I love video games, but I don''t know whether to be a graphic artist or a programmer. Please help!

I hope this doesnt end up to be one of those art vs programming threads as there have been soooo many recently. Im an artist but i have an interest in being proficient in both. if you have the patience to sit in front of a monitor lots then programming is for you but if you like to have an outside life that does not involve massive hair pulling, take art. chicks dig art..just kidding.besides as it has been mentioned before, no matter how good your physics engine is, if the graphics arent pulling their weight (which is more than we would all like to lead on) then it wont make a lick of difference.
Essentially, you will want to do what you enjoy and can do without the prospect of insanity. but you will never be all of a team so..

Allow the flaming to begin
Conshape Electronic Arts

If you can draw and you are good at it then be a gfx artist. If ya can program and are good at it then be a programmer. I fya can do both well then do which ever you enjoy most (and endure my hate forever coz I would love to be able to do that )




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Phantom
'Things can't get any worse..'
They did...


Edited by - The Phantom on October 12, 2000 4:16:43 AM

Programmers get paid more.

Unfortunately, they also seem to burn out faster. This comes as no surprise to me as they are always under more pressure as deadlines approach. Come crunch time, artists have it pretty easy, as even if they were to improve art or add more graphics, if the programmers don''t have time to tighten up the code they have, how are they going to add in more stuff? So, as the death march procedes, the artists have it easier and easier and the programmer have it harder and harder. Testers of course have it pretty tough right before ship, but there''s always more where that came from. Programmers and artists are a lot harder to replace.

$0.02

CG artist often deal with the same stress from deadlines as programmers, people are often picky and change their mind through the process, weither it be programming or CG art...

anyway, pick up a book and start learning programming if you fall asleep while 1/2 way through the second project, try the CG side, thats what I did.


Edited by - Tess Bear on October 13, 2000 7:09:31 PM

I do both I do more programming because I desire to get better, and learn more things. When I get tired of programming it feels so good to just sit down with a piece of paper and a pencil and draw up some backgrounds for a game or some design docs. But really an artist spends alot of time in front of a computer too. I find myself almost spending as much time in front of a computer when Im fixing the art for my games as when Im programming.


Brendon Glanzer

EchoSteel©

you know,, there is more to art than just cg. a lot more. cg is only the translation of what is on paper to a digital format. Personally i have more respect for artists that are able to draw paint or sculpt somthing by hand than with any computer program. hard copy art is always important and in my mind, the real portfolio of an artist. since programming is all digital this doesnt work that way but i think that some will see my point. Learn to draw before you consider cg as you cannot have one without the other.

Allow the flaming to begin
Conshape Electronic Arts

just like some sculpters can't draw and vise versa some people that draw don't understand the concepts it takes to create a good 3D model or scene at least at any efficient speed. and some people that do great 3D models and compose an amazing 3D scene, can not draw for their life, I've seen one try I think it takes more of a combination of directing & an eye for dimension and proportion, not to mention a great imagination & patience.

Just because you can't draw doesn't mean you can't excel in the CG world, so give it a try!

Anybody can create mediocrity, artists create perfection, in any media

Edited by - Tess Bear on October 16, 2000 3:33:00 PM

You can do both if you have the motivation and desire to do it. Here''s someone who do both programming and art and do them both very well. She get''s a CS degree + art degree and work as a programmer and she sell her fantasy art commercially.

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