Game Designing – The Ongoing Scenario and Its Scope in the Future

Are you a gaming enthusiast? Is your passion for gaming inspiring you to become a game designer itself? Well, that’s fair enough! After all, the gaming industry is among the billion dollar industries that contribute to a nation’s economy, as well. Needless to mention, but all credit goes to the evolving technologies that include high-end smartphones, social media, and advanced hardware capabilities to name some. Right from the 2-dimensional and black and white generations of video games to the 3-dimensional and life-like versions, video games have been living their fair share of evolution, since conception. Even statistics do substantiate the same. Just like you, the increasing popularity of gaming has been inspiring lots of other potential game developers from around the world. 

So, what does it take to pursue the lucrative career of a game designer? All it takes is a good and well-acclaimed institution that offers courses on game designing.  If you are planning to go ahead with game designing as your career, you can check out Games Programming Courses in Singapore. Read on to know more!

Busting myths, the gaming industry is emerging as a promising one

Although in some parts of the world, the gaming industry is still lagging behind, owing to the misconceptions surrounding this career option, like development costs, inflation, and social causes and so on, according to various researchers, the industry is shifting changing with an optimistic approach.

Evolution of game development teams and publishers with time

With time, the types and nature of games along with their distribution models are continuously changing and expanding, so are the development teams. Now, the game development teams are becoming smaller in size, more responsive and independent. This, as a result, is shifting the way the game publishers source, develop and manage game developers. A positive sign for the aspiring game developers, indeed!

What is game designing all about?

Game designing is about balancing different components to produce a visual and psychological treat for gamers. The main components, if not all, are – design, art, science as well as technology. From an academic context, on one hand, game designing is an art of visualizing storyline and related aspects, whereas, a science of reading the mind of players, on the other. In simple words, game designing is all about finding out what aspects would get a player tethered to a given game and what would not.

However, in order to develop appealing and engaging video game, you need to study different aspects of game designing. So, how to get started with the same? Well, you can consider Games Programming Courses in Singapore universities. These courses focus on upgrading as well as honing in game designing skills, enabling you to excel in this domain.

A Professional Concept Artist – Do you really want to live your Dreams?

‘To be an exceptionally able Concept Artist and a part of the entertainment industry’, is this the dream you have been chasing since you have heard about the subject for the first time? Concept art, when talking about this career option, it seems to be a cakewalk, but the reality is something different. No, no, it’s absolutely not a Herculean task either. However, the thing is that – it takes lots and lots of patience and passion for characters in the real sense to be a professional concept artist. Otherwise, although you will get started with it, you won’t be able to finish. This pattern is quite common with Concept Art, people give it a try, but ultimately give up. The reasons are - impatience and lack of enthusiasm. 

So, if you really think that you have that level of enthusiasm to learn and pursue concept art as your career, Concept Art Courses in Singapore universities can be good options, to begin with.

Concept Art Courses – What do they teach?

At an esteemed institution, you get to learn the following areas as a part of your curriculum:

• Introductory classes on Photoshop and the related tools
• Character(s) creation in form of thumbnails and silhouette
• Introduction to creatures & human figures and their proportions
• Fundamentals of color toning and its uses
• Fundamentals of lighting effects
• Basics of character animation and environment

Mastering the basics is very important

Just like any other subject, it is very important to master the basics of Concept Art in the first place. As the subject is all about art, you need to concentrate on its two main pillars – painting and drawing. Apart from these, one of the most crucial aspects of this subject is – controlling your hands. Until and unless, you will master your hand movements, you won’t be able to create characters and put life in them. Once you are quite accustomed to it, you can get started with exploring shapes and anatomy.

As far as anatomy is concerned, you have to master it properly. Understanding anatomy is something really tough that even professional and experienced artists struggle with and this is where most people give up. However, you shouldn’t! Once you have learnt enough about the basics, it’s the time to hone your skills. Here is how you can do that –

• First of all, you have to understand your audience – who are they and what they want?
• Secondly, you have to make sure to develop something that’s original – people always look for something unique!
• Thirdly, you need to become a storyteller – audiences love stories.
• And lastly, substantiate your creation – don’t forget sketching and designing a character are two different things. 

So, if you are passionate about characters, you should never let your passion fade away; rather, you should unleash the same and enroll yourself to an all-encompassing Concept Art Courses in Singapore.

Hone the Skills of the Character Designer in You

Has character designing reinforced the emotional impact of a story? Is it possible to avoid stereotypic formula to develop real as well as memorable characters? Well, of course, it’s possible, provided you are skilled in 3D character designing. A 3D Character Design Course from a reputable and well-accredited university can help you create winning characters and become an important part of the entertainment industry. However, just qualification is not enough; you need to have the real skills and ideas for becoming a well-known character designer. 

Reading through this blog would help you know about some of the useful tips to create winning entries. Let’s read on!

