What it’s like to work as a 3D Artist at Valo Motion: Meet Lotta Karvonen

Have you ever wondered how to turn a childhood passion for games and 3D art into a full-time career? Meet Lotta Karvonen, our 3D Artist, who joined Valo Motion in 2021. Her story is a perfect example of how curiosity and learning by doing can lead to a meaningful career in the gaming industry.

Turning a hobby into a career: Joining Valo Motion in 2021

Before stepping into the gaming industry, Lotta worked in word processing in Tampere. However, her lifelong passion for video games and a hobby of creating 3D art in her spare time eventually pushed her in a new direction. She decided to study 3D design at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

When a summer internship opened up at Valo Motion in 2021, Lotta knew it was a rare opportunity.

"Six years ago, mixed reality and AR were my niche and what I was really interested in. When Valo Motion combined this with physical movement, it was the exact place I wanted to apply to"

"Six years ago, mixed reality and AR were my niche and what I was really interested in. When Valo Motion combined this with physical movement, it was the exact place I wanted to apply to," Lotta recalls.

She started as a Junior 3D Artist and jumped straight into the deep end: creating graphics for the launch of ValoArena, our 6-player mixed-reality playground. She enjoyed the work so much that she ended up completing her studies alongside her new job – and has been a crucial part of our art team ever since.

Creative freedom in small teams: What a 3D Artist actually does

At massive gaming studios, a 3D artist might spend months modeling tiny background details. At Valo Motion, the reality is entirely different. Because we work in small, agile teams, our artists have an immense amount of ownership and creative control over the final product.

For Lotta and her 3D artist colleagues Ruben Pino and Mizuko Matsumura, a typical morning starts with reviewing the latest playtest notes with the developers, figuring out what visual elements are needed next, and then bringing those ideas to life.

"Your imagination is really the limit," Lotta explains. "Because our teams are so small, you get a lot of say in what the game will actually look like and what kind of atmosphere we want to create. It’s not just about doing what you are told; you get to express yourself freely."

Currently, Lotta is working on a secret, unannounced project that she describes as "wild, gritty, and visually stunning" – a project where she has been able to significantly influence the creative direction from the very beginning.

Designing for real-world movement: How mixed-reality art differs from traditional games

Designing for mixed-reality games is completely different from traditional video games. You aren't just designing for a screen; you are designing for a physical player moving in a real-world space.

This requires a unique problem-solving mindset.

"You have to think much more carefully about what people pay attention to. Players are often watching themselves on the screen, so you need to design the game in a way that they immediately understand the idea and the purpose of the visual elements," she notes.

Why physical testing is the best work break?

Because our games require physical movement, the design process doesn't end when a 3D model looks good on a computer monitor. It has to be tested downstairs in our showroom, ValoHalli.

‘’Something might look great on paper or on a screen, but you have to go and test it physically to see if it actually works. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't work at all. It's a lot of trial and error,’’ Lotta laughs.

For a 3D artist, this active testing culture is a welcome perk. ‘’It's also a great exercise break! You don't just sit hunched over your computer all day long.’’, she adds.

For a 3D artist, this active testing culture is one of the most unique perks of the job.

"Serious about fun": Growing professionally in an open culture

Lotta remembers a moment not long ago – sitting with her laptop open late in the evening, so deep in a project that time had simply disappeared. Not a deadline in sight. Just genuine excitement about what she was building.

‘’Sometimes you have to remind yourself to close the laptop and do other things too," she laughs. "But that's a very different problem from work not motivating you.’’

It's the kind of challenge that sneaks up on you at Valo Motion. The teams are small, the ownership is real, and the work has a way of pulling you in. Over the years, Lotta's visual eye has sharpened and her design skills have grown – but perhaps the biggest shift has been learning to carry real responsibility for a project from start to finish.

The culture has a lot to do with it.

‘’It's multicultural, fair, and open. You don't have to perform," she says, pausing for a moment. "That's rarer than you'd think.’’

It all comes back to one of Valo Motion's core values: Serious about fun.

‘’It means we have a good time, but we also take things seriously. There's never that grim grinding. Work can just be work – or it can be something more. Here, it's usually something more.’’

The ultimate reward: Going viral and getting people to move

Picture this: you're standing in a trampoline park, watching a group of kids sprint, jump, and scream with laughter – completely lost in a game. And somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, you quietly realize: I helped make this.

That's the moment Lotta lives for.

"First you feel a bit stunned, and then just... proud," she says. "You realize your work is actually getting people moving – which is the whole point."

It's a feedback loop that most game artists never experience this directly. For Lotta, it's become one of the most meaningful parts of the job – watching strangers genuinely enjoy something she helped create.

A perfect example is Groundfall, our brand new product a game where players must physically jump on safe tiles to avoid falling into digital lava. The game went viral, gathering nearly 100 million views on TikTok alone, and she has enjoyed reading through the comments.

‘’It's hilarious to watch people fall into the lava," she laughs. "The comments are just the best.’’

What kind of person thrives in a role like this?

Lotta didn't arrive at Valo Motion with a polished portfolio and a five-year plan. She arrived curious, willing to try, and ready to figure things out as she went. Five years later, that's still her best advice.

‘’Learning by doing, with a certain curiosity – that gets you pretty far,’’ she says.

‘’The kind of person who'd thrive here? Curious, collaborative, artistic, full of ideas,’’ Lotta says. ‘’Someone who doesn't need every answer upfront – but gets energized by the questions.’’

In other words: someone a lot like Lotta was, when she first walked in.

As Valo Motion enters its second decade, stories like Lotta’s capture what the company has been about from the very beginning: curiosity, creativity, and the courage to build something entirely new through experimentation and play.