Dallas College

Student Experience: Eli Gershtein

Eli Crater Gershtein is a technical artist who specializes in creating real-time visual effects for the video game industry. With more than four years of experience, he has contributed to AAA Games as a Service (GaaS) titles, thriving in dynamic, cross-functional team environments alongside artists, designers and engineers. His work focuses on developing and optimizing VFX assets and pipelines using tools like Unreal Engine and Houdini, with a strong foundation in procedural workflows, shader development and scripting.

Eli brings a unique perspective to his role, stemming from a 12-year background in archaeology. This previous career provided a deep, practical foundation in technical analysis, research, and photogrammetry, skills he now applies to digital creation.

This blend of scientific precision and artistic vision allows him to be an innovative and versatile problem-solver. He is passionate about leveraging his diverse experience to build immersive, high-quality game worlds and enhance the player experience through compelling visual effects.

Eli on what ignited his passion for game design: "I took a VFX that completely sparked my curiosity and I went full throttle into technical art and VFX."

Watch Eli's full interview with Dallas College Game Design.


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Alexandra Bohorquez

Alexandra Bohorquez

Web Developer and Designer Bitmore L.P.
“The best part of my experience at Dallas College was to meet competent teachers who promote investigation, which is an important skill to develop since technology changes every second. Most of the knowledge I got at Dallas College I’ve applied at my work. It was a good starting point.”
Computer: Web/Internet Services
Tommy Alsbrooks

Tommy Alsbrooks

Assistant Vice President Desktop Services Division The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
“The instructors were great. They really knew their stuff and brought real-world experiences to the classroom. After I received my associate degree, my career skyrocketed. It opened doors for me that I never thought were possible unless you had a bachelor’s degree.”
Computer: Programming
Rachel Quitevis

Rachel Quitevis

VFX Artist at Blizzard
“It was a lovely program, and I’m still friends with my classmates and still in contact with the professors to this day. They’re awesome people and made learning in that program a wonderful time.”
Interactive Simulation and Game Technology (Game Design)
Kevin Boykin

Kevin Boykin

3D Artist
“After two years of college, and several majors later, Kevin stumbled into Richland's Interactive Simulation and Game Technology program. He had never taken an art class before, so he was surprised to find his niche in Character Sculpting, although that didn't stop him from learning how to code in C# Unity as well as becoming a valuable asset on the program's Level Design teams.”
Interactive Simulation and Game Technology (Game Design)
A headshot of Eli Gershtein
Eli Gershtein
Visual Effects Artist
Interactive Simulation and Game Technology (Game Design)
School of Engineering, Technology, Mathematics and Sciences
Updated July 28, 2026