Becoming a Video Game and Multimedia Artist

Game art and design is a subset of game development and is concerned with game’s artwork, such as character modeling, 2D and 3D animation, game-level designing, environment and effects, game conception and texturing. A game’s artwork has a significant impact on the entire look and feel of a game, thus ultimately becoming one of the most important factors that drive customer behaviour.

The video game industry generates multi-billion dollars as revenue annually and employs thousands of game artists. As the competition is stiffening, the demand for multimedia artists, animators and game art work designers is increasing significantly. Another factor contributing to the demand for gaming professionals is consumers’ requirements for more realistic and varied video games. These games are no longer children-specific. Rather video gaming has become a preferable recreation mean for people of all ages.

Becoming a Game Art and Design Professional

Being passionate about video games is certainly important. However, what make you eligible for employment in this industry are your creative and technical skills, qualifications and hands-on experience. Therefore, it’s important to enroll yourself in a post-secondary game design program at a reputable college, in order to gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to build a sustainable career.

A game and art design program will help you in:

• Learning how to build 2D and 3D art assets for games
• Understanding how to develop game environment and characters
• Learning how to conceptualize, design and develop a game level
• Developing programming skills
• Building skills in composition and colour, texturing, painting, post effects and material editing

What Will You Study?

A post-secondary game art and design diploma program runs for two years through four semesters. The program covers a wide selection of subjects, including drawing for 3D modeling and animation, anatomy and construction, creativity in context, composition and colour, 3D modeling and texturing, game theory, social history of design, architectural design, character design, digital painting, unreal editor, integrated media, UE3 material editing, lighting, post effects and material editing, compositing and final project studio.

This is a comprehensive program that covers all aspects of games art work and prepares you to work as character modeller, character animator, level designer, texture artist, game concept artist or environment and effects artist.

Studying Game Art Design in Toronto

Numerous schools game design in Toronto offer courses in game design. Unfortunately, not all are good. A program is worth considering if it:

• Is delivered by industry professionals who have strong academic backgrounds
• Offers intensive hands-on training for building 2D and 3D art assets for games, environment and characters
• Provides valuable experience through studio visits and industry events
• Incorporates industry field placement, helping you gain hands-on experience

Centennial College’s game art and design program fulfills all the above mention criteria and may be the right choice for you. The USP of this program is that it is intensively creative and is delivered in 16 consecutive months, which reduces your time to industry. You can then gain hands-on experience through industry field placement.

Post-Secondary Game Design Program Description

Computer or video game art and design is all about defining the theme of a game, the way it is played and the entire experience that a player will have. Video game development stretches far beyond just the software development. Rather, it’s a unique blend of creativity and technology and involves conceptualization of story and the characters, defining their looks, attires and occupation, identifying the theme and levels of a game, choosing props, vehicles, background and rewards and recognizing different ways of playing games.

Game art and design is a unique field that combines creativity, innovation, imagination, storytelling and of course, technology. It offers a wide range of career options, in the areas of character modelling, animation, level designing, game conception, texturing, environment effects game architecture, and colouring and lighting. The job prospects are already bright in this field. However, further growth in the industry is also expected in the coming years. This means that there would be more job opportunities in game art and design in future.

Building Careers in Game Art and Design

Game art and design is a specialized field. You, therefore, will need to have undergone a specialized education to build rewarding careers in this field. Along with this, you must have hands-on experience in every aspect of game design. Critical problem solving skills, forward-thinking approach, excellent storytelling skills are additional requirements.

In order to gain the knowledge, skills, and attitude and work experience required to seek entry-level jobs, you may consider enrolling in a post-secondary game design program. Centennial College’s two-year program provides you with strong technical fundamentals and intensive hands-on training. You will get ample opportunities to build 2D and 3D art assets for games, develop game environment and characters and express your creativity.

The USP of this program is that it is delivered by industry professionals who are passionate about gaming and have strong academic and industry backgrounds. Apart from this, a hands-on approach to learning in labs and a placement in a real-world production setting are what that make it stand out from the programs available at the most schools game design.

What Do You Study?

The two-year program runs through 16 consecutive months. After this, you will receive valuable experience and contacts through industry field placement. This will also help you understand how industry works and what potential employers expect from you. You will also have an idea about the latest industry trends and the competition prevailing in the market.

