do you need to know how to draw to be a game designer?
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hello, i am looking at this college course on Game Art & Design and i am wondering in general do i need to know how to draw like on paper to go do a Game Art & Design course? if so then do you need to know how to draw for just game design course? because i can draw but i am not like a real good at drawing like the pros you see from blizzard or Bioware or something. If you do need to draw in the fields can you suggest a field that does not involve draw but making a game and no i will not program because i don't like it i tired it, just not my thing. Thanks
Well if you're looking into a Game Art & Design course you should at least have interest in learning how to draw or you won't be very successful.
If you want to design games, you'll have to be able to a) come up with good ideas b) test them c) communicate them, so it would be a good route to learn about how to do this. Related fields would be fiction/screenplay writing, interactive & media design, economics, psychology... etc. etc.
(Keep in mind that these are just ideas. I'm not an "insider".)
Edit: You'll need good researching skills, too. ;)
If you want to design games, you'll have to be able to a) come up with good ideas b) test them c) communicate them, so it would be a good route to learn about how to do this. Related fields would be fiction/screenplay writing, interactive & media design, economics, psychology... etc. etc.
(Keep in mind that these are just ideas. I'm not an "insider".)
Edit: You'll need good researching skills, too. ;)
Quote:Original post by armbuck
hello, i am looking at this college course on Game Art & Design and i am wondering in general do i need to know how to draw like on paper to go do a Game Art & Design course?
Your actual question is a little bit different than your subject suggests. To be a game designer, no, you don't need to know how to draw. To be a game production or concept artist, which is what "Game Art & Design" sounds like it mostly covers, then knowing how to draw is extremely valuable if not essential.
Quote:because i can draw but i am not like a real good at drawing like the pros you see from blizzard or Bioware or something.
Drawing isn't purely a talent. It's a skill: you can get better through study and practice.
Let me get this straight... you want to make games but you can't draw well and you can't program... Judging from your post you can't write well either... So that leaves you with... not much.
The only option you really have is to have a boatload of cash that you can throw at people and tell them to make your game for you.
Either that, or quit complaining and find a field that you enjoy the most and get good at it. Yes a Game Art & Design course is going to involve art. It says so right in the title of the course.
The only option you really have is to have a boatload of cash that you can throw at people and tell them to make your game for you.
Either that, or quit complaining and find a field that you enjoy the most and get good at it. Yes a Game Art & Design course is going to involve art. It says so right in the title of the course.
Well, graphic and design is rather vague, does it deal with 3D modelisation and animation? Graphic design (layout, fonts and publicity)? Or perhaps it's art horiented (Conceptart/illustration/storyboarding?). You have to be a tad more precise, schools often have similarly named programs with very different classes.
As for jobs in the game industry that don't require incredible drawing skills or programmation:
-3D modelisation or animation; 3D benifits from drawings skills, but it doesn't require you to be the next Da Vinchi. So you'd take both advantage of already drawing a little while not having to become the best at it.
-Game designer: Very basic drawing, what you need here in terms of drawing is to be able to communicate ideas when words just harn't enough. It doesn't have to be pretty or elaborate, it has to be practicle. It might require you to be familiar with basic programmation principles and programs similar to the unreal engine.
-Quality ensurance: Though not many consider this as a long term carreer plan, it's an easy job to get into and you can make a nice living out of it once you climb the echelons to QA lead/floor lead/DBA. It doesn't require a particular education, though the more game you play and the more genres you've tried, the better your qualifications.
You can also consider other jobs like producer, human rescource or PR.
I have to say though, all of these jobs require a good level of dedication if you ever want to get hired. You'll have plenty of competition and if you're not willing to work day and night to get better... Then this might not be the right industry for you. :(
As for jobs in the game industry that don't require incredible drawing skills or programmation:
-3D modelisation or animation; 3D benifits from drawings skills, but it doesn't require you to be the next Da Vinchi. So you'd take both advantage of already drawing a little while not having to become the best at it.
-Game designer: Very basic drawing, what you need here in terms of drawing is to be able to communicate ideas when words just harn't enough. It doesn't have to be pretty or elaborate, it has to be practicle. It might require you to be familiar with basic programmation principles and programs similar to the unreal engine.
-Quality ensurance: Though not many consider this as a long term carreer plan, it's an easy job to get into and you can make a nice living out of it once you climb the echelons to QA lead/floor lead/DBA. It doesn't require a particular education, though the more game you play and the more genres you've tried, the better your qualifications.
You can also consider other jobs like producer, human rescource or PR.
I have to say though, all of these jobs require a good level of dedication if you ever want to get hired. You'll have plenty of competition and if you're not willing to work day and night to get better... Then this might not be the right industry for you. :(
I am majoring in Game Art and Design at The Art Institute Sunnyvale, and I am about 1/4 through a bachelors. If you don't like art or programming, music is another field in the gaming industry. Sound effects and voices are always needed as well as songs/themes. And if you are still aiming for art, I would get a trial of Photoshop or Maya to mess around with. There are Youtube tutorials everywhere and 50% of my degree are those two programs.
Maya is not artistic for the most part. It is just an instrument like the piano or guitar; the more you practice, the better you get. Work hard enough, and your portfolio will speak for itself.
Maya is not artistic for the most part. It is just an instrument like the piano or guitar; the more you practice, the better you get. Work hard enough, and your portfolio will speak for itself.
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