Game Animation and Video Game Design: What's the Difference?
When you decide to get into the game industry, it's important to choose a career that matches your skills, abilities, and interests. Although the term "game designer" may seem all-encompassing, it is actually as specific a profession as an animator.
But what is the difference between animation and game design?
Keep reading to find out!
Game Designer
The job of a game designer is to develop design. That may sound like a tautology, and it is, so let me elaborate.
Game designer is responsible for the game's story and gameplay style. There are different types of designers, for example, those who specialize in story or mechanics, but increasingly there are designers who are "generalists" — they do a bit of everything.
This type of designer is increasingly found in small indie studios. The designer often sees the project from start to finish, from developing the initial concept to production and user testing.
A whole team of designers may work on a project, but for small projects, one lead designer is often enough.
The designer's responsibilities include creating a cohesive gameplay experience, from the overall story line to how responsive the buttons should be. They also supervise the work of other specialists, such as animators, to ensure their work aligns with the overall tone of the game.
Animator
Just as designers develop design, animators create animation.
Let's start with the question: "What is animation?". Animation is the process of taking a static object and an idea of how it should move, and applying technique to make it move in the desired way.
That's what animators do: from creating walking and talking characters to ensuring the hands on a clock move correctly. Animators play an important role in the game pipeline, making sure the game world behaves as the player expects. The designer oversees this process to ensure these laws of interaction make sense within the game's concept.
Career Paths
Career progression in both careers is very similar: you start at a junior level, work in a team (the size of which depends on the studio size), and move to a senior level when you have gained the necessary experience.
You might even become experienced enough to become a project lead, taking over management of the entire project and overseeing all processes. It's important to note that these professions are parallel but not the same; both are necessary for a successful game.
Educational Requirements
A game designer's education will likely be built on understanding game mechanics and how the player interacts with the game. This often takes the form of college education and may include courses in design methodology and computer science principles.
An animator, in contrast, must have:
- Deep technical understanding of computer science in games
- Strong mathematical background
- Programming experience
Animation is a very technical profession, and anyone trying to get into animation must have the appropriate technical education (most often achieved through college training). The salary reflects the technical skill required to become an animator.
Which Path to Choose?
Whether you want to become a game designer or a game animator depends on much more than the relative starting salary.
For example, it depends on the degree of your interest in certain aspects of the work. If you enjoy seeing a project from start to finish, delving into all aspects of the work and developing new and interesting mechanics, then you will probably make a better game designer.
If you like the idea of applying complex technical skills and attention to detail to make the game world look real, you will probably make a better animator. Don't forget the level of skill required for each profession.
A designer needs a broad but shallow understanding of all elements of the design process, while an animator needs narrow but deep technical knowledge of animation.
Final Words
Choosing a profession in the game industry is a serious decision that many take lightly. Before choosing a career path, think about your interests and what you are best at.