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11 October 2005
Working So Others Can Play:
Jobs in Video Game Development
Part 2: Artists and Sound Designers
by Olivia Crosby,
contributing editor to Occupation
Outlook Quarterly
(If you missed Part 1, click
here)
Artists
Nothing grabs a player's attention faster than the images on the screen.
Artists create those graphics. During the concept stages of development,
concept artists draw sketches and storyboards to illustrate and
embellish the designers' ideas. Artists later create all the artwork the
design document calls for, including creatures, settings, vehicles, and
icons. All artists work under the direction of an artistic lead.
Video games are either two
or three dimensions or a combination of both. In a 2-D game, artists
draw images on paper and scan them into the computer. In a 3-D game,
artists build images within the computer. Most new games have 3-D
components.
There are three main types
of 3-D artists: Character artists and animators, background modelers,
and texture artists.
Character artist and
animator. Character artists design and build creatures, including
the one the player becomes. Animators make those creatures move.
Sometimes, the same person does both tasks.
Character artists begin by
sketching the creature on paper or a white board. "We try to make
the game look the way the designers intend," says Riley, a former
lead character artist at Bethesda Softworks in Rockville, Maryland.
"But at the same time, we have a tremendous amount of creative
freedom."
When they have completed the
creature's basic design, artists build it within the computer, using
modeling software. They start with simple shapes, called primitive
polygons. They twist, stretch, and combine the polygons until they have
a skeleton covered with a wire mesh. As Riley describes it, "We
sculpt with digital clay."
The character looks like a
figure made of chicken wire. Then, the artist covers the character's
mesh with a virtual skin and adds color.
Making static creatures and
objects move is an animator's job. "I'm given a scene and told what
my character has to do, who it will interact with, and where it is in
the story," says Angie Jones, an animator at Oddworld Inhabitants.
When making an action
sequence, she positions the creature by moving the bones within its
mesh. She sets up key poses, and the computer fills in the others
according to a formula Jones selects.
Animators often use
real-world creatures as guides to create natural-looking movement.
Animals make good guides; game creatures are often patterned after
ostriches or horses. But people are important models, too.
"Understanding human anatomy is important, even if your creatures
aren't all that human," says Jones. "You have to be sure
you're moving the muscles in a realistic way."
Animation is more than
creating natural motion, though. It takes skill in dramatics. Using
facial expressions and body language, animators imbue characters with
personalities, says Jones. "If I'm working on a scene with a lot of
dialogue, I play the recording track many times. I'm listening for the
words and inflections. I want to understand the emotions behind the
movement in the scene."
Animators create two kinds
of action sequences: cut scenes, the short movies that play at
predetermined times in the game, and player-controlled action, such as
running, jumping, or talking. During cut scenes, animators can make the
action as detailed and complicated as they'd like. But when the player
is in control, the animator is more constrained: the player must be able
to produce most movements with a joystick, button, or menu selection.
Two techniques for creating
and animating objects combine computer graphics with real-world
elements. In one technique, artists and production technicians build
fiberglass or clay sculptures and scan them into the computer. The
computer translates the data from the scan into a digital model. The
model is then painted and animated in the computer.
In the other technique,
developers use actors along with animators to create some action
sequences. Actors perform motions with sensors attached to their bodies.
The sensors record their positions. Artists use the data to animate
computer characters. This motion-capture method is most often used in
sports games.
Background artist or
modeler. When players find themselves on alien planets, theme parks,
football stadiums, or other settings, they have background artists to
thank for the view.
Background artists,
sometimes called modelers, create video game settings. "I'm
building playgrounds for the characters," says Michael Kirkbridge,
a background artist at Bethesda Softworks. "We draw and construct
environments to the design team's specifications. Background artists
work hand in hand with the level designer to create environments that
fit the game."
Background artists begin by
making sketches of the background suggested in the design document.
Then, they draft an accurately proportioned version on graph paper.
"The scale has to be correct," says Kirkbridge.
"Otherwise, you could make a structure too large or too small for
the size of the characters." Once they are satisfied with the
drawings, artists mold the environment shape by shape, using the
computer as a virtual movie set.
For example, artists
creating a laboratory might use rectangles to form the walls, ceiling,
windows, and doors; then shape circles and cylinders into counters,
stools, and sinks; and, finally, add any objects players will be able to
pick up, such as test tubes, calculators, or fire extinguishers. A
player would be able to walk around furniture and move through the lab
in any direction.
Then, the artists add fill
lights or spotlights to cast pools of brightness and shadow over the
environment. They adjust the color and intensity of the lights to evoke
a particular mood or time of day.
With 2-D games, backgrounds
are not built within the computer. They are sketched with pen and paper,
scanned into the computer, and colored. Each setting is drawn many times
to capture different perspectives and fields of view.
Texture artist. These
artists add detail to the surfaces of 3-D art. By adding texture to a
wall, for example, they make it look like brick, plaster, or stone. They
might make a creature's eyes shiny and wet and its cheeks matte like
skin.
