Gaming Magic

by Charabis

There's always been a lot of talk about creating a game that's magical. Interestingly enough, they all are if you think about it. Deep in our minds, we know what we're seeing is on a 2-dimensional screen, but, using the art of illusion, the game designers make us see their world and characters in 3-dimensions. As I'm learning, that's no small feat!

This type of "magic" is grounded more in science than mysticism. As with all things scientific, math is your god, and programming your "mystical energy". Truly it is an art form where the pen is mightier than the sword! Ever tried drawing with a sword? :P

Still, the illusion goes deeper. When we look at our character on the screen, that's what we see. In reality, there's much more there than meets the eye. In simple terms, a character, or even NPC, is a construct of many elements. There's a skeleton to allow movement which is encased in a "frame". This makes up the basic model to which various textures are applied to achieve the illusion that you're looking at a person in 3-dimensions. Of course, most game manufacturers also layer clothes over this basic model, which themselves have the same components as the character! We won't talk about those games that don't because we like our PG-rating, thanks :P

Once they have their models, then they have to get them to move the way they want. There are a number of programs to help, but, in the end, it's the Animator that has to put in the work to get the animations right. As we all know, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing a well-rendered model move just the way we'd expect. After all, that's probably the biggest key to immersing people in your game, and immersion is king.

Landscapes too are meticulouslly designed. The plus with them is they don't typically need a skeleton built into them. "Rolling hills" is a poetic description, not a take on how they move :P However, they still need texture maps to go over the basic model. Who wants to look at wireframe scenery all day?

Perhaps the greatest magic of all is that games ever get made. Take a group of people with all their emotional and social baggage, add a variety of skills and preferred tools, throw in long hours, and mix well. Welcome to the world of game development! It's because of these factors and more that the Game Developer deserves a great deal of credit. It's his job to keep these personality clashes from interfering with the project, define what format each piece of the puzzle has to be in, and, in the end, keep order in their section of the world so the company can make its world.

Games, by their very nature are magical. From the illusion of reality to even being produced at all, these people make miracles every day. There is one thing to remember, however--Just because games are magical doesn't mean they're all good! Until next week, this is Charabis reminding you to have fun or you're wasting your time!

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