Useful tips to 3D character designing

Know your audience

Who are your audiences?  Are they kids, professionals, housewives, NRIs or international people? Should you design humorous and vibrant or serious and monotonous characters? Once you have figured out the category your viewers belong to, it’s the time to read their minds. Younger audiences more likely to prefer different shades of bright colors and simple shapes, whereas the matured ones are capable of processing complex visual stimulations. So, put yourself in the shoes of your viewers before getting started with character designing.

Understand how and where your character would be used

‘Still images’, is that all you need or your characters need to be moving? In which format you want the animation to be, 3D or 2D or both? You have to decide all these things before you start designing. That’s because different formats need different ideas and tools for execution and you have to work accordingly. You cannot design a character for 2D and run it in 3D and if you want your character to run perfectly on multiple formats, you have to plan accordingly.

Pinky, Pinky water, what color do you choose?

Does it remind you one of your favorite childhood games? What color do you choose; greatly impacts character designing, as well. That’s because color can express the hidden messages effortlessly. For example – warm and bright shades of color indicate happiness and all the positive feelings, whereas dark shades suggest sadness, gloominess, and melancholy.  So, be wise when making color choices.

Research you characters well

Yes, you should have a good understanding of your characters, how do they look and all. It is equally important for both human figures as well as animals. Dear wannabe 3D character designer, your audiences know how animals and human beings look like, presenting them with incorrect figurines can bring hard luck to you. So, research really hard. 

Apart from the above-mentioned tips for creating winning entries, you get to learn a lot more by enrolling yourself to a 3D Character Design Course. So, don’t delay and let the designer in you to take its flight of creative imagination.

A beginner’s guide to basics of Clay sculpturing

Sculpting is an extremely satisfying hobby and will have a calming influence on the budding artist in you. It involves working with hands and creating a figure/sculpture out of a glob of clay, thus providing a highly therapeutic effect on the doer. If your plan to join any clay sculpting courses that are available, make sure you have checked out the basics of clay sculpturing.

What is clay?

Originally, clay is a distinct kind of earth that is created due to the decomposition of rocks by weathering. However, the clay that we use for sculpturing has been refined and fortified to make it an ideal material for this purpose. Clay needs to have good plasticity to be moulded into a sculpture and this can be easily tested by rolling a piece of clay in your hand, roll it into a coil or bend it into the ring. If the coil or ring does not fall apart or crack, it can be considered ideal for sculpting.

Sculpting- A beginning

For beginner’s understanding, sculpting is divided into two areas i.e. additive process & subtractive process. Additive sculpting includes adding materials to build a structure, while subtractive process does the opposite, i.e. removal of material to reveal the sculpture.  While additive sculpting uses materials like clay, plasticine, and wax, the subtractive process uses wood, marble or plaster.

Materials to be used for Sculpting

Additive Sculpture process can be carried out using the following materials:

• Plasticine Clay: This is an oil-based, coloured clay and does not dry out very easily. This clay is costly and can be used for smaller sculptures. 
• Polymer Clay: This is actually PVC with pigments and other liquids added to give it flexibility and colour. It is ideal for making delicate jewellery.
• Air-dry Clay: This is ideal for children as it is non-toxic, cheap and can be painted for a great effect.

Subtractive Sculpture process can be carried out using the following materials:

• Soap: Soap is the best material that is available for carving and some great work can be created by using rough blades. The bonus, of course, is that it is very cheap.
• Plaster of Paris: This is easily available at most hardware stores and can be set into blocks for immediate use.
• Balsa Wood: This kind of wood is soft and the best wood to begin carving/sculpting on. However, children may not use it as it needs to be sculpted with a knife.

Enrol yourself at a reputed institute that offers clay sculpting courses to give wings to your hobby and turn it into a profession.

Game Development Courses – Pave your Way towards Mobile Game Development

The calendar says more than half of the year ‘2016’ has passed and it’s advancing towards the next year. However, taking mobile gaming into consideration, it’s a long way to go along with advancements that come up almost every day. Isn’t it? With new technologies showing up all the time and mobile gaming evolving every minute, it’s hard for any particular thing to last long. Therefore, if you are interested in going ahead with game development as your career, you should go for Game Development Courses. There are a number of reliable and reputed institutions that offer such courses. All you need to do is find one! 

However, before you begin with mobile game development, it is very important to learn about the latest trends surrounding the same.

The evolution of games and devices

First of all, you need to understand that both games and gaming devices are evolving; they have become more sophisticated in comparison to the previous years. So, it is quite obvious that the expectations of the gamers would also increase. As the technologies advance, audiences look for more refined, impressive as well as an innovative gaming experience.

Let’s check out what’s trending –

• Gameplay becoming simultaneous

Simultaneous gameplay, what does it mean? Well, it means playing the same game on two different devices, for example – a mobile phone and a desktop computer, using the same application. This concept of gameplay is one of the most popular trends in mobile gaming, where gamers can enjoy both convenience of mobile phones and visual satisfaction of desktops.

• Mini-games are rising 

In order to eliminate what you say, game fatigue, mobile game developers are incorporating mini-games or snackable games into their gaming apps. One of the best features of such games is, gamers don’t need to download any kind of additional content. According to the industry experts, this trend is here to stay and grow. Moreover, mini-games, if used moderately, can serve as great tools for gamer engagement as well as retention.

