Computer Games Artist

Computer games artist
A computer games artist is a specialist in real-time graphics and the optimisation of polygon geometry, textures, lighting and particle FX.
This is different from the traditional digital 3D artist where they under most circumstances aim to create pre-rendered media.
The tools a digital artist needs are a mouse and a graphics tablet.
The ability to understand computer games art takes a lot of knowledge and understanding of how the medium works. And even when you have mastered the current knowledge and skills there are always new and evolving skill sets.
A computer games artist is a new phenomenon and distinguishes the separation from a traditional 3D artist. A true real-time games artist always has to make absolute maximum artistic impact with the current restrictions of the platform. And to make that artistic impact takes serious dedication and effort.
Generative art mods
These exploit the real-time capabilities of game technologies to produce ever-renewing autonomous artworks. Examples include Julian Oliver's [http://selectparks.net/~julian/ioq3apaint ioq3apaint], a generative painting system that uses the actions of software agents in combat to drive the painting process, Alison Mealy's
UnrealArt which takes the movements of game entities and uses them to control a drawing process in an external program and RetroYou's R/C Racer a modification of the graphic elements of a racing game which results in rich fields of colour and shape.
The Websites
http://www.gameartisans.org/forums/index.php
http://forums.3dtotal.com/
http://www.gameartisans.org/dominancewar/
http://uhanimation.co.uk/
The Different Roles
There are many titles which now come under the games artist umbrella
Concept Artist
Texture Artist
Environment Artist
Asset Artist
Character Artist
Animator
Rigger
Graphic User Interface Artist “GUI”
As games teams become bigger there are new and emerging titles coming out all the time
Games Bible Artist
Junior Artist
Regular Artist
Senior Artist
Lead Artist
Art Manager
Art Director
The Skills
The most important skill for a games artist is to be a good traditional artist. It also helps to know lots of software from 2D, to 3D applications with a desire to tell stories and narrative and design. Enjoying Game play and having a critical and precise eye.
Above all candidates must have lots of enthusiasm and motivation for what is an exciting creative area with good job prospects.
The games industry is now the biggest entertainment industry in the world surpassing Film, DVD and music sales.
Computer and Video Games
In modern computer and video games, game artists create 2D art used as concept art, textures or 3D models and animations.
Under the direction of an art director and game designer, they often design the look of the character through concept art and render them to be integrated into the game. They are also responsible for designing scenery, props, and any other visual effects in the game, like FMVs.
The abilities of early home computers were so limited that having specialized personnel for art was unnecessary. Up until about the early 1990s, almost all art for video games were created by the game programmers. That art was simply created in code by specifying pixel colors and coordinates.
In recent times, dedicated video game artists make up a large part of many game development teams. Today, the ability of personal computers, software (such as 3D modelers) and video game consoles is so great that the number of game artists can far outstrip the number of any other group of the game development team, such as programmers and testers.

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