Video games are one of the most complex forms of modern art. They rely on a mixture of code and computer graphics. Creating art for games is a multifaceted process that requires collaboration among artists with diverse skill sets. In this post, we will cover different art roles involved in creating video game art.
List of Careers in Game Art and Their Responsibilities
When creating game art, some key roles are essential to any game art pipeline. In this part, we will cover these foundational art roles that are typically needed in any game art studio.
Concept Artist
A concept artist creates initial images that define the visuals for various elements of the project. They should understand the vision that art directors and creative directors are aiming for and create concept art that will later be used as reference images for art production. Concept art is a crucial element of a game art pipeline. It establishes a shared vision that the entire team agrees on. Concept art prevents misunderstanding and rework in the later stages of art production and boosts efficiency tremendously.
3D Modeler
A 3D modeler is responsible for creating 3D models for games and animation. Similar to objects in the real world, 3D models have three dimensions of width, height, and depth. 3D modeling involves creating and manipulating various 3D shapes, such as cubes and spheres, to turn them into desired forms. 3D modelers usually create 3D models based on the drawings of concept artists.
Texture Artist
Textures are 2D images wrapped around 3D objects to give them color, detail, and surface appearance. A texture artist prepares textures and fits them into 3D models. This requires the 3D model’s geometry to be unwrapped and put on a flat surface so that a 2D image can be aligned with it perfectly. This process is called UV unwrapping. A texture artist typically works in both 2D design programs to create textures and 3D software to apply them to models.
Character Artists
In a 3D game art pipeline, character artists are responsible for modeling and texturing 3D characters. They use 3D sculpting and 3D modeling to create the physical mesh for characters and create and apply detailed textures to meshes to make the skin look realistic. 2D character artists on the other hand, have responsibilities similar to concept artists. They draw and paint characters in detail with correct proportions, clothing, and facial features.
Environment Artist
Environment artists are responsible for modeling and texturing 3D environments. They create buildings, landscapes, streets, and any other part of the game that is considered an environmental element. Environment artists use 3D modeling programs and game engines to create game environments.
Specialized Roles in Game Art
After covering the key roles in a game art pipeline, we will now discuss specialized roles. These roles are not always present in a game art pipeline and are typically found in larger game development companies. They are essential for creating a AAA game but are not strictly necessary for indie or small-scale games.
Technical Artist
Technical artists bridge the gap between art and programming teams. Their primary responsibility is to make sure art created by artists can be integrated seamlessly into the game project. A technical artist is typically proficient in graphics programming as well. They are tasked with creating shaders, optimizing assets and scenes, creating procedural art inside game engines, and developing tools for other artists.
UI/UX Designer
User interface (UI) refers to items like textboxes, icons, menus, and buttons that are used to navigate inside games or software in general. User Experience (UX), as its name suggests, refers to the efforts made to enhance the user’s experience when playing a game. These two terms are tightly coupled since interacting with the UI directly impacts the user experience by UI/UX artists.
VFX Artist
A VFX (Visual Effects) artist is responsible for creating and polishing visual effects for video games. Examples of visual effects inside games are fire, explosions, rain and snow, muzzle effects, potion effects, and level-ups. VFX artists use tools like shader graphs, particle systems, VFX graphs, and lighting tools to create stunning effects for games.
Read More: VFX in Game Art
Animator
2D animators and 3d animators are puppet masters who create movement for objects and characters. In a game art pipeline, animators create various types of animations. These include walk cycles, jumps, punches, crouching, crawling, shooting animations, and animated trailers. Creating weapon animations, melee animations, and prop animations are other examples of animators’ responsibilities.
Read More: Game Artist Careers
Leadership Roles in Game Art
Like any other large-scale creative endeavor, game art can’t be created in isolation. Multiple teams and artists work together to create masterpieces that glue us to the screens. This requires leadership roles to manage the projects and streamline communications between different teams. Managerial and leadership roles are essential in game art development.
Art Director
An art director is responsible for defining the visual direction for an art project. They take important decisions on how game art should look in general, how the game should feel visually, what colors should be dominant in scenes, how dark or lit scenes should be, and any visual decision related to game art.
Creative Director
A creative director is the leader of a creative project. Creative directors are executives that oversee the project from early stages, inform teams of the vision, and create the strategy for the project. They are responsible for managing and communicating with different teams and ensure the project’s vision is being understood. A creative director can be considered as a visionary executive that supervises and facilitates the whole process of producing game art.
Read More: Game Director vs. Creative Director
Skills and Tools Needed for Game Art Careers
As we discussed in this post, a game art pipeline involves various roles with different responsibilities and skill sets. Let’s explore some of the most common skills used in a game art pipeline.
Drawing Skills, 2D Graphics Software and Graphics Tablets
The ability to draw can be considered as the most important skill in a 2D game art pipeline. This includes drawing characters, environments, and props using graphics tablets inside applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Animate or Adobe Illustrator.
3D Modeling, Sculpting, and Texturing
3D modeling and texturing are the pillars of 3D game art. 3D modeling is the foundational skill that opens doors to entry-level positions, such as junior 3D artist roles. Software like Blender, Maya, Zbrush, Mari, and Substance Painter are used by 3D artists for these tasks.
Game Engines and Programming
Mastering game engines and their scripting language to apply logic to game assets is another important skill in game art that is essential for VFX artists and technical artists. Popular game engines are Unreal Engine and Unity Engine.
Read More: Unity vs. Unreal Engine
How to Start a Career in Game Art
If you possess any of the above skills, the most important step you have to take to get a job is to create an online portfolio.
Proving you know how to make art and you’re good at it is the most obvious thing to do. Websites like ArtStation, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram are all good places to share your work.
Creating personal game art projects is also a great way to showcase your talent. Open-source art projects that can be used for free by the game community are also a perfect way to get known as an established artist.
With passion, persistence, and a strong portfolio, you can turn your creative vision into a thriving career in game art.
