Task 9: Elements of game design, part two: art direction for games

At the beginning of the Games industry, art teams could make work quite happily without defining the roles of each artist. But as technology and the level of sophistication has advanced, there is now a need to separate the individual sectors to get the best results, and to watch over them there is now an Art director.

Art directors are basically the ‘Captain of the ship’. They set the ‘visual tone, quality and style for the game’, I think without a director in charge so many clashing ideas could converge to make games that wouldn’t be as good,  they are basically in charge of every small detail that could impact the viewer’s experience. They look at every small object, the textures, the different levels each game has, to differences in characters and the overall effect of the game. It’s a big responsibility and it’s not one that I’d lightly take on.

‘A good art director must consider how each character, prop, set, and location will look from any possible place/ angle in any level of the game. Even things like plants, trees, paving stones, cracks in the walls, and graffiti must be carefully designed to support the story, feel, and illusion of the game. Sometimes, the individual props and furnishings can be as crucial to the story as many of the characters the player encounters’.

Looking at different game companies and Art Director blogs I found that it depends on the company’s preference as to who is in charge of an Art Director. In the case of Robert Chang, he’s the CEO of the company and makes all the decisions for all the games. Whereas in other organisation the Art Director answers to a ‘Lead artist’. I think it would be better to have an Art Director for each individual game because each detail can be preened and made perfect whereas Robert Chang openly admits on his blog that ‘most of my time is spent on first-party games, as that's our bread and butter. Second- and third-party games don't get as much love because they're usually developed externally; I just review them during milestones, either signing off on them or making a list of comments with references, mock-ups, and other changes for the external team.’ Looking quickly at all the games being produced, something would go unnoticed and could potentially ruin the experience for gamers.

I believe that Art Directors are creative because they are responsible for the tone and feel of the game, but I don’t think they are as free to be as truly creative as the actual artists. The job seems more about nit picking rather than creating each individual piece.  

I think that for me to become an Art Director my knowledge of different art styles would have to be better. I think that my eye for detail has improved greatly over this year but to become an art director it would have to become even more heightened because it seems like they have to scrutinise every single detail. I’d say that my patience would be one quality that an Art director would need because I can take the time to sit down and look at all the elements, large or small.