During the first 16 months, you will study a wide range of subjects, including drawing for 3D modelling and animation, creativity in context, anatomy and construction, perspective, 3D modelling and texturing, composition and colour, game theory, social history of design, lighting, digital painting, architectural design, character design, life drawing, UE3 material editing, compositing, post effects and material editing.

This is an intensive program; however, it prepares you for diverse careers in game art and design. Additionally, you get ample opportunities to express your one-of-a-kind creativity and acquire new skills.

In order to apply for this program, you will need secondary school diploma certificate and scores of English Grade 12 C or University. You may also require submitting a portfolio, demonstrating your creativity and ability to communicate visibly.

Game Art and Design Program Takes Creativity and Turns It Into Business Savvy

Success in the videogame industry is dependent upon making titles and hardware appeal to 34 million core gamers in the U.S., according to a new report released by the market research company the NPD Group. The 34 million that NPD cited in its report, spend an average of 22 hours per week playing video games and five or more hours a week on a PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, or Mac. Games they play cover the action, adventure, fighting, flight, massively multi-player, racing, real time strategy, role-playing, shooter and sports genres. It takes some creative minds to keep up with the ever-evolving industry — whether one works in Canada or the U.S.

Centennial College’s game design program — officially called Game Art and Design — trains students over a span of two years (of sixteen consecutive months) to be prepared for careers as: character modelers or animators, level designers, environment and effects artists, texture artists and game concept artists. “Now that I’ve finished the program, I can definitely look back and say that everything I’ve learned is relevant and has been applied where I’ve worked,” says 2007 program graduate Helen Thatch.

Because industry professionals and instructors developed the offering, it takes a forward-thinking approach towards the next wave of interactive games. As such, students receive hands-on training that allows them to express their own creativity while building 2D and 3D art assets for games, and developing game environment and characters. Learning occurs at the Story Arts Centre, which is Centennial College’s campus for all of its creative programs within the School of Communication, Media and Design. This location houses up-to-date computer labs, where students use the latest software to enhance their learning. Among courses that student attend are: Creativity in Context, Composition and Colour, Game Theory, Architectural Design, Unreal Editor, Life Drawing, Digital Painting, Character Design and many others.

A supplemental feature is the program’s field placement during the last semester. To make the experience as realistic as possible, students must send their portfolio to the company of your choice to show their work and be considered for a position. Once they find a placement, students work alongside professionals, and get to apply their knowledge and encounter real life scenarios.

As with most schools game design, Centennial’s has admission requirements. Academically, students must have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent, or have mature student status (19 years or older) and Grade 12 English C or U, or equivalent (minimum grade required) or take the Centennial College English Skills Assessment for Admission. Additionally, students must demonstrate a passion and basics skills through the submission of a portfolio that may include 10 to 15 pieces such as life drawings, sketches, paintings, sculptures or digitally produced artwork.

Game Art and Design Program Includes Beneficial Real World Experience

Did you know that one of the unique aspects of attending college as opposed to university is an emphasis on practical application and training? While many programs include mock assignments, some take it a step further and actually send students into the field to experience what their roles will entail once they graduate and launch their careers. This aspect is especially beneficial today, as employers want to hire workers who already have some sort of experience.

One Centennial College undertaking in which a field placement is offered is the game design program known as Game and Art Design. A two-year program, it offers students intensive hands-on training during which they learn how to build 2D and 3D art assets for games, develop game environment and characters and express their distinctive creativity. In the final semester, students partake in a Field Placement. The real world experience begins before students even set foot in their placement. That’s because they are expected to send their portfolio to the company of their choice to show their work. This is part of the professional experience, and is standard protocol for those seeking internships and/or jobs. Secondly, students are expected to be proactive and seek out companies themselves then relay the information to their coordinator, who will assist them in obtaining a placement.

Another thing that sets this program apart from other schools game design is that it was developed by industry professionals and instructors and is also taught by industry professionals who are as passionate about gaming as their students. As such, it highlights a forward-thinking approach towards the next wave of interactive games and is dedicated to offering one-on-one help. In fact, small class sizes allow students to get several hours of one-on-one help with each project. Additionally, students are exposed to studio visits from professionals with whom they can network and industry events where they can meet important members of the game design community.

