Game Designers Are NOT Artists

You are the designer and not the artistic talent.

You do not need to be an expert in graphic packages, various graphics file formats, or graphics libraries.

Your job is to tell the graphic artists in a document that your “temple” needs to be decorated. It is the artists’ job to decide how to set the environment by creating marble statues, elaborate tapestries, ornate wooden wall carvings, and exquisite stained glass creations. Objects and characters will be needed in your design, but the artists will be given a freedom to create them (see Pedersen Principle 3 in Chapter 2).

The designer must supply the artist with samples of environments, layouts of the UI (user interface or what the player sees), and maps of the terrain or world. Later we talk about research that you, as the designer, must provide the staff regarding your game (see Chapter 7, “Research”).