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This is a golden age of game. The market is slowly, but consistently growing.

“In a global context, the majority of revenue will be generated United States, which is expected to account for US$128.10bn in 2024. Within the Games market, the number of users is anticipated to reach 3.0bn users by 2029.”

Animators play a vital role in the gaming industry, creating immersive gaming experiences for players through lifelike animations. From character movements to environmental interactions, every frame of animation needs to be carefully designed to meet player expectations and adapt to the interactive nature of the game. So, what specific role do game animators play in the industry, and what are the things to pay attention to?

In games, animators are not only responsible for the movements of characters, but also for the dynamic elements of the environment, such as swaying leaves, flowing rivers, and even small physical interactions. These dynamic details can provide players with a more realistic sense of immersion while injecting vitality into the game narrative.

Online Tutorials from Artstation

https://www.artstation.com/learning/animation

Unlike film or television animation, game animation needs to consider the player’s operation behavior. Supercell, the mobile game company, make a specific statement about recruiting: “We are not looking for someone specializing in cinematic or narrative animation”. The character’s movements must be smooth and meet the player’s expectations, and respond quickly to input. For example, when recruiting senior animators, Supercell emphasized that animators need to put “dynamics and interactivity” at the core of their design.

Combination of technology and art Animators must be creative within technical constraints. Games are often limited by real-time rendering capabilities, so animation design needs to take into account performance optimization. For example, Epic Games mentioned in its recruitment that animators not only need artistic skills, but also need to be familiar with the use of engines (such as Unreal Engine) and related tools.

https://www.unrealengine.com/

What’s more?

• Understanding Game Mechanics Animators are not only designers, but also shapers of player experience. Only by deeply understanding the rules and mechanisms of the game can I design animations that are highly consistent with the gameplay. For example, the actions of fighting games need to be fast and direct, while open world games emphasize delicate character performance.
• Adapt to teamwork Game development is a highly collaborative process, and animators need to work closely with game designers, programmers, and artists. Communication skills are the key to animators’ success, which is not only reflected in team discussions, but also requires quick adjustments to work in feedback.
• Focus on player experience The ultimate goal of game animation is to serve players. Animators need to ensure that the character actions are not only beautiful, but also help players understand the game through detailed feedback. For example, the micro-expression design when the character is injured or rewarded can significantly enhance the player’s emotional engagement.
• Continuous learning and iteration The technology in the gaming industry is updated rapidly, and animators must keep up with the latest trends and tools. For example, while being proficient in traditional animation tools such as Blender and Maya, I also need to be familiar with the animation production process of real-time engines.

Differences between film animation and game animation

According to Pluralsight’s analysis, film animation focuses on narrative and emotional expression, and animators can focus on delicate frame-by-frame production. Game animation, on the other hand, emphasizes real-time interaction and technical optimization. Game animators need to compress complex action designs into content that can be rendered in real time while ensuring consistent performance in different scenes.

https://www.pluralsight.com/resources/blog/software-development/how-animation-for-games-is-different-from-animation-for-movies

The article from Toronto Film School points out that this difference requires animators to adjust their work ideas when entering the gaming industry. For example, although the “cutscenes” in the game are close to the movie style, they still need to ensure seamless and smooth connection with the game mechanism.

The gaming industry’s requirements for animators are both challenging and creative. From designing character actions to optimizing technical performance, animators’ work runs through all aspects of game development. Whether joining a new game team at Supercell or an industry giant like Epic Games, game animators need to focus on the player experience and have strong adaptability and learning capabilities.

As we know, animators are a subdivided profession in the animation industry, which means that we do not need to be fully proficient in the responsibilities of other workflows (such as modeling, binding, and synthesis). With the advancement of technology, traditional workflows are being continuously optimized and improved. Software used to make animations is constantly optimizing user experience and improving work efficiency, and various plug-ins can also make animators more convenient when making animations.

So this makes me wonder, for the career development of animators, will the way of making animations be gradually changed completely? When I was doing research, I found that this change was widely used in live action movies.

From the perspective of CGI, the two types of animators may have completely different responsibilities in different projects. In the traditional animation industry, the production of character animation will strictly follow the 12 principles of animation to express the character’s personality characteristics and emotional expression.

