ABSTRACT
Different studios have different strengths, weaknesses, and priorities based on this team culture, and this often flows from the original founders upon which the studio is based. Some studios focus on storytelling, some on graphics and technology, some on fun gameplay over everything else. Studios vary depending on the makeup of their team members, mostly depending on their initial founders. From the team strengths generally comes the desire to focus on the “pillars” of a project. Pillars form the basis of any project and allow a team to zero in on what is important and what is not. The gameplay animator handles in-game animation, with responsibilities including player characters, nonplayer characters, and environmental animation such as doors and other props. Cinematic animators generally focus on storytelling more than game design, and should have a good understanding of acting, staging, composition, pacing, and other elements of traditional cinematography—not to mention facial animation.
