Do I have to know how to draw good if I want to be a game designer? What about a game programmer?

Answer 1

You don't really have to be able to draw, but you do have to have an organized plan for the game your designing.
For instance, let's say that you could not draw well and you had no idea what the characters in the game are going to look like-THEN, is where you would have a problem. If you don't know how to draw, BUT you have the character's look inside your head, it's easier to ask somebody to draw it for you, giving good, SPECIFIC details, going down the list.
For example, let's say your doing a mid-evil game with knights and dragons, you would get someone who could draw and say something like, "His head would be a peanut shape, he's very cocky, so maybe a smirk on his face, he has big green eye and his hair is brown and messy and his bangs are covering one of his eyes" then, you would keep going down the line, describing maybe, is armour for instance.
Another idea is this, look on the internet to see some pics of what your characters are then print them off and trace the features you like about them, then when you've got ALL the features, combine them. Hope this helps =^_^=

Answer 2

Neither game design nor game programming require particularly high artistic skills per se. Game design commonly refers to the work required in turning game concepts and ideas into concrete implementations. That process typically has several aspects to it: graphics design, sound composition and effects, programming and sometimes level design.

As such a 'game designer' typically comes up with ideas and/or manages the people that create the different parts/aspects of the game.

To become a games programmer you'll definitely need to have a solid understanding of many aspects of computing. One of these aspects is graphics. This means knowing how a computer represents visual information internally, how it processes 2D and 3D graphics, how to optimise your drawing routines etc. So, again, being able to draw well is not a requirement here.

Having said that, it sometimes helps to be artistically competent, e.g. if you are a game designer communicating with other people to convey ideas (e.g. in the case of a game designer) or if you're a solo developer doing everything yourself. This should in no case put you off from pursuing your dreams or desire to get involved with game development. Good luck.

Answer 3

A game designer is more about the layout and direction of the game. Things to consider would be, gameplay, genre, style, layout of the levels, difficulty, etc. Basically, it's the composition of a game. A person who draws the designs would be a Concept Artist or Game Artist. This person takes descriptions, which might come from the design team, and basically brings them to life in the visual world. You'll give the technical artists an idea of what things should look like and what to work towards when building actual game assets. And yeah, you should strive for solid grades, especially if you want to get into game design. You'll need solid math and communications skills. For a concept artist, it's more about your portfolio, but you'll want to maintain solid grades so you can get into a good art school to get good training. Not all companies require artists to have a college degree, but some do and it definitely would be a huge bonus regardless of the requirements.

Answer 4

No you don't need to draw well... there is a lot of coding and stuff that has nothing to do with drawing. There are a different group of graphic designers that do all the artwork and make the character pictures and stuff. Most of the game programmers and game masters don't know how to draw much at all.

Answer 5

There are many skills needed among the gaming design community. A game designer and programmers are two completely different positiions. A game design could be drawing characters or design them in 3d models. A programmer is a another world that involves sophiscated computer languages such as C++. Anotherwords, one focuses on the artistic field and the other focuses on the language. I would recommend meeting some game designers or programmers... or whatever it is you want to do... seek internships. You know the saying, "leave it for the experts"? =) Ask them questions. They have all the answers! LOL= Lots of Luck.

Answer 6

You need to know how to draw if u want to be a game designer, especially if you go to test in the university or college, you'll need to submit some of your picture and draw picture when you are doing your test.
I think, to be a game programmer also need know (little bit) about drawing too because you will need it also although you choose make the programme.

Answer 7

TO be a game designer I would say that your artistic abilities need to be high, but I don't think you have to be an above average drawer. To be a programmer you defintely don't need to draw or be artistic. This is more about knowing a specific programming language and how you can utilize the language to perform a function.

Good luck it is a great field to be in. I have recruited some software programmers before at $50+/hr. Very rewarding career as well.

Answer 8

In order to be a game designer, you need drawing expertise. However, they are computer programs that can help you draw better and faster than ever before.

In order to be a game programmer, you need to learn how to write in programming code, preferably Microsoft Visual Basic, as well as taking a home study computer programming course.

Either way, I'm sure you'll do fine.

Answer 9

Like said before, to be a non-game programmer you really don't need any artistic talent whatsoever. Although, programming at it's best is a beautiful art which does require quite a bit of engineering artistry. I'm sure every other admin/engineer/programmer out there will agree will me. :-D

Don't be discouraged - learning new languages can be difficult but if you study hard, challenge yourself and practice often, you'll grasp that artistry quicker than you'd imagine. Best of luck!

Answer 10

You don't really have to know how to draw well, as long as you apply your strengths. Like if you're designing a video game and you're only strengths are doodling cartoons, make it a child's game with cartoons.

Lets face it, some video games aren't drawn well, but that doesn't really matter, its the GAME that matters.

You should probably have some sort of talent, even drawing stick figures counts. As I said just apply your strengths to whatever your working on.