Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
games is that they mistake setting for game design. A great plot does not make
a great game. Nor does a great player model or animation engine. These merely
provide contextual support for the game's reward system. If the rest of the game
design is broken, a multi-million dollar investment in setting will still fail to
produce an enjoyable game.”
By now it's clear how important gameplay is, yet it's also highly subjective.
Designers are faced with the task of building characters and other visual ele-
ments that will enhance the elusive quality of gameplay.
Many designers rely heavily on what has already been produced, claiming that
visuals or gameplay that don't have a degree of familiarity won't appeal to gamers.
Taking what has already been done but adding a twist to it, adding a little fresh
design, tends to be the norm with many current games.
Being aware of this trend affects how concept work is approached in this
industry. You'll be challenged to come up with designs that meet the needs of
the project and are new and fresh, while also having a degree of familiarity.
Where Do You start?
To begin the process of coming up with the concept art, you need to know some
basic information:
Who is the game being designed for (demographic)?
What is the gameplay style (discussed at length in Chapter 2,
“Gameplay Styles”)?
In addition to those two points, you should work with as much information as is
available: backstory (or lore), script, goals of the game, and platform. (Platforms,
or systems used to play games, are described in Chapter 10, “Designing Games for
Varied Distribution”).
Based on that information, you can make decisions regarding the look. Will it
be cartoony, realistic, bright, somber, complicated, or intense?
It isn't uncommon for the concept artist to prepare three different preliminary
versions of any visual that can work with the look and feel of the project. Three
examples provide enough variety that the team can choose which one is going
in the best direction for the needs of the project, or pick elements from two or
all three that can be used to make another pass at the concept work. Starting
with at least three variations also helps prevent the project from getting locked
down too quickly with a specific look.
The concept work can be pencil sketches, sculptures, 3D models, or any other
media that can convey the look and feel of the visual to people on the team. The
