Game Design...........Can I Do This?
Some day back i talked to this guy who has been looking out
for a game design/programming course in Pune. Now this guy holds
a B.Com and is in Pune to pursue a career as well as get into
Games.
After my initial interaction it became clear that he was a
bit confused as he wasn’t sure what he can do and what
is available. He had also mentioned that he had been to a no
of animation institutions before he came to SeamEdu-Id.
First things first, you cant get into game programming particularly
if you don’t have a computer science background and know
a few languages like C++, VC++, Perl, Python , J2ME and so on.
Also you need to like Maths, Physics and logic because as a
game programmer be it a game engine, or AI or any of the technical
stuff you will need you to be good with these subjects.
Once I explained this to the guy he looked a bit comfortable
and asked me what he can do because he was interested in gaming
but he wasn’t keen on the Technical/Maths part of games,
now that it was clear to him how it worked.
So I told him about our Game art program and how he could
be getting into the design part of Games.
Games ----- What we see
Games are very technology dependent, and this technology plays
a very important role in the development of games. Games are
played on & made for different platforms, like Mobile, Internet,
PC, PDA, Consoles and many other devices. All this makes game
development and design complex but it also throws up many CAREER
OPTIONS.
As we now know one option is on the backend, where the game
gets engineered and where computer engineers with programming
and coding skills are needed.
The other option in games is more visual, on the frontend,
DESIGN.
Game art Design
In the very small world of Game Design & Development world
the terms Game Art Design, Game Assets Development, 2d/3d Game
Art Content all more or less mean the same. In the game Industry
this is how it is called by the artists and developers.
So what is Game Art Design
This question can be easily answered by those who have ever
played a game or seen a game being played. To put it in a simple
language, in a game anything that we see on the screen of a
mobile, PC.
Net or console, all the characters, colour designs, pictures
and the animations are called Game Art Assets, or Game Art contents.
So everything under design, be it an Idea, 2d (Sketches, Concept
Designs, Environment design, Digital Paintings, Game Documents)
or 3d (Character Models, Set Models, Environment Models, Weapons
Models &their textures, rigs and Animations) is call an
Art Assets, and because they are being made for a game in combine
they are called Game Art Design / Assets.
The two major areas of game development, Game Art and the
Game Engineering, as we know to get into the engineering side
of a game one has to be good with programming / Coding.
But it is not so on the Design part, funnily the Design or
the Art can be done by anyone who would like to make a career
in Game Design.
ART -------Do i have to be an ARTIST to get into Game Design?
I think that all of us have some artistic ness in all of us,
sometimes more than we know. But we have come to believe that
only those who can draw can be called artist. But then what
about those who Dance, Sing, Write, Mimic, etc.
The truth is somewhere in between,
So to answer the question if we consider that all of us have
some art in us, then that and the love of games , and the passion
to make a career in game is the most important criteria to get
into Game Art Design.
Rest can be learnt, if you are willing, then drawing also
can be learnt, which is my experience. About 90% of our students
come from non-artistic backgrounds like science, commerce, engineering,
architecture etc. Only a few have some drawing skills, rest
have to be taught from the start.
We don’t have a problem because that way it is easy
for us to teach and easier for you to learn.
To Conclude
If you Play Games and you want to learn how to create the
designs that are made for any game both 2d & 3d, then you
are the best candidate to join Game Art Design.
Copyright@ Harold Raichur