What do you need to know for high-quality design of game characters



Game art is a complex field in which, on the one hand, creativity is embodied, and on the other, a set of functions. The art, which will be used in games, has so many features. Characters are one of the most important components of the game. This is not just a pixel that flashed on the screen once, often it is constantly in the field of view of the players. Therefore, creating a game character is very difficult, and especially now, when realistic graphics do not surprise anyone. If you are not sure that you will cope with this task yourself, then you can use mobile game art services.

Types of game designer

  1. A concept designer is the most famous and coveted look for most artists who try themselves in the gaming industry and take their first steps in it. Everyone wants to draw concepts (especially characters).
  2. Character designer.
  3. Environment designer – creates locations, landscapes and objects;
  4. The interface designer is a rarer and lesser-known form. Not everyone knows that these artists exist.
  5. The lead designer is the most competent artist, manager, who designs the style of the game. It’s good if the lead can direct artists in his team.

Basic gaming styles

  1. Casual is an easy style that evokes associations with others – cartoony and childish. In casual style many different directions and subtopics have already appeared. Three conditional styles are highlighted here: children’s, women’s and men’s. The division of casual graphics into female and male is rather arbitrary, but, nevertheless, exists.
  2. Children’s style: the most vivid, cartoony and simple graphics. Creates images that are immediately understandable to the child.
  3. Female style: in games designed for a female audience, conditionally female colors can be found: pink, purple. Fantasy themes.
  4. Men’s style: an example – World of Warcraft. Requirements for technology during the launch of the game were such that the graphics should be simple. There are references to cartoons, simplified shapes and vibrant colors. However, she is no longer perceived as a child. At the same time, the gameplay began as a rather hardcore game. Now there is already a whole cluster of hardcore games with simplified graphics, most often in fantasy style.

Actually, there are much more categories, but we will consider four:

  • modern style – conditionally “realistic” games that in some way reflect our modernity and the events taking place in it;
  • historical style – games that are based on a story, real or changed;
  • fantasy style – we can say that this is the style at the junction of the male casual and realistic, because it uses bright and not quite real graphics. Unlike casual stylization, real proportions, natural colors are used. This is a world that we see with our own eyes, only with the addition of fantasy elements;
  • “Dark” is a reality, but in a gloomy setting. For example, a world of post-apocalypse or something similar is created with muted colors.

All this applies to mobile game concept art so if you want to know more about character creation, this information will be extremely useful.

  1. Comics and anime. According to the color scheme, anime is traditionally quite close to the female “casual”. Nevertheless, it has very realistic features.
  2. Pixel art. When pixel graphics appeared – in the conditions of a lack of resources, it was the only means of expression for the artist. I must say that the artists did an excellent job with this, the classic pixel games were distinguished by a well-developed visual world. Pixel art is now returning to games with a base of colored pixels and modern effects: blur, glow and so on.
  3. Low poly Art, stylized as a model with a small number of polygons – for example, characters assembled from triangles. A very fashionable direction in design.
  4. Author’s stylization. Everything else that an artist can come up with.