Storm Celebrates International Animation Day with Our Games Artists.

Yesterday was International Animation Day and we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to catch up with two of our Games Artists to discuss all things animation!

Animation plays a huge role in gaming and slots, it’s essentially what bridges the gap between play and emotion. While many of us may initially choose a game based on its visuals, it’s animation that truly brings these to life. Animation ultimately guides players through the experience and makes every moment in the game feel engaging and characters feel believable. Think of a suspenseful spin or the excitement of a win, without strong animation, even the best ideas can fall flat.

To celebrate the occasion, we sat down with two of our fantastic games artists to chat about their journey to animation and the gaming industry.

1. What first sparked your interest in animation?

   Games Artist 1:

   As most children of the early 90s, I grew up with a lot of Disney influences during my childhood. My Dad is a painter and decorator, and would always encourage us to drawer characters on left over lining paper and make up our own comic strips based on characters from films or the Beano and Dandy - I think those things are definitely what first inspired my interest.

Games Artist 2:

I've loved animation since I was a kid, and was watching cartoons far longer than my peers when I was young. I loved how versatile the medium is, the worlds that were able to be made, and the creativity able to be expressed through it. I was always a creative person and discovering Japanese anime was a huge step in pursuing animation as a career, along with the release of cartoons such as Avatar the Last Airbender, Adventure Time, and Steven Universe.

2. Did you always know you wanted to work in games, or did that passion develop later?

   I originally wanted to work in film, mainly because that was what initially lead me to looking into studying animation at university, it wasn't until I was there that I realised how vast and varied the industry is!

The desire to work in games came a little later in life, after I'd already begun attending university to study 2D animation. There were modules on my course to learn elements of game design, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I've always enjoyed games though, having played Crash Bandicoot and Spyro countless times on my hand me down PlayStation 1 as a kid. So, the love for games was always there, but it took seeing the opportunity and learning about them formally to view games as an active career path.

3. Can you tell us a bit about your journey, what led you to your current role?

   I entered my current role after over a decade in retail management. When I applied for my first role at Storm I felt I finally had a portfolio that I was proud of and finally had the confidence to show it off. I definitely don't think I needed to wait as long as I did, but I'm glad that I found that confidence in the end.

   My journey has been a messy one, having been in numerous odd jobs since graduating. However, one thing that remained consistent was taking freelance jobs on the side to create art and animations for live streamers.  The work I did for them vastly improved my skills and eye for design,  along with providing ample work to display in my portfolio. Without those commissions, I would not have landed the job I have today.

4. Were there any specific games or films that inspired you early on?

   My biggest inspiration artistically was definitely Disney's 'Pocahontas'. I remember watching it over and over as a child but then again in 6th form as part of my Film Studies research into the animation industry. I remember then realising for the first time, how incredibly mesmerising it was the way in which Glen Keane had animated her - every detail of her movements embodied her characters spirit, even in the way the wind moved through her hair - with just a few sheets of paper and a pencil, it really is cinematic magic. This lead me to watching a documentary called 'Waking Sleeping Beauty' and the rest was history.

   There are too many to list honestly, but the one that sticks out above all others is Undertale. The creativity and passion that game inspired in me and many others is unlike anything I've ever seen before. The creator, Toby Fox, also serves as a massive inspiration to me. He created Undertale almost entirely by himself, and the funniest part of it is that Undertale was essentially a test demo for the game he truly wanted to create later on in life: Deltarune. The most influential indie game of the last decade was created on a whim, and I can't help but admire that. It says to me that no matter what, you should keep creating, because you never know what your next project might become.

5. What skills do you think are most important for someone wanting to get into animation for games?

   I think a drive and passion to improve your own understanding and ability is integral, you have to want to do it more than you are required to do it. I've worked alongside a lot of people who are fans of animation, which is fantastic - but to do it and really create something special, is a very challenging process, and it requires the animator to really enjoy that process.

   The basic principles for animation are obviously key, but I think knowing what kind of games you want to make is important before anything else. If you want to create 3D games, then look into studying 3D animation. Blender is an amazing program to use, and there are plenty of tutorials out there for it. If you want to create 2D games, then look into studying sprite sheets, tweening, and rigged puppet animation. Hand-drawn traditional animation is also used in plenty of games though, like Hollow Knight and Cuphead. Lastly, if you want to create pixel style games, Aseprite is probably the best  program to practise with as it is designed entirely to create pixel art and animation.

   
   

   Additional notes from our Games Artist 2: 'Other than animation skills though, I'd also recommend learning how to network very early. I struggled to get my foot in the door in this industry because I neglected to network during my schooling, so I can't express enough how important it is. Turn up to portfolio reviews, attend conventions, message people in the industry or company you admire and ask for advice, follow their socials and the socials of the companies you would want to work for. Be polite, be curious to learn and grow, and be open to opportunities that may open doors for you, even if it's not precisely where you want to be.'

A fun fact: International Animation Day is celebrated on October 28th to mark the first public screening of an animated film in 1892 when French artist (Émile Reynaud) presented his hand painted moving pictures.

A huge thank you to our amazing games artists for taking the time to answer some questions in celebration of International Animation Day. We are incredibly fortunate to have such talent on our team!

Do you think you’ve got what it takes to join Storm Games?

We are always on the look out for enthusiastic, hard-working and friendly employees to join our ever growing team! Whether you are a developer, engineer, artist or enthusiast please reach out.

Email over your CV to jobs@stormgt.co.uk we look forward to hearing from you.