What if lighting could tell stories, guide players, and even reflect your deepest experiences?

In this episode, we talk with Maria Yue a Principal Lighting Artist, BAFTA member, and creative force behind the lighting in games like Far Cry 4, Gears 5, and many more.

Maria’s journey started in photography and stage design, far from the world of games. But when she saw "lighting artist" in the credits of Mirror's Edge, everything clicked. Since then, she’s been shaping emotional, immersive environments in AAA games across China, the UK, the US, and Germany.

Links mentioned in the podcast:

Maria's Website: https://mariayue.com/

Maria's Blog: https://www.artstation.com/xiaowantou/blog

Maria's Discord Server: https://discord.gg/NqGDnyNeMN

Maria Yue's Courses:

- Journey of Illusion Course (free): https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/Yw9wa/the-journey-of-illusion-chapter-1?

- Journey of Illusion Course 2: utm_source=artstation&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=homepage&utm_term=marketplace

https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/Gb6Ob/the-journey-of-illusion-chapter-2?utm_source=artstation&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=homepage&utm_term=marketplace

- UE4 Advance lighting design: https://www.artstation.com/marketplace/p/bpdJd/ue4-advance-lighting-design?utm_source=artstation&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=homepage&utm_term=marketplace

00:00 Intro & Maria’s creative roots

03:20 Role of lighting artists (“makeup” for environments)

08:00 Technical-artistic trade-offs & performance

12:45 Working across UK, US, China & Germany

17:30 Personal health journey & mindset

22:10 Learning fundamentals & photo-based lighting

26:00 Multidisciplinary workflow: VFX, camera, composition

30:00 Navigating global studio cultures

33:40 Lighting pipeline & production crunches

38:10 Building community: BAFTA & Discord

42:00 Maria’s advice to aspiring lighting artists

45:00 Closing thoughts & next steps

game lighting artist, Maria Yue, lighting in video games, unreal engine lighting, real-time lighting, VFX and lighting, game development podcast, women in games, BAFTA games, Far Cry 4 lighting, game art pipeline, emotional storytelling games, 3D lighting workflow, game lighting design tips, game industry diversity, creative resilience, AAA game lighting