That said if you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a video game artist or designer one day and are looking for the right opportunities, understanding these differences can help you make the right career choice. But how are a game artist and a game designer different? Is one job more important than the other? Let’s look at some of these differences and how they can impact you as a potential employee in this field – you might just surprise yourself!

What is Game Art?
Game art is the pre-production stage of creating a game. It defines the look and feel of the title and is usually executed by the game artist. Another critical aspect of game art is animation – the flow and timing of assets and characters within the game. Artists manually create these movements using 3D software like 3D Max, Maya, Photoshop, etc., or they use several software solutions to develop high-quality UI designs using procedurally generated assets.

What is Game Design?
Game design is the process of bringing a video game to life. It involves strategizing ideas, creating the core mechanics, making them functional, and testing those UX functions in real-world environments until you’re confident the game works as intended. In simple words, this is the ‘mind’ side of the game.

Differences Between a Game Artist and Game Designer

A game designer and a game artist are two very diverse career paths. Do you believe this? If so, you are not entirely correct. The two fields aren’t mutually exclusive. Instead, they work together to create the most immersive gaming experience possible.

A game artist draws game art and models for a game. They’re responsible for creating the look and feel of a game. On top of defining the visuals, game art also determines gameplay elements — the game’s UI design, characters, props, environment, and audio effects.

On the other hand, a game designer creates the rules of play and determines the game’s flow. During this stage, a game designer creates a framework and works on the UX aspect of the game. They plan the flow of the gameplay and establish the rules of play. The programming team then executes the gameplay.

All in all, creating a game involves collaboration among various teams and brainstorming to create the best game possible. This can be challenging as it involves conceptualizing a game from an idea to its completion. Hence, these roles often call for UI/UX designing and software knowledge, which is achievable by enrolling in a design school like École Intuit Lab.

Learn game art & design from the best!

There’s a lot of competition and effort in the video game world. Hence, getting acquainted with the right skills is vital. At École Intuit Lab, theundergraduate programme in game art & design is best for both — a beginner looking to build a career and an intermediary wanting to upskill. This 4-year program can prepare you for the best game art and design careers.

Lastly, we’d like to leave you with one final message: gaming is an art. Understanding game design and art fundamentals are essential to create the best experience possible.