Texture artists take a
photograph or paint a picture of a surface they need. Then, they scan it
into the computer. Finally, they wrap the picture around the object in a
process called texture mapping.
Some surface art requires
detailed painting. For example, paintings of circuit boards or computer
keyboards can be draped onto flat ledges.
All game artists have to
contend with the technical constraints imposed by arcade machines,
consoles, and personal computers. These playback devices have limited
memory and processing power. Each element of the game is competing for a
piece of memory and power.
When the image on the screen
changes, the game software retrieves data from its database and redraws
the image. This takes time. The more complicated the image, the more
time it takes to render. To cope, game artists try to use the fewest
possible polygons. They want to fool the eye into seeing more detail
than is actually there.
Skills and training.
Game artists need a visual imagination. They find inspiration by
observing nature; studying movies, comics, and fine art; and
experimenting with new ideas.
Game artists must also be
able to apply basic math concepts, especially when working on 3-D games.
"When you add a third axis, you really have to understand
geometry," says Jones.
Artists working in 3-D
should know how to use modeling and animating software and should be
able to teach themselves new features and techniques. Ability to
communicate with programmers is another must.
Most people in these
occupations have formal training in fine arts or art-related subjects,
such as animation or industrial design. They study drawing, painting,
color theory, sculpture, and graphic design. Those with bachelor’s
degrees are usually more likely to be hired. "It is very important
to get a traditional education in the arts," says Jones. "The
degree of artistic skill required is rising." With each new game,
players expect better art.
Earnings.
BLS data show the average annual salary for artists across all
industries is $34,360. BLS does not collect earnings data specifically
for video game artists and animators.
According to the Digital and
Multimedia Occupational Guide published by the California Employment
Development Department, multimedia artists and animators earned between
$25,000 and $75,000 annually in 1995; art directors earned between
$30,000 and $100,000. A survey taken at the 1999 Computer Game
Developers Association conference found that 3-D artists with at least 1
year of experience earned an average of $59,211 in 1998. Animators
earned more.
Sound designers
Sound designers compose the music and sound in a game. Without them,
creaky doors, squealing tires, and roaring dinosaurs would be silent.
And their musical compositions intensify the player’s experiences.
"I like taking a product that already looks good and adding some
extra excitement," says Andy Frazzier, a freelance sound designer
in Boston. "Sound draws players in and makes games more real."
Sound designers work closely
with the game designers. Game designers describe the mood they want,
often citing movie scores or popular musicians. The sound designer uses
these analogies to discover what the designer wants.
Video game music should mesh
with setting and plot. "I always have to consider where the player
is in the story and how the music will affect his or her mood,"
says Frazzier. He uses musical techniques to evoke emotions.
For Stephen Rippy, music
director at Ensemble Studios in Dallas, composing appropriate music
begins with research. "All of our games are based in history,"
he says. "The settings are civilizations that actually existed, so
the first thing I do is research the period. If the game takes place in
medieval Japan, I go find music from that setting."
Unlike movie composers,
sound designers don't know what the characters will be doing as the
music plays. Their music has to be simpler than movie scores because it
should not interfere with dialogue or action noises.
Rippy and Frazzier both
compose music using a keyboard attached to a computer. With the
keyboard, they simulate instruments. They command one-piece orchestras.
Sound designers also create
sound effects. They add ambient noise, such as a chirping forest
creatures, dripping faucets, and distant conversation. Other sounds are
triggered by an event, such as the swoosh of a basketball as it falls
through the net.
Sound designers are given a
list of sounds the game needs. They construct each effect by modifying
an existing sound from a CD library or by finding and recording the
sound themselves.
An important part of the job
is to find creative ways to make sound. To produce the twang of a
catapult, for example, Rippy laid a ruler across the edge of a table and
hit it. An engineer recorded the noise, and Rippy edited it using
computer software.
Sound designers edit almost
every sound they use: they might lower a pitch, add an echo, loop the
sound to make it longer, or mix it with other sounds.
They balance realism with
the entertainment value of exaggeration, routinely sweetening natural
sounds for dramatic effect.
When choosing noises, sound
designers also have to be aware of the game-playing environment. When
designing for arcades, for example, they make effects loud and simple.
For a home system, sounds can be more complex.
Skills and training.
Sound designers should be musically creative. They spend time listening
to all types of music and usually learn to play at least one instrument.
Training in audio
engineering also is helpful because sound designers mix and record
sounds and dialogue. Some technical schools and community colleges
provide formal training, but most sound designers learn audio
engineering skills on the job.
Sound designers also need to
learn the basics of computer hardware and software to predict how their
compositions will sound to the player. Some arcade speakers, for
example, distort certain pitches and tones.
Many sound designers have a
bachelor's degree in music. They study music theory and composition.
Some have education in film scoring.
Earnings. BLS has no
data on sound designers. Many sound designers are contract workers who
charge a fee for every minute of music they complete. A few receive
royalties if the soundtrack is released as a separate CD or as part of a
television score. Job search agency surveys show experienced composers
earn from $45,000 to $70,000 annually.
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