Many of us today are exposed to playing games on mobile phones, computers and even swanky game consoles. People refer to this form of gaming as ‘E-Gaming’ or ‘Computer and Video games’. While we all get so engrossed playing and immersed in a game or level, there are game development teams around the world who are challenged to bring us new game concepts, graphics and immersive game play. Be it racing, sci-fi, shooter, action, puzzle, casual or adventure, every single genre or game has its unique art style and involves creation of Game art or assets.

As a gamer, have you ever paused to look at the environments or characters while you play? Try it the next time you play, it would change the way you look at games and game assets.
Game assets? What’s that?…

Game assets are everything that contributes to the visual appearance of the game. Environments, characters, vehicles, interactive props, weapons that may be used in game and even costumes that differentiate different teams in sport games. Almost everything you see and interact with while playing a game can be categorised as game art or assets, here are a few examples.

Environments – Racing tracks, stadiums, battlegrounds, rooms and passages, dungeons and tunnels, city blocks, space ships and even an old ship wreck where players might fight to find treasure can be classified as environments. Sometimes these are also called as Arenas, more famous in first person shooter games such as Quake and Unreal tournament.

Characters – Most games have human or non human characters around whom the game would usually revolve. Games usually have a lead model or the hero character and opponent characters like creatures, monsters, bandits, terrorists, enemy soldiers, players in sport games. Characters in games could be part of teams and clans as well. For example, every sport game needs players representing different teams, referees and even crowd. Each game demands different looking characters to suit the game design and story. Games could also have customised characters, referred to as avatars.

Vehicles – While racing games are very popular, vehicles in games are not just limited to racing. Vehicles cover a broad spectrum including cars, bikes, trucks, army tankers, trains, aircrafts, spacecrafts and even an ice sledge. Vehicles in most game can be controlled by the player and can get very intense in terms of controls and also damage.

At times different versions of game art or assets are created. One for use in game and the other for players to chose in the menu system. An example is when a player selects a character, a vehicle, weapons, sports jerseys or livery.

Today many games even offer extensive customisation of game assets. Players can choose to redesign their team or player jersey and appearance for instance. Choose the paint colour, stickers and livery design for their race cars or even upgrade them with higher grade wheels, spoilers, bumpers and mirrors.
Wow, what a wonderful world…

Oh yes, Wow! That’s what game developers want gamers to say about visuals in their games. Let me also tell you that just visuals don’t make a game sell, it’s the combination of game play, appealing story, visuals and many other factors.

In the pre-production stage, visuals for each game are built based on the story board and game design. The concept artist sketches the concepts for the levels in game, characters, vehicles and other visual element such as props after a through research and study. These concepts once finalised would then proceed from the drawing board into production, where concepts materialise into game assets, which can be plugged into the game engine. With each asset in place, the entire level gives the sense of what the concept sketches tried to convey.
Many visuals in recent games make one wonder if they were real or computer graphics. Realistic or fantasy environments, it’s all possible in video games today.

Production art teams in game studios work on these assets, taking care of various aspects and guidelines documents put together by the game designers and leads who suggest the extent and constraints of visual graphics in game. Remember, games are interactive and are played real time as compared to movies. Hence the programne also called the game engine needs to compute and display visuals smoothly in real time.
Who creates these assets?

Game development studios around the world are involved in game asset development. Development teams for games, depending on their complexity could vary from a single person to a large studio. While simple casual games require small teams, games for the PC and consoles tend to demand a much larger work force. The cost of development for a typical console game today could range from USD 1 to 20 million. Development of games is normally funded by a publisher.

Interestingly, with each new generation of gaming device or console, the capability and in turn expectations for better visuals, sound and game play increases. An impact of this has been in the multifold increase in the volume and complexity of game art and assets needed for most PC console games today.

Large International developers like Electronic Arts (EA) and Microsoft understand the need to outsource game development, especially game art or assets to competent studios in countries like India, China, Vietnam and east Europe.

Outsourcing or off shoring has become an integral aspect in the production of most international game titles. Game development studios across the world are looking to outsource game art assets such as game characters, vehicles, racing tracks, sports arenas and various other environments for games that are being developed.
As per the NASSCOM report, in the year 2006, there were 150 plus gaming companies in India, employing about 2,500 people. This number is forecast to increase at a CAGR of over 50% to exceed 13,000 by 2010. To give you an idea of size and opportunity, even considering this impressive growth it would account for only 2 per cent of the worldwide market. That’s encouraging isn’t it?

Joshi Mark Premnath
Author can be contacted at joshi@aiga.in
Creative Director – AIGA (Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation)

India and Game Asset development

Many Game companies in India cater to this need and are contributing to some amazing upcoming games. While all of this may sound great, it doesn’t come easy. Aspiring Game studios need to match high quality expectations to be able to deliver on such international projects.

Some prominent game companies here in India are Dhruva Interactive, DQ Entertainment, Exigent, FX labs, Games2Win, India games, Jump games, Kreeda, Lakshya digital, Paprikaas, Pixeltek, Red Octane, RZ2 games, Sumo Digital and Trine game studio.

Dhruva Interactive is one of the oldest game companies in India, and probably the most experienced with respect to Game art or asset development. Not many are aware that companies in India are contributing to leading international games. Next time, someone talks to you about great looking art in game, tell them, ‘you never know it could be made in India’.