According to the current description of the animator requirements released by Disney Animation Studio, the work content is roughly to polish the lens according to relevant requirements to the degree that can best resonate with the audience, focusing on expressing emotions through the movement of the characters to tell the story.

From the job description of animators at DNEG (a company that has worked on live-action movie animation projects such as Godzilla and Justice League), we can see that animation is more like a part of VFX. Animators need to have experience in handling complex characters and actions in high-end live-action movie VFX production, be proficient in using Maya to solve problems in three-dimensional space, and show excellent animation works (such as flying, biological movement and motion capture). Senior animators also need to provide technical support, guide the team to improve processes, and promote team development through innovative problem solving.

In the scope of live-action movies, realism is the primary service goal of animation. This also derives technologies such as motion capture and muscle simulation systems that are completely independent of the 12 principles of animation. But combined with the story, it can also bring a completely different shocking experience.

So for me, whether I can tell a good story that resonates with people is the ultimate goal of an animator. I don’t mind what specific way to do it. If I have the opportunity, deepening my roots in the traditional animation industry will be my first choice. In addition, there is no harm in trying to learn the latest technologies and developments in live-action movies. After all, all job descriptions require a can do attitude, so just do it.

References

https://disneyanimation.com/process/?drawer=/process/animation/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live-action_animation

As an aspiring animator with a passion for digital production, I’ve always dreamed of living and working in a city that blends vibrant culture with beautiful natural light. After visiting Barcelona, I’ve found that Barcelona’s sunny atmosphere and stunning scenery make it an ideal place for creativity to flourish.

Barcelona is home to two exciting animation studios that align with my career goals: **Tomavision** and **The Others**.

**Tomavision: Animation for Children**

Located in central Barcelona, Tomavision specializes in creating animated content for school-age children. The studio primarily hires for 2D animation roles, particularly those skilled in Toon Boom Harmony. While there aren’t any current openings for 3D animators, Tomavision’s focus on children’s content makes it an appealing destination for 2D animators like myself.

**The Others: Digital Production and Immersive Design**

The Others, located near the sea in Barcelona, offers an exciting opportunity for those interested in digital production, branding, and immersive design. Their innovative approach to storytelling aligns perfectly with my background in digital media. However, as a non-EU citizen, I’m unable to apply for positions here due to visa restrictions, though I hope these policies may change in the future.

**What Roles Interest Me?**

In the animation industry, I’m particularly interested in roles like:

– 2D/3D Animator: Bringing characters and scenes to life.

– Storyboard Artist: Visualizing the narrative and flow of a project.

– Compositing: Combining visual elements to create a final scene.

– Set/Background Design: Crafting the environments that support the animation.

These roles offer unique challenges and creative opportunities, and I look forward to exploring them further.

**A Bright Future in Barcelona**

Barcelona’s dynamic creative scene, paired with its inspiring light and culture, makes it an ideal place for an animation career. Although visa restrictions are a hurdle for now, I’m optimistic that more opportunities will open up in the future. I’m excited to keep exploring the possibilities that this vibrant city has to offer.

Stay tuned for more updates on my animation journey and career opportunities in Barcelona!

This is Jiwon and this is the formal simulated work experience report.

I am pleased to announce that I have successfully completed my task and received positive feedback. In this project, I was responsible for the initial stage of character design and the creation of some animation references.

I conducted preliminary research on the ideas and concepts provided by my colleague and produced content relevant to character settings.

After two weeks of collaboration, I believe I need to continue improving and learning in terms of communication and adapting to specific styles.

Because the content I created belongs to conceptual design, it serves as the foundation to guide and standardize subsequent processes. If applied to the standards of the film industry, it requires a high degree of adaptation to the needs of directors or art directors.

There is still room for improvement and development in adapting to the specific drawing style I am proficient in at this stage. However, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience as it provided me with a concrete goal to showcase my abilities.

All tasks proceeded smoothly, and I hope to continue assisting with this project in the future. Although I haven’t encountered any significant challenges at this stage, I have gained some inspiration for future projects.

