Video Game Art Section B.95 11/14/2015 Ontario College Diploma (2 Years - 4 Semesters ) (4006) 705.759.6700 : 1.800.461.2260 : www.saultcollege.ca : Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada PROGRAM OVERVIEW This 2 year program structure provides a balanced schedule strongly emphasizing art creations and production. Initial semesters pay special attention to traditional arts, in recognition of traditional art skills as a foundation for digital art skills. Each semester has at least one class outside art production, covering other areas crucial to a game artists development. By the final semester, studio style digital art production is heavily emphasized in preparation for the students entering the workforce. Students may have the opportunity to be involved in applied research projects. Please see the `Applied Research Centre` section for more information relating to the Sault College Applied Research Centre. ADMISSIONS MINIMUM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS Ontario Secondary School Diploma with Grade 12 College English (C) ENG4C, or mature student status. CAREER PATHS The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to: Design, model and texture convincing 3D game assets including characters, objects, environments and visual effects. Critically analyze games with regards to game story structure, mechanics, pacing and the direction of art. Create assets for games using a variety of software applications (such as Photoshop, 3D studio Max, and Flash). Produce work within the production and time constraints as set out in project briefing notes while ensuring the accountability of all team members. Apply effective business practices and time management skills appropriate to his/her position in the game art industry. Follow project directions and limitations as set out by art directors. Create assets that maximize platform potential on various software development platforms. Communicate (visually, verbally and in written form) with other artists, potential employers, art directors and clients for the purposes of game art creation. Work effectively as a game artist to meet objectives within a team environment. Design and create visually appropriate 2D game assets including concept art, storyboards, and digital assets. Employ appropriate uses of traditional and digital media within the game art context. OTHER INFORMATION For more information contact Program Coordinator Frank Salituri at 705.759.2554 ext 2793 or email frank.salituri@saultcollege.ca. PROGRAM OF STUDY SEMESTER 1
CMM115-3 Communications I VGA100-2 History of Video Games VGA101-3 Life Drawing 1 VGA102-3 Drawing/Illustration VGA103-3 Game Design Process VGA104-6 Game Art Studio 1 GAS109-3 Music and Pop Culture SEMESTER 2 VGA200-3 Concept Art for Gaming 1 VGA201-3 Life Drawing 2 VGA202-4 Prototyping 1 VGA203-6 Game Art Studio 2 GEN100-3 Global Citizenship SEMESTER 3 VGA300-2 Industry Study VGA301-3 Concept Art for Gaming 2 VGA302-5 Prototyping 2 VGA303-4 Texturing and Shaders VGA304-6 Game Art Studio 3 Select one of the following: GAS103: What in the World is Going On? GAS116: Your Two Cents GEN110: Student Selected General Education HDG122: Personal and Academic Success Strategies SSC102: Introduction to Aboriginal Peoples of Canada Note: *Students must choose one of the identified Student Selected General Education Courses SEMESTER 4 VGA400-3 Concept Art for Gaming 3 VGA402-3 Critical Game Analysis VGA403-4 Interface Design VGA404-6 Game Art Studio 4 VGA405-4 Portfolio Development Course Descriptions Semester 1 Communications I (CMM115) (3 credits) The focus of this course is paragraph writing. Students will produce effective, college-level expository/response paragraphs by developing analytical skills to select and properly integrate electronic and other research materials. Writing components such as grammar, sentence structure, paragraph development, editing, and referencing are included. History of Video Games (VGA100) (2 credits) Through this course the student will achieve a greater understanding of how key limitations drove the art direction of the time. Students will learn about key milestones in the history of video games ranging from the origins to the current generation. Significant time will be spent learning how to research, reference and analyze art as a precursor for learning how to produce efficient game art. Life Drawing 1 (VGA101) (3 credits)
Through studying the human figure using traditional media, the student will gain a more complete understanding of human anatomy, composition, weight distribution, potential energy, form, and texture. The student will focus on creating the sense of form through understanding light and shadow. Drawing/Illustration (VGA102) (3 credits) In this course the student will learn to create environmental renderings using traditional media. Students will also experiment with different traditional styles and techniques, and gain a thorough understanding of perspective. Game Design Process (VGA103) (3 credits) What is in a game? What are the component parts? Why are games played? Why are they fun? How are games made? In this course the student will be challenged with discovering answers to these questions. Students in this course will also learn about the game development process, and get hands on experience producing and presenting game pitches, concepts and storyboards. Game Art Studio 1 (VGA104) (6 credits) Concentrating on using digital imaging and 3D software, the student will be introduced to creating 2D and 3D assets with an emphasis on learning the basics and fundamentals of video game art creation. Music and Pop Culture (GAS109) (3 credits) This course will give students the opportunity to think creatively and critically about the influence of popular music. Students will explore different music genres (rock, metal, hip hop and rap), their development and social significance. Students may explore music in film, commercials, war and protest, social and civil rights movements, and the contributions of specific artists to contemporary culture. The ways in which popular music has contributed to the current culture and, in turn, how culture has shaped popular music will be examined. Semester 2 Concept Art for Gaming 1 (VGA200) (3 credits) This course will explore the world of concept art with regards to gaming. The student will practice and explore the creation of 2D game art using both traditional and digital mediums. An emphasis of this course will have students learning how to properly research and reference their concepts. Life Drawing 2 (VGA201) (3 credits) A continuation of Life Drawing 1, this course will provide the student with more practice in capturing light and shadow as it relates to the human form. Exercises in capturing potential movement in character/life drawing will be explored. Students will be faced with the challenge of creating final compositions of characters in action sequences using the sketches developed during the life drawing sessions. Prototyping 1 (VGA202) (4 credits) Developing a game prototype is the most effective way of communicating your game ideas before full development. This course will focus on creating art for game prototypes using an industry standard prototyping process. Students will also gain familiarity designing game mechanics and game systems using paper-based, and other non-digital forms of media. Game Art Studio 2 (VGA203) (6 credits) This course is a continuation of Game Art Studio 1. The aim is to develop efficient 2D and 3D assets for
