with rethinking the franchise. A small group of us brainstormed many of the features still played today. Alongside game design, I was responsible for the entire vehicle strategy: traffic, back stories, crash physics methods and more, with the support of a talented vehicle team.

You’ve worked across AAA games, indie studios and even launched your own company. How did these experiences shape your creative approach?

I’ve worked at AAA, co-development and indie studios, but my favourite role was Art Director. I’m a visual designer obsessed with detail, from concept to technical implementation and finished product. At large AAA studios I trusted the talented team around me but mostly stayed focused in my area of specialisation.

More than half of my career took place in Finland and it was during that time I became a game industry entrepreneur. Setting up an indie studio was like designing anything: myself and a friend sketched the company structure, team philosophy, working practices and manifesto before tackling a rough game design. With that detailed plan, we secured funding and began. My experience taught me that game makers aren’t magical talents, they’re people who work hard, iterate and focus on detail. Great teams make great things through communication and teamwork.

Which career experiences do you draw from most when supporting student game teams?

Working at Falmouth reminds me of running my indie studio. I sometimes use my AAA experience, especially around hiring concept artists, but I rely more on my indie background. I’ve worked on dozens of smaller, low-budget projects, and they showed me the miracles that small, focused teams can achieve. Falmouth students work in simulated indie teams that match my real-world experience, which makes supporting them feel very familiar. I often tell students it’s easy to start a company; keeping it going is the hard part.

You’ve mentored students who now work at leading design studios. What helps a graduate stand out in the contemporary games industry?

Falmouth is a team effort, so I can’t take sole credit for students now in top studios. But when I ran a Vehicle Design course, I taught a very small cohort almost single-handedly, and I’m proud to see those alumni working worldwide. What makes you stand out is the same across conceptual art: hard work and hours of practice. Deep knowledge of a niche subject is more attractive than broad, shallow knowledge.

Lean into your hobbies and passions, however niche, because one day someone will need that expertise. Your cultural perspectives can help you stand out, too. Many of my Finnish students, for example, were hired because companies valued their cultural perspective. Creativity thrives on mixing cultures and viewpoints. Being an individual with original ideas is how you get hired. Weird is good.

You describe yourself as someone who loves to design “anything”. What’s one project outside games you’d love to do next?

Like any trained designer, I’ll design anything! The last non-games project I worked on was an ultra-light carbon and wood two-seat plane. Most of the work was by students, but I’d love to return to something like that. The entire plane weighed just 275kg, and the students designed the seats and interior.

I’m also fascinated by mobility of the future, as well as UI and UX. Any product combining those would be fun. Vehicles remain some of the most complex products to design. Maybe a personal drone, maybe a robot car. Or maybe it’s time I returned to games!

What excites you most about where the games industry is heading?

It might sound counter-intuitive, but the democratisation of software tools – including AI – is both exciting and terrifying. Tools always change quickly, but now almost any ten-year-old can access the means to make a game for free. Games are becoming like music: all you need is talent, vision and spare time.

We’ll soon see millions of games launched each year. Platforms such as Roblox are already hotbeds of innovation from non-professionals. The next hit could come from a bedroom coder as easily as from a AAA studio.

For our graduates, their experience of making and testing games together will be a vital shortcut to competing in this crowded space.

What games do you personally enjoy playing these days?

I’m a motorsport-obsessed sim racer at heart. I’ve played every Gran Turismo and still play GT7. These days I prefer more realistic racing, so I spend time on Assetto Corsa Competizione with my racing seat, wheel and pedals (which I’ve customised with better springs). I even wear racing gloves, as I get sweaty hands trying to match the lap times of younger drivers.

I joined a private server last year with drivers my own age, mainly to avoid the chaos of public servers. Since I started working in games it’s hard to enjoy them as a player, because I often spot the developers’ mistakes or think about how the design or art could be improved.