Moving forward, I will endeavor to explore more principles and logic of conceptual and entertainment design, leveraging my strengths in visual communication design acquired during my undergraduate studies.

Building upon the foundation of preliminary animation design work, I aim to explore more avenues for visual presentation in animation. On the technical front, I will continue researching 3D rendering, compositing, and various industry standards. I now understand that while I do not need to master every step, familiarity with each process through practical experience allows me to understand the requirements of each position and the standards of output. This enables me to consider the working conditions of other processes in the corresponding work environment, ensuring efficiency and a harmonious atmosphere.

I realize that design is a method to maximize respect for the object, art is a medium to maximize the subject, and animation is a bit like a game between the two.

In terms of character design, the character can be recognized as a summary of time and an inevitable result in a specific space and under specific conditions.

Thanks to rational thought, the characters themselves become recognizable. Thereby exerting its specific value. I may not say that I am a valueist, but from a design perspective, value can often quickly communicate or connect with objects from different backgrounds. This is also a purpose of commercial animation.

For character animation, the design is often simple and clear. We give different settings. This setting is based on a certain social consensus, and then through research, we summarize and organize the cultural identity under the social subconscious. The resulting visual material ultimately followed the 12 principles to make the concept convincing.

What does art mean for animation?

Personally, I believe that the definition of art will continue to change and vary from person to person. But we can indeed observe that the development of art is often regarded as a method of personal cognition and expression. So from this point of view, making a living from animation, using animation to continue learning observing and improving the expression of life itself is an art.

The pure love for visual communication or information transformation became my motivation for animation in the early days. This motivation also promotes my cognitive iteration, and the cognitive iteration prompts me to polish my animation works more carefully, so that I can recognize my own shortcomings due to the inability to integrate knowledge and action, and increase the amount of learning due to the lack of cognition. With the accumulation of information, qualitative changes occur, and cognitive iteration is carried out again.

All in all, although I did not do a lot of research this semester, I learned a lot and realized that if research becomes a habit, it will benefit our work and even life a lot.

Throughout the history of animation, rendering technology has been constantly evolving to deliver more realistic and stunning images to audiences. This article will delve into the development history of 2D rendering and 3D technology and their impact on the animation industry.

Traditional 2D animation has always won the love of the audience with its unique artistic style and delicate hand-drawn performance. From early hand drawing to digital processing, 2D animation has continued to evolve over the past few decades. Early traditional hand-drawn animation accumulated a large audience through its depiction of surrealism and laid a principled foundation for the development of the animation industry (12 Principles).

Note: The 12 principles of animation were first summarized by Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. They are one of the core team members of Disney Animation and have participated in the creation of many classic animated films, such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Cinderella” and “Dumbo”.

These 12 principles first appeared in one of their books, Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life, first published in 1981.

Like other industries, the development of the animation industry is also inseparable from the influence of the world situation. With the rapid development of computer technology, 3D animation technology has gradually emerged. If 2D is a portrayal of surrealism, then 3D is a portrayal of realism. Through continuous innovation in modeling, animation, and rendering software, artists can create lifelike characters and scenes that provide audiences with immersive audio-visual experiences. From Pixar’s “Toy Story” to Disney’s “Frozen,” 3D animation works have followed or even led the wave of the technological era, industrializing the animation production process based on the principles of traditional animation to meet growing demand.

In 2018, Spider-Man Parallel Universe, which won many awards including the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, officially brought the charm of 2D rendering 3D technology into the public eye. This technology not only combines the artistry of 2D and the convenience of 3D with the advantages of realism, but also It shows the infinite development possibilities of animation. It is being increasingly applied and optimized and is gradually forming a new digital art, surprisingly leading new industry trends.

In general, the development of the animation industry is based on the influence of computer technology, and changes in the computer field are also closely related to the iteration of the entertainment industry. 2D animation started the dream in the hearts of the first generation of animators. 3D helped this dream become no longer distant. New technologies continue to develop with the demand. Although AI technology is becoming increasingly perfect and may have an indelible impact on the entire industry, I believe that changes in the industry will only change our path to our dreams. The only thing that remains unchanged is our enthusiasm for our dreams.