Among the specific courses in this offering are: Drawing for 3D Modeling and Animation, Creativity in Context, Game Theory, 3D Modelling and Texturing, Architecture Design, Life Drawing, Digital Painting, Integrated Media, and many others. As you can see, there is an ideal combination between “traditional” and “digital” courses. This ensures a solid artistic foundation before moving onto a modern route.

Once students successfully complete their courses and obtain their Ontario College Diploma, they may launch careers as: character modelers, character animators, level designers, environment and effects artists, texture artists and game concept artists. While each of these roles differs, students are prepared for all of them. This gives them the ability to apply for a wide range of jobs or switch game design roles once they have gained some sort of industry experience.

Building a Career in Dynamic and Creative Interactive Game Industry

The North American video gaming industry is a multi-million dollar industry and is continuously advancing with no signs of slowing down. The game designers and developers constantly compete to come out with the most innovative games with the highest level of creativity and performance.

The continuous advancements in the gaming industry can be easily translated into the significant increase in the demand for gaming professionals who can animate the characters, conceptualize the gaming themes, bring desired effects in the environment and develop new concepts. Therefore, this is the right time to get you into a growing industry, not only at the front-end but also behind the scenes.

If you have always been curious about how games are developed, how characters are modeled or how the background is created and are passionate about building a career in this field, you may consider enrolling in a game design program and become the one of those creative people who give life to near flesh and blood characters, involve them in plots, make them do things of your choice and create an overall compelling environment.

A game art and design program prepares you to

• Build 2D and 3D art assets for games
• Develop varied game environments and characters
• Express your creativity through animated characters
  
  

The program prepares you for diverse careers in intensely creative and highly competitive gaming industry. The goal is to provide you with solid theoretical grounding in computer programming, 3D modeling and animation, anatomy and construction, composition and colour, texturing, architectural designing, character designing, digital painting, life drawing, unreal editing, lighting, material editing, compositing and post effects as well as intensive hands-on training through industry field placement.

The program also incorporates valuable experience through industry events, studio visits and live individual and team projects. During the field placement, you not only gain industry exposure but also build relevant contacts that can help you seek employment after completion of the program.

Who Can Apply for a Post-Secondary Game Design Program?

The post-secondary game art and design diploma program runs for two years through four semesters. Students who have completed their secondary school education can apply for this program. You will need to send completed application to the college along with a copy of secondary school diploma certificate or equivalent and scores of English grade 12 c or University.

With this, a portfolio demonstrating your creativity and ability to communicate visually, and 10-15 pieces of your best work and a simple, neat and precise presentation are also required. Preference is given to candidates who have traditional life drawing skills and are familiar with one or more graphics applications such as, Photoshop, 3DS Max, Maya or ZBrush.

Where to Study Game Art and Design in Toronto?

A number of Canadian schools game design offer such courses; however, Centennial College offers students an intensive hands-on training through industry placement, which is an essential requirements to seek employment in this field. Additionally, it prepares students for a career of imagination, innovative design and storytelling in creative and interactive gaming industry in 16 consecutive months.

Game Design Program Benefits

Designed for aspiring game developers, innovative designers and imaginative storytellers, the game art and design program is one of its kinds that offers solid technical foundation and intensive hands-on training on building 2D and 3D art assets for games.

The computer gaming industry has entered a new and more sophisticated phase with the coming up of smart devices, such as multimedia phones and tablets and the advancement of internet technology. The expectations of gamers and game development companies have changed and so is the computer gaming education.

The post-secondary game art and design courses are no longer restricted to just providing theoretical understanding but also include several hours of one-on-one help by industry professionals, hands-on approach to learning in labs and valuable experience and industry contacts through industry events, studio visits and field placements.

Job Market

With the evolving video gaming industry, there are more jobs available now than ever. Due to projected industry growth, more job opportunities and innovative job roles are expected to come up in near future.

Employers are keen on hiring professionals who have undergone specific education and possess hands-on experience in game designing and development. Although it’s a creative field and the ability to imagine matters more than anything but the individuals must possess excellent technical skills to bring it to reality. The game designers are expected to be pro-active and intensively creative and technically sound.

The courses in game art and design prepare students for assuming the roles of character animators, level designers, character modelers, texture artists, video game writers, video game sound designers, environment and effects artists, video game testers, cinematic artists and game concept artists with game development companies.

