Sure, let's chat. Firstly about the job: real time effects is a career path where you get to be a problem solver. You have to figure out how to make visual effects run efficiently while satisfying player expectations, while collaborating with others. It's more than explosions. https://twitter.com/TheRealHassibJ/status/1318896948837974016

That said, a lot if it is explosions. Explosions that communicate gameplay to the player. A RTFX artist focuses on this while also pushing the artistic and technical boundaries of their craft. We figure things out and deliver a good result. We work as a team to solve big problems

For skills: the number one rule is to be a team player. You must be easy to work with, a good communicator and collaborative. Be good at taking feedback. Be a continual learner with a growth mindset. Be flexible because the only constant will be change.

You have to work with many teams as a real time effects artist at any studio. The soft skills (I feel like they are really the hard skills) are some of the most important things to practice on a daily basis. Do your best, be kind, but you'll also need resilience.

For art skills: focus on the fundamentals. Timing, materials and shaders, texture painting for FX, layering complex elements, scale, etc are all important to dig into. You will continue to master and build on the fundamentals your whole career.

As you advance your career, you'll need to develop an eye for the fine details and learn to push your craft.

Technically, you'll want to dig into a real time effects package. Either unreal or unity might be a good starting point for you. http://Realtimevfx.com  has a great community you can learn from. @VfxTravis has a good thread for beginners there https://realtimevfx.com/t/getting-started-in-real-time-vfx-start-here/3415

Other good technical fundamentals include learning software (photoshop, maya/3dsmax, houdini, substance designer, etc); vector math, hlsl, scripting and visual scripting etc. Like artistic fundamentals, you'll continue to build this stuff up your whole career.

When it comes to being a lead; keep in mind that's a different skill set. If you've read the peter principle you'll know that the best fx artist doesn't make the best fx lead. Leads need to scope, triage, schedule, have hard conversations, review content, give notes & feedback.

It's good to aspire for growth in your career but lead =/= the end level for visual effects. But if you want to be a lead, 'leaders eat last' by simon sinek, 'dare to lead' by brene brown & 'team leadership in the game industry' are good books on the subject of leadership.

Also while it's flattering to want to work at insomniac, a lot of us worked at other gamedev jobs before coming to any one company. Building up experience making games, as a student or on professional projects is the best way to hone your skills.

Anyway I hope that helps, & I hope you have a fantastic day. All game developers are just regular people day to day, like anyone else. :) The best thing to do is just to dig in and practice and work at it when you can. Everyone starts somewhere!