Understanding Concept Art in Game Design: Unraveling a Commonly Misconstrued Aspect
In the dynamic world of game development, concept art plays a pivotal role, encapsulating a wide range of art styles and serving as the visual foundation for numerous aspects of the gaming experience.
At the heart of game development, concept art starts with bringing a brand new game idea to life visually and concretely. This process often involves extensive research and general explorations, from studying African tribes to delving into local museums for inspiration.
Good communication is crucial in concept art, not just with providing detailed model sheets to external artists, but also in regular meetings within the development team. This ensures that the concept art remains aligned with the narrative, gameplay, and the work of other artists.
Concept art is iterative and loose in the early stages, with ideas being discarded based on the director's vision. As the project progresses, the concept art becomes more refined, and it is used in various stages of the production process.
In the early stages, concept art often uses photobashed assets from other things to design spaces and characters. As the project nears completion, a phase known as paintovers occurs, where a concept artist refines the work already available in the game engine.
Concept art is also used in other 2D assets, such as designing posters, labels, menu screens, or in-game achievement icons. Moreover, it is essential in 3D asset creation, ensuring artists understand what is being designed.
One of the most significant uses of concept art is in 3D asset creation, ensuring artists understand what is being designed. It is also crucial in 3D software, especially when designing spaces.
Concept art is also used in cinematics, which are often outsourced and cost a significant amount of money. The job of a concept artist shifts throughout production, from the absolute beginning to the end of a project.
Concept art inspiration can come from various sources, such as other games, African tribes, and local museums. Concept artists in game development typically come from artistic backgrounds, often with training in fine arts, illustration, or graphic design. Their role is to create visual ideas that shape the game's look and feel during the early concept design phase.
Concept art is a broad role that can cross over to other lines of work, such as film, book illustration, collectible card games, and tabletop role-playing games. It is often associated with hand-drawn sketches and illustrations, but it can also include early pixel art.
Tools such as Photoshop and 3D software are commonly used in creating concept art. Regardless of the tools used, good communication and a keen understanding of the game's narrative and gameplay are essential for a successful concept art project.