Choosing the Right School Game Design

There are a number of post-secondary game design program available throughout Canada. However, all may not offer creative opportunities to build games or develop game environments and characters, and real world experience through industry field placements.

Therefore, it is of utmost importance to choose the right college and the right program. A schools game design is worth considering if the program:

• Is affiliated to a governing body
• Is taught by industry professionals who are experience in and passionate about game development
• Offers ample individual and group game development opportunities during the term of the program
• Helps students seek internships and/or jobs in the industry
• Assists students in obtaining placements

Centennial College’s two-year post-secondary game design program fulfills all these requirements and is considered as one of the most prestigious programs in the country. The curriculum is developed by instructors and industry professionals with a forward thinking approach.

The program covers a wide range of subjects, including drawing for 3D modeling and animation, anatomy and construction, composition and colour, 3D modeling and texturing, game theory, architectural design, digital painting, integrated media, character design, UE3 material editing, lighting, post-effects and material editing and compositing.

In order to apply for this program, students are required to submit secondary school diploma certificate and scores of English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent. In addition, they are required to submit a portfolio of their work, demonstrating their creativity and ability to communicate visually. The portfolio may include sketches, life drawings, sculptures, paintings, or digitally produced artwork.

Game Art and Design Program Results in Highly Creative Career

Schools of game design are geared towards students who are highly creative and seeking a career to reflect their imaginations. Centennial College’s Schools Game Design program is a two-year undertaking that focuses on offering students the hands-on training that will ensure they master building 2D and 3D art assets for games, developing game environments and characters, and expressing their unique ideas. Once students obtain their Ontario College Diploma, their careers can go in a variety of directions.

Game Concept Artist: A concept artist is the person who works from a brief to produce concept art for a game. He or she sketches a design prototype that includes: colour schemes, rough design concepts, environmental background, real world examples and any other factors that the lead creators are looking for in the final product. Lead designers, creatives and other developers critique the design so that the concept artist can incorporate their ideas into the next draft.

Level Designer: This professional is responsible for the creation of video game levels — locales, stages, or missions. This is commonly done using a level editor, game development software designed for building levels. However, some games feature built-in level editing tools. Level design is both an artistic and technical process, according to Wikipedia.

Character Animator: Imagine being the person who brings to life animated characters. That’s the role of the Character Animator, who breathes life in characters, creating the illusion of thought, emotion and personality.

Character Modeler: These professionals use their knowledge of 3D animation software, like Maya or 3DS, to design or modify 3D characters. Professionals must ensure that characters meet the current game style. Companies choose specific memory limits for games to improve game flow and limit stuttering or freezing, so character modelers must be able to render characters with maximum detail and quality, while ensuring that the frame used to create the 3-D character doesn’t exceed the allotted memory capacity.

At Centennial College’s game design program, students are prepared for all of these roles in state-of-the-art facilities where they attend a range of courses. Among these courses are: Drawing for 3D Modeling and Animation, Game Theory, Character Design, Digital Painting, Unreal Editor, Life Drawing, Lighting, Post Effects and Material Editing. In addition to these courses, Centennial College provides students with the possibility to build up their professional network with valuable experience and industry contacts through studio visits, industry events and a field placement. The field placement takes place in the final semester and as part of the process, students are expected to send their portfolio to the company of their choice to show their work. This is part of the professional experience, and is standard protocol for those seeking internships and or jobs. During the field placement, students work alongside professionals to apply what they learned in their classes.

Building a Career in Game Design and Animation

Game and art design professionals create or modify characters for video games, simulations and animated movies, using their artistic ability, imagination and computer programming and 3-D animation skills. Besides this, they perform a large number of jobs including:

• Creating facial features and body dimensions of characters in video games, animated movies and/or television shows
• Painting surface textures on animated characters, props and environments
• Rendering characters with maximum detail and quality
• Improving game flow while controlling freezing
• Working of several different types of software platforms, including Photoshop, 3D Paint, Render Man, UV Layout, Maya, etc.
  
  

The exact job roles and responsibilities may vary depending upon the employment, job title, and individual qualifications and experience.

Career Prospects

The video game and animation industry is growing continually, with no signs of slowing down. Therefore, the career prospects in game and art design are bright. And the employment opportunities are anticipated to increase further in the coming years.

