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Apple’s Here’s to the Dreamers campaign is back for its third edition, celebrating ambitious, creative talent from across South East Asia and we had the opportunity to interview one of the creative talents Nguyễn Khánh Duy, Associate Art Director at Riot Games. From a failed architecture school applicant to creating art that millions of League of Legends players see every day, Duy’s path shows how passion and persistence can lead to unexpected places. His journey from making tiny rocks on battle maps to leading creative teams offers valuable insights for anyone looking to break into the gaming industry.
Finding His Artistic Voice and Starting Small at Riot Games
Duy’s path wasn’t always clear. “I have always known myself as an artist so everything I do needed to be related to art,” he explains. The turning point came through an unlikely source of inspiration. “Games from Blizzard and Final Fantasy influenced me a lot and made me realize that art doesn’t just have to be about drawing chairs and bananas. It can be about drawing monsters, robots and even fantasy worlds. That’s when it clicked for me.”
This realization opened up a whole new world of creative possibilities, steering him away from traditional art subjects toward the fantastical worlds that would eventually become his specialty.
Duy’s entry into Riot Games came through family encouragement. His cousins, all League of Legends fans, pushed him to try working on the game. He started as an intern with what seemed like a humble task: creating rock props for battle maps.
“I ended up taking three months to make only four rocks. I was disappointed at first because I felt like I wasn’t contributing much,” Duy recalls. However, his mentor provided perspective that would shape his entire career approach. “He told me that millions of players would see those rocks daily—people who enjoy the game and spend hours on that same battle map and see those rocks whenever they do.”
This lesson stuck with him: “I realized how it doesn’t matter how small you start because you never know when your work will become part of something huge.” From those initial rocks, Duy moved on to working on champion skins, carrying this mindset forward in everything he creates.
The Art of Learning and Growing
One of Duy’s key principles involves continuous learning from others. “Always looking for your ‘master,'” he says, describing his relationship with his mentor. “I have a mentor—someone amazing with color, and has incredible artistic skills. I look up to him so much. Every time I show him something, he always gives feedback that makes me better.”
But Duy learned an important lesson about growth: “You don’t have to be better in every way. Maybe I’ll never be as good as him at color. But I have other strengths—my mindset, how I solve problems, how I lead teams and how I mentor others.”
This understanding helped him develop his unique identity. “There are so many dimensions to a person. And when you grow by learning from different people, you shape your own identity,” he explains. “It’s also not about copying your mentor—it’s about using them as one part of who you become.”
He walks us through the design process: “We first start from product requirements to sketching out concept ideas which is then evaluated by the whole team for practicality. After that, we make it 3D, do up their animation, perform rigging, VFX, SFX and finally executed to visualize the design in-game.”
From Creator to Leader
The transition to leadership brought changes. “A lot has changed and it took me a while to get used to it,” Duy admits. “When I was working on art directly, I could see results every day and that felt great. As a leader, the results take longer to show, which can feel less rewarding on a day-to-day basis.”
He describes leadership differently now: “It’s like going to the gym, you know. You don’t see your muscles grow overnight. You show up every day, put in the work, and it feels like nothing is happening. But over time—months later—you look back and realize you’ve made progress.”
Duy describes his biggest personal challenge: “One of the biggest personal challenge I faced was having to need to build up my identity to be unique, stand out but later on I need to bring down my ego to observe and learn. The process keeps repeating. After a while, I’m confident and experienced enough to help over artists grow. Guide them through creative processes. That’s when I became a leader.”
Winning Together and Dreaming Beyond Limits
When it comes to balancing personal creativity with team collaboration, Duy has a clear philosophy: “I feel better winning together. It’s less about me expressing my own creative instincts because I could do it in my own time.”
His approach focuses on the bigger picture: “At work, it’s always about the player, and focusing on the player is what we want in our team. When players win, we all win together.”
Duy’s participation in Apple’s “Here’s to the Dreamers” campaign represents a full-circle moment. “It is a huge honor to be able to represent creatives from Vietnam and share my story with young artists who may be working hard to get into the creative industry. I hope that my story gives them hope and motivates them.”
For him, “Dream Beyond” means constant growth: “I think being bold in your ambitions also comes with constant learning. ‘Dreaming Beyond’ to me means not being afraid to reinvent myself in order to grow, as long as it aligns with my principles.”
Advice for Aspiring Game Artists
Nguyễn Duy’s advice for young artists comes from both personal experience and observation. “I feel like I’m blessed and truly lucky to have so many people help me along the way,” he acknowledges. But his core advice is practical: “They should know exactly what they want and have—the humility to break down and learn from others. Be honest with yourself, and be resilient.”
He shares a powerful story from his time at the Academy of Art in San Francisco about a classmate who switched from science to art: “He came from a science background, wanted to switch to art, and honestly, he wasn’t very good at first. People were kind to him, but you could tell he was struggling.”
The outcome surprised everyone: “But he never gave up. Slowly, he improved. He got into print shows. Years later, Riot hired him. Eventually, he came back as a principal 3D artist—higher than me! He proved to me that resilience and love for the craft matter more than talent alone.”
Duy’s final words capture the essence of his journey: “So yes—it’s painful, and it takes time. But if you push through with integrity and passion, you can make it.”From creating four rocks over three months to leading creative teams at one of gaming’s biggest companies, Nguyễn Khánh Duy’s story proves that sometimes the most successful careers start with the smallest steps—and the biggest dreams.
With this year’s theme to “Dream Beyond,” we will be spotlighting developers, musicians, artists and more as they push boundaries and inspire others to reach their fullest potential, with their stories across App Store, Apple Music and Apple TV+.
