Subject of your game or animation.

Game design is an emerging field in India. As the younger generation becomes more tech savvy, the need for designers and developers is on the rise. The process of game design begins with brainstorming ideas, contents and rules, and evolves from a simple idea into a complex game where everything from environment, storyline, characters, props, lighting, speed, movement, reflection, animation and sound effects have to be mastered.

Certification courses are conducted which can vary between eight and fifteen months. Two-year diploma programmes are also available. A three-year bachelor’s degree is a common course. To be eligible for a course in this stream, students must have passed the twelfth grade examination or its equivalent. Applicants with a Bachelor of Fine Arts can also benefit from courses in this field.

What After a Course in “Game Art & Design”?

After completion of a degree, students could get involved in all stages of game design and art. Students interested in advertising can find work as visualizers and art designers. For those who like entertainment, jobs as a 2-D animator, 3-D animator and special and visual effects designer could be possibilities. Gaming experts can do freelance game developing, or they could find jobs as interface artists, game testers, character animators and game modelers.

Course Curriculum for Game Art and Design

There are generally four or six sections in the bachelor’s course in game art and design. The first part introduces the foundations of design and game development. The evolution of games, different types of games, related terminology and technology, and the hardware using in gaming. Subjects like drawing and composition, introduction to games and classical animation may be taught. Students usually begin to maintain a portfolio for life drawing, environmental drawing, gesture drawing, still life studies, perspective and composition, and also use software to develop a series of digitally designed images.

The second part of the course may begin to cover the process of storytelling and visualizing. Students may be expected to brainstorm ideas on their own, fabricate a story around it, make the storyboard, and also design characters, backgrounds, props, levels and other aspects of a game. Subjects like character designing, Flash-based game design and game programming might be taught. Preproduction might be done through Adobe Photoshop or Flash. The third section of the course may cover subjects like modeling, texturing and lighting, rigging and animation, effects (FX) for games, and how to infuse sounds into the game. Software like Maya, Sound Forge, MotionBuilder and Gamebryo could be part of the curriculum. In the last module, the design interface of games, play testing and project development could be covered.

Portfolios of the whole course usually need to be submitted, along with a project report. For the two-year diploma course, the first will cover the basic foundation of game design with subjects like game appreciation and history and digital art and game design. The second year delves deeper into the stream and may cover subjects like creating digital characters, 3-D modelling and creating digital environments. Due to the variety of courses, each school may have different requirements, subjects and estimated times to attain the degree.

Colleges Offering Courses in Game Art and Design

Courses in game art include the Certificate in Gaming, Diploma in Gaming, Diploma in Game Art and Design and the Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Gaming. Some institutes that offer certificate courses, diploma courses and degree courses in game art and design include:

• Academy of Animation & Gaming, Noida
• Arena Animation Academy, Chandigarh
• Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation, Bangalore
• DSK Supinfogame, Pune
• Global School of Animation & Games, New Delhi
• Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (multiple centres)
• Zee Institute of Creative Art (multiple centres)

Programmes are subject to change, it is advisable to check directly with a school for current programme availability.