There are many skills that can be learnt in higher education some help you to progress into a career but there are also life skills that can be learnt. University gives you more confidence and gives you the freedom to grow as a person. While I have been at uni I have met people and had experiences that I may never have had if I had gone straight to work. The diversity of the people you meet encourages you to open your mind to new cultures and ways of thinking. I have made friends at university that have genuinely changed the way I live my life and allowed me to become who I want to be.
When I chose to do game art at DMU I didn't choose it because I wanted to become a game artist, I chose it because I wanted to do a course that I knew I would enjoy. Seeing as art has always been my strength I had always intended to do a creative course, but I thought that if I chose a course that combined art and design with something I'm really interested in it would help to motivate me and actually enjoy the work that I'm doing.
University also gives you time to to identify goals that you want to achieve after leaving university that may not have been as easy to identify while under the pressure of school life. Looking to the future I've always imagined that I would work in a creative industry. I am not necessarily looking to become a game artist or even work in the games industry, but the skills I will learn on this course should hopefully allow me to become employable in many different areas of the creative industry.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Week 20: Creativity
It is important to know that creativity; the use of inventivness, original ideas and resourcefulness is the most important factor in creating a high quality and enojoyable video game. It is as important in the games industry as it is in any other industry that incorporates art and design.
Creativity is not something that can be taught in schools or in higher education for that matter, it is entirely driven by one persons ideas and and their desire to create something unique and imaginitive. Creativity is important not just in the art industries but in aspects of many other careers such as media, advertising, or journalism . Without creativity and imagination we cannot achieve our goals to our greatest abilities.
When looking at video games it's an easy mistake to judge a game based on the visual quality, people also need take into consideration the creativity that is needed in other aspects of the game and their equal importance. Even 20 years ago when games were in their early stages the process of creativity has proven that no matter how weak a console is, good creativity in sound design, stories and as well as graphics can create a good quality game.
As a game artist creativity in the past may have been hindered by technical constraints, but as consoles have become more powerful there are many ways to achieve new and original ways of presenting games from a visual standpoint. We can not only create vastly realistic looking games but also create unique visual designs- cell shading allows artists to create games that can be presented like comics or cartoons.
err.. creativity is really important not only in the creative industries but in every industry that involves creative thinking.
Creativity is not something that can be taught in schools or in higher education for that matter, it is entirely driven by one persons ideas and and their desire to create something unique and imaginitive. Creativity is important not just in the art industries but in aspects of many other careers such as media, advertising, or journalism . Without creativity and imagination we cannot achieve our goals to our greatest abilities.
When looking at video games it's an easy mistake to judge a game based on the visual quality, people also need take into consideration the creativity that is needed in other aspects of the game and their equal importance. Even 20 years ago when games were in their early stages the process of creativity has proven that no matter how weak a console is, good creativity in sound design, stories and as well as graphics can create a good quality game.
As a game artist creativity in the past may have been hindered by technical constraints, but as consoles have become more powerful there are many ways to achieve new and original ways of presenting games from a visual standpoint. We can not only create vastly realistic looking games but also create unique visual designs- cell shading allows artists to create games that can be presented like comics or cartoons.
err.. creativity is really important not only in the creative industries but in every industry that involves creative thinking.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Week 19: Game Education
While I can understand why companies would prefer game artists to be deeply competant in all aspects of art and design in order to be as creative as possible when designing assets for games, I feel that by learning how to use software such as 3d studio max and having a good knowledge of how to create 3d models as well as designing them at such an early stage should be hugely beneficial when starting a career in the games industry. When starting a job as a games artist surely having a wide understanding of how games are made and how the industry works will help us to decide whether a career in the industry is right for us as well as helping us to progress faster within the industry.
Having done art and design at both GCSE and A-Level, and completing an art foundation course, I feel I am already fairly advaned in most aspects of art and design, doing a game art course is helping to build upon the skills that I have already learnt as well as giving me a good understanding of how I might use these skills if I dedcide to persue a career in the video game industry. I am now learning how to use the techniques that I have aleady learnt to aid in the design of video game environments and characters and I am learning how to manage my time while working on projects.
The game art course at DMU combines all the relevant aspects of game design needed for a career in the industry and I am confident that if I were to apply for a job as a game artist after completing the course I would have all the necessary skills that would be required.
Having done art and design at both GCSE and A-Level, and completing an art foundation course, I feel I am already fairly advaned in most aspects of art and design, doing a game art course is helping to build upon the skills that I have already learnt as well as giving me a good understanding of how I might use these skills if I dedcide to persue a career in the video game industry. I am now learning how to use the techniques that I have aleady learnt to aid in the design of video game environments and characters and I am learning how to manage my time while working on projects.
The game art course at DMU combines all the relevant aspects of game design needed for a career in the industry and I am confident that if I were to apply for a job as a game artist after completing the course I would have all the necessary skills that would be required.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Week 18: Sound For Games
The sound you find in modern video games is used in the same way as in films, it helps to create an ambience so that the player can identify with the place and also helps stimulate emotions such as fear, tension or suspense. Sound effects like gunshots and footsteps prompted by event triggers need to be believable if a player is to become imersed in a game. Like films sound plays a huge role in the quality of the game, nowadays expert composers and musicians are asked to work on games as well as film and tv so that the developers can ensure a high quality soundtrack that can help the game stand out.
The first video game that I owned was the original Tetris for Game Boy, and 15 years later I can still recall the main theme tune. Perfect Dark on the N64 also had had a brilliant soundtrack, I remember the carrington intitute music well and and the voice of elvis the alien was brilliant too. More recently the first Metroid Prime game on Gamecube had an amazing, eerie soundtrack that really added to the lonely, mysterious feel of the game, and the music in the opening titles are probably my favourite in any game.
The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time, however, was probably the first game I played where the music really stood out and became a major factor towards my enjoyment of the game. The fully orchestrated soundtrack adds to the scale of the game and creates an epic and cinematic feel. Every dungeon, temple, village and town has its own theme tune and each one is memorable and catchy. The sound even extends towards the gameplay when you learn how to play songs to progress in the game. The only area of the game where the sound is lacking is the speech, but that really didn't bother me. All Zelda games since ocarina of time have also excelled in the sound area, though none have quite managed to surpass OOT's musical quality. The latest Zelda, Twilight Princess, did not have a live orchestra; but the digital orchestration did allow the music to flow more smoothly between battle sequences, and I still got all tingly when the hyrule field music kicked in.
The first video game that I owned was the original Tetris for Game Boy, and 15 years later I can still recall the main theme tune. Perfect Dark on the N64 also had had a brilliant soundtrack, I remember the carrington intitute music well and and the voice of elvis the alien was brilliant too. More recently the first Metroid Prime game on Gamecube had an amazing, eerie soundtrack that really added to the lonely, mysterious feel of the game, and the music in the opening titles are probably my favourite in any game.
The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time, however, was probably the first game I played where the music really stood out and became a major factor towards my enjoyment of the game. The fully orchestrated soundtrack adds to the scale of the game and creates an epic and cinematic feel. Every dungeon, temple, village and town has its own theme tune and each one is memorable and catchy. The sound even extends towards the gameplay when you learn how to play songs to progress in the game. The only area of the game where the sound is lacking is the speech, but that really didn't bother me. All Zelda games since ocarina of time have also excelled in the sound area, though none have quite managed to surpass OOT's musical quality. The latest Zelda, Twilight Princess, did not have a live orchestra; but the digital orchestration did allow the music to flow more smoothly between battle sequences, and I still got all tingly when the hyrule field music kicked in.
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