games. Students will also learn proper workflow techniques while creating game assets. Global Citizenship (GEN100) (3 credits) The world we are living in is one in which local, national and international issues are interwoven, and the need for us to understand the impact these issues can have on our lives has never been greater! Using a socio-cultural, political and environmental lens, students will view how the world is changing and how to become active agents of change from the local to international level. Important issues such as social injustice, poverty, environmental protection, resource scarcity, sustainability, and health will be addressed. Global citizenship is an opportunity to `Be the Change`. This course meets the Civic Life and Social and Cultural Understanding General Education themes. Semester 3 Industry Study (VGA300) (2 credits) In Industry Study, the student will gain awareness of the game art industry. How do studios work? What is a typical work environment like? What would my job responsibilities most likely include? What will be expected of me as a game artist? How do I prepare myself for a job? Interview skills, application processes and portfolio development will be major components of these sessions. Concept Art for Gaming 2 (VGA301) (3 credits) In this extension of Concept Art for Gaming 1, the student will be faced with creating more sophisticated concept art. The student will employ both traditional art/illustration skills and digital art skills. The focus of the course is to create polished, high quality concept art. Prototyping 2 (VGA302) (5 credits) Expanding on concepts learned in Prototyping 1, students using industry standard game development tools will design, produce, and prototype functional game mechanics and game graphics. Students will also gain practical experience integrating game art assets into game development tools efficiently. Texturing and Shaders (VGA303) (4 credits) Textures and shaders give life to the art in the game. Students will learn how to create efficient textures and shaders for game assets. Students will also learn both normal and parallax mapping techniques. Game Art Studio 3 (VGA304) (6 credits) In this advanced session of Game Art Studio, participants will be faced with the challenges of learning high poly sculpting, re-topology and creating optimized game assets. Another emphasis of the course will be learning advanced workflows for Next-Gen game art pipelines. What in the World is Going On? (GAS103) (3 credits) This course will give you the opportunity to build a strong awareness of current global issues. You will explore various media such as radio, TV, internet, newspaper, and magazines. Through discussions, debates, and presentations, students will focus on the main international headlines. Students will discover and develop a view and understanding of the impact of events related to music, entertainment, fashion, sports, politics, economics, world issues, and human-interest stories. Your Two Cents (GAS116) (3 credits) No matter one s lifestyle, income or background, each person has experienced and developed practices to
how we relate to money. This course explores our relationship and personal understanding with money, and its place and value in our culture and individual lives. Student Selected General Education (GEN110) (3 credits) For Transfer Credit Purposes only. Personal and Academic Success Strategies (HDG122) (3 credits) This course will prepare you for the rigors of academic life and enable you to develop a personal profile for college and career success. The main focus of this course will include accepting personal responsibility, discovering self-motivation, mastering self-management, employing interdependence, gaining self-awareness, adopting lifelong learning and developing emotional intelligence. In addition, you will develop and produce a `Personal Profile` that will identify your personal learning style, communication style, and personality style to enable you to achieve success in learning about, understanding, and choosing the courses and careers that will lead to personal and professional satisfaction. Introduction to Aboriginal Peoples of Canada (SSC102) (3 credits) This course will provide the participants with an introduction to the history and cultural survival of Canada`s Aboriginal people. Aboriginal worldview will be identified and discussed in both historical and modern perspectives. Students will review colonization, government policies and legislation, which provide a foundation for understanding modern Aboriginal life in Canada. Semester 4 Concept Art for Gaming 3 (VGA400) (3 credits) This course is an extension of Concept Art for Gaming 2 and will focus on creating and presenting high quality concept art. Analyzing research and reference materials will help the students achieve a greater level of detail in their final concepts. Critical Game Analysis (VGA402) (3 credits) In order to analyze games, they must be played. In this course games will be played, examined, evaluated, dissected, and improved. The student will be challenged with evaluating, redesigning and artistically improving elements of games played. Interface Design (VGA403) (4 credits) In Interface Design, students will learn about the skills required and artistic expectations of this subset of the video game art profession. The course will look at both designing user interactions and the practical artistic skills required to produce game interface graphics. Students will also gain practical knowledge in designing user interface art for a variety of game platforms. Game Art Studio 4 (VGA404) (6 credits) In this final course of the game art studio series, students will draw upon all skills acquired in the program to date to develop final projects and portfolios. Portfolio Development (VGA405) (4 credits) The focus of this course is for students to create a variety of portfolio quality game art assets. Students will work and experience real world video game art development studio atmospheres and scenarios while they work on their portfolios. Fundamental topics will include managing deadlines and time crunches, understanding how to polish and render finished game art assets, learning how to layout and present game art, and emphasizing key pipeline techniques to optimize workflows and work efficiently.