The Schools Game Design, artists can find employment with game development companies, film and video production studios, animation studios, graphic design firms, web design companies, advertising firms and mobile technology companies. They can find employment for various job positions, including but not limited to:

• Character modelers
• Character animators
• Level designers
• Texture artists
• Game concept artists
• Environment and effects artists
  
  

While a formal education is not required to conceive the game concept or use one’s own artistic ability, but it can lead individuals to the right career path by helping them hone their talent and develop computer programming skills. Moreover, employers typically prefer professionals who have already undergone a formal education and training program and can help them get faster to the market.

Game and Art Design Programs in Canada

Centennial College’s game design program prepares students for exciting careers of innovative design, imagination and storytelling in 16 consecutive months. The program combines classroom learning, intensive hands-on-training in game environment development and 2D and 3D art assets building, a studio project and a field placement.

The game design and art program covers a wide range of subjects including:

• Drawing for 3D modeling and animation
• Creativity in context
• Anatomy and construction
• Perspective
• Composition and colour
• 3D modeling and texture
• Game theory
• Social history of design
• Architectural design
• Character design
• Digital painting
• Unreal editor
• Life drawing
• Integrated media
• UE3 material editing
• Lighting
• Post effects and material editing
• Compositing
  
  

The program helps students gain a thorough understanding in various aspects of game design, including conception, development and editing. It also incorporates industry events and studio visits that which students gain valuable experience and relevant industrial contacts, which can be used as references when seeking employment.

Admission Requirements

In order to apply for this program, students will need:

• Secondary school diploma
• English Grade 12 C or University or equivalent
  
  

In addition, they need to:

• Attend game and art design admission session
• Submit a portfolio of demonstration of their creativity and ability to communicate visually
• 10-15 pieces of artwork (may include sketches, life drawings, paintings, sculptures or digitally produced artwork)
  
  

Generally, preference is given to applicants having traditional life drawing skills and demonstrating familiarity with one or more graphics applications, such as Photoshop, ZBrush, and 3DS Max or Maya.

Game Art and Design Program Is A Careful Balance of Theory and Application

Across Ontario, there are many schools of game design. However, only one post-secondary institution can claim to be the first community college in the province and, therefore, hold an extremely reputable position in every industry for which it trains its students, including game design. In two years, Centennial College and its Game Art and Design prepare students for a range of career opportunities that include positions such as: character modeler and animator, level designer, texture artist, environment and effects artist and game concept artist. As 2007 graduate Helen Thatch sums up: “Now that I’ve finished the program, I can definitely look back and say that everything I’ve learned is relevant and has been applied where I’ve worked … I can tell you that if you choose this program, you will not regret it one bit. You will work very hard … but, you will learn a whole lot more — your skills will grow tenfold.”

Here is a closer look at what and how exactly students learn in Game Art and Design.

• Because industry professionals and instructors developed the undertaking, it offers a forward-thinking approach towards the next wave of interactive games.
  
  
• Offered by the School of Media, Communication and Design, this program is facilitated from Centennial College’s creative hub, The Centre for Creative Communications.
  
  
• The Centre for Creative Communications plays a major role in the program as it is outfitted with labs that simulate a real-world production setting.
  
  
• The computer labs, to which students have complete access so they may practice in their own time, contain all of the software they will encounter in the industry.
  
  
• All of the classes in the offering are small in size so that students not only have one-on-one time with their instructors to ensure they understand each concept but also so that class discussion can take place to enhance learning.
  
  
• Specific courses include: Creativity in Context, Game Theory, Character Design, Digital Painting, Life Drawing, Architectural Design, Lighting, Life Drawing, Post Effects and Material Editing.
  
  
• Theory is balanced with hands-on learning allowing students to test out their skills in building 2D and 3D art assets for games and developing game environment and characters.
  
  
• Access to industry events could lead to networking opportunities for students.
  
  
• All of the learning that occurs within the game design program at Centennial College is complemented by a field placement, which prepares students for the industry in a few ways. First, students are expected to send their portfolio to the company of their choice to show their work. Secondly, students are expected to be proactive and seek out companies themselves and relay the information to their coordinator, who will assist them in obtaining a placement. Thirdly, students get to apply everything they have learned in the program to the real world.