• VR or virtual reality is making is way

You might be aware of the hype and hoopla VR is making around. Although you need to power them up with the help of computers and virtual reality headsets, although it’s a bit expensive, sooner or later, it is likely to become integral to mobile gaming.

• 3 Dimensional touch – the name itself is enough 

It is among one of the latest developments that have the potential to transform the entire experience of gaming altogether. It not only can add new elements to the existing commands but also the additional ones too.

Besides these, there are many other aspects of mobile game development that are trending these days. To learn them and leveraging them to develop new-era mobile games, Game Development Courses is the best answer.

Jumpstart your career as a Game Designer

Game designers create and develop games for computers, gaming consoles and now mobiles and tablets. Their involvement begins with the conception of the game idea and goes on to the execution of the game creation. They are responsible for the concept, story, the coding and the programming and many times spill over into audio, visual arts, and production. Basically, the game designer does everything to put the game together, from creating a sample up to its implementation. This is precisely what top-class Game Design Institutes in Singapore teach their students and mold them in expert game designers.

Grab as much knowledge as possible

Game designing is a pretty wide and dynamic field and it is important to have deep knowledge about the technologies used to design games. If game design is your passion then you should enrol yourself at selected gaming institutes so that you receive education and knowledge about the right way to design video games for mobiles, computers, and consoles. The internet is a wonderful source of information and best of all, is free. Use this resource sensibly as there are thousands of videos, blogs, articles and tips to create games. Follows blogs of gaming enthusiasts to understand the trends and to grab as much knowledge as possible.

Skills that will help

Although it is not necessary to equip yourself with a coding degree/diploma, but knowing coding will definitely give you an edge over others. As a skill, coding is respected in the gaming industry and you could do well to learn the basics of coding for future benefit. Game designers are also known to be passionate about the art of sketching so that it is easy to put your ideas on paper. It helps one to visualize and present it to others.

Take up a professional course

A game designer has to be professionally qualified to land a job at a prestigious organization and also pay a suitable salary package. Large organization in the field of gaming are always on the lookout for talented individuals and are willing to pay for this. If you have equipped yourself with a diploma in gaming design or Animation, there is a huge possibility of you landing up this job. Prep yourself with knowledge of programming languages along with various computer systems as that will be highly useful during your working life. The best part about game designing is that apart from theory, it is very important to know the practical side of designing.

While taking up a game design course from a professional institute, make sure you complete the background check about it and the course details. Understand the course portfolio and check it aligns with your interests and requirements. It is always better to focus and select institutes which apart from the theory, give a lot of importance to the practical knowledge which is so important in this field. Game designing is a highly competitive field so you can expect a lot of competition when you are out seeking a job. Get admission is one of the leading and best Game Design Institutes in Singapore so that you can become successful and expert game designer.

Learn How to Create Better 3D Character Designs

Now that you have completed your 3D character design course you need to channel all your learnings to find better ways to create production ready game figures. Here are a few tips that will help you build low-poly models in a much more efficient manner –

• Understand your Limitations 

The first thing you need to look into when starting work on any 3D game character design is your set of working restrictions. Take into account factors such as the environment settings and how the character will be seen and used in the game overall. Environment setting refer to variables like working units. Consider whether you will be working in meters or centimetres, for instance. Make sure this stays constant all through the game to avoid any scale issues. 

Also, understanding how the character will be used and what they should be able to do can have a significant effect on the modelling process. Will your character be animated? Will it need to bend, open its mouth, use a specific movement when working with a weapon? If you give your character a hat, will you ever need to see what is underneath? 

• Spend Time Researching 

Starting a character design project with absolutely no research is a redundant exercise. While working from memory is fine, it is always better to have a folder of photographs handy or a wall of concept work in front of you that allows you to stick to your path.

• Take Baby Steps 

When you begin work on your character, avoid rushing into creating a very detailed one complete with tattoos on the hand, accessories and more. It is recommended that you first block out the whole figure using basic primitives and then stitch them together. Many designers like to start by using a simple cylinder. This is a great way to get a broad overview of the proportions of your character and a feel of how it will look eventually. 

• Work with Subdivision Surfaces 

A great way to create smoother models with an initially low polygon count is to work with subdivision surfaces. This approach allows you to create a very detailed model from a low-resolution ‘cage’ mesh allowing to you continue working without having to push a lot of geometry around. Once you are satisfied with what you have created, you can bake out the model and then convert it into a fully polygon-based mesh that can be optimized and edited. 

Finally, it is recommended that you add detail only where it is necessary. It is common for first time designs to cave into their impulse of putting details into all aspects of their creation. While you want to do your best in creating an amazing character, in the world of gaming, your efforts may go wasted, especially since many of your details may go unnoticed. With an understanding of how your character will be used and seen from a distance you will be able to add relevant details to it that add to the aesthetics of the game character.