Please note:    in this article I will mostly use the title Game Artist. I'm using this as a kind of catch-all for the various creative roles, as many of the things I mention are applicable to most, even outside of the game industry.

​

   How do we define the role of a Game Artist? What is actually their function in game development? Is it just a person who makes all the pretty pictures? Is it someone who creates whatever they want, or the opposite: is it someone who is only allowed to make exactly what they're told to? It can be vague for people outside of the game industry, and even people who work on games do not always have a clear understanding. Project managers, programmers and even artists themselves are sometimes not sure what are the responsibilities and worth of a Game Artist. It can happen that a project gets into problems because, as a Project Lead may put it, 'he doesn't speak art' and communication problems follow. Or an artist might shy away from certain tasks, or even refuse to do them, because 'that's not what they do'. Projects might miss opportunities because people are not aware of the skills and experience of the artists on their team. These kind of situations are a real pity, and unnecessary. To avoid this, it is important to. . .

 

“Know and understand the core roles of the Game Artist.”

​

   Or, in other words, what is the profile of the ideal Game Artist? In this article I will try to break it down, show what are the core functions, and explain how they matter to the game project and the artist. Because, as a professional artist, it is essential to analyze what you do, to be able to recognize your core functions and then assess your performance on each point. This will allow you to discover your weaknesses and eliminate them. Being a Game Artist is a specialized and complex profession, and is so much more than just being able to make pretty pictures. Self-awareness, self-improvement and moving out of the comfort zone is essential; it will continuously increase an artist's worth and will help to secure a long and successful career.

   Ignoring any kind of self-reflection leads to stagnation, which one day might lead to the following situation: A Project Manager or Project Lead will, during a meeting or performance review, ask the question “Why do we actually need you?" Why should we continue to pay you when we can go to the Unity asset store, or some stock art website, and buy the assets we need? It will be fast, cheap, and we know what we get right away.” This is one of the harshest question that an artist can be asked, I think. To have the validity of your existence questioned. I can tell you that the wrong answer is: “Because I make art that looks prettier.”

​

   The simple truth is that not so many people really care about the art of a game (except perhaps certain vocal minorities). The programmers just want the game to work, the Project Manager wants to stay on target, and the Project Lead wants a finished game, on time and within budget, to keep the company afloat. Even most players (looking at the game industry as a whole, world-wide) don't care that much. A game that plays great but looks cheap is going to fare much better than a game that looks amazing but has poor gameplay. We all can think of some examples like that. In the end, a fun and rewarding experience is what it is all about. It's the greater cause that a Game Artist's work is subservient to, and they should be deeply aware of that.

 

   So, what is the right answer? The right answer is that a Game Artist does much more than make art assets. When you break down the job of the artist, you get 5 key roles, that I like to call:

 

• The Storyteller

• The Creator

• The Problem Solver

• The Communicator

• The Decision Maker