Ever wondered how the grass or wind moves in a video game? Or how a mechanical monster with hundreds of components is created? When we play video games, a large part of our experience is animation, which is the process of bringing artwork to life by carefully planning the movement of the subject.

How do game animators do this? Many types of software can be used to assess whether pieces should be 2D or 3D, in a way that works for the subject of animation and the overall game. This is an incredibly creative and technical process, and there are many ways to pursue this career.

1. Explore Animation Courses

If you don't have an arts degree, you can still learn and land a job in video game animation; you just need to know where to look. This Fundamentals of Games Animation course from CGMA, for example, is a free short course designed to help you break into animation, with a certificate of completion included. This includes the basic but necessary aspects that will be built upon in your education and career as a video game animator.

Khan Academy is also a useful resource for aspiring game animators, as it includes dozens of computer programming courses and animation basics courses to get you started. These educational videos guide you through the basics of animation and provide a chance to practice your skills, take part in challenges, and create a final project at the end. Likewise, there are also features that allow you to ask questions and get responses from experts in the field!

2. Develop Industry Skills

Industry skills are what will land you the job, but what skills should you be building? One of the most valuable skills for a game animator is programming and coding. Learning programming languages such as C++, Python, and Java will give you a great advantage in your animation career.

The next important skill would be modeling, which is the creation of an object that is given movement. The model itself has a large role to play on the limits of animation and works hand in hand together. For example, being able to model a character allows you to determine the physics and movements along with the feeling you want the character to give to viewers or players.

Likewise, without teamwork and communication, there would be no video games. Many great animation projects involve large teams and coordination between each person to get the final product, such as meetings, working teams, and collaborative work. To get the best results, it's essential to be clear and well-spoken, making use of visual communication methods to pitch ideas, and even email and phone manners will be highly valued.

Rigging is also a vital skill for animation. With 3D animation, it can be considered as the creation of a skeleton of the model that is being animated. This determines how the model can move and the limitations when done right. This is a specialized part of animation and, in many teams, it is its own position or job.

To be a good video game animator, you also need a good understanding of the subject's physics. For any video game to be considered high quality, it needs good physics and mechanics involved. An understanding of the way things move when affected by the environment will assist you in creating accurate animation that feels right to the player!

3. Build a Solid Portfolio

Almost any career in arts or video game creation requires a portfolio, and game animation is no different. Whether student projects or personal projects, your portfolio will showcase what you can do for potential employers. It can include your entire process and finished projects and demonstrate how you got the result.

Depending on the project you are applying to work on, the employer will want to see different key things displayed in your portfolio. For example, a simple 2D game development company will want to see more 2D animation in your portfolio. It's important to cater your portfolio to the type of animation job you're aiming for.

One thing that will boost the success of your portfolio is consistency. What kind of programs have you mastered? The use of various animation tools demonstrates your ability to use not only the software, but also your ability to learn new things and adapt to new software. Looking for a basic animation tutorial? Have a look at how to animate in Blender!

4. Gain Work Experience

In a competitive job market like game animation, you need one key thing to make yourself valuable beyond doubt, and that is experience. However, how do you gain experience as a fresh graduate or student trying to start out? Internships and work experience on the job.

Many companies routinely post internship availability, so you just have to keep an eye on all companies that do game animation. These internships generally provide in-house training and progression opportunities for those who do excellent work.

On the other hand, you can also do volunteer or unpaid work for people who need animation. While searching for these openings, you can also improve your drawing skills in your own time. Want to begin? Here are the best free animation programs for Windows.

Staying up to date with trends in animation is crucial to the industry and your success. What does the job market look like, and what types of animation are becoming more popular? Trends to keep an eye on could include the latest software, industry professionals, new hardware, and even coding languages and methods that can make your work seamless, easier, or increase the quality.

Gaining membership to an association or networking groups within animation is the key to staying up to date, along with following technology news sites and their social media pages to retain updates as they release. For example, jobs in concept art or storyboard art might be growing, and you want to be aware.

Start Your Career in Video Game Animation Today

If you're a gamer who also has a passion for art, a career in video game animation is a great option if you also want to control the way a game plays and feels. The way everything moves and works together to convey a visually pleasing story to players is incredibly rewarding.

Who wouldn’t want to play a game they designed? With this field, your career options are endless, and there's also great potential as a freelancer animator, too.