ABSTRACT
The 12 animation principles are a great foundation for any animator to understand, and failure to do so will result in missing some of the underlying fundamentals of animation—visible in many a junior's work. Many elements are essential in order to create great game animation, and they group under five fundamental areas: feel, fluidity, readability, context and elegance. The single biggest element that separates video game animation from traditional linear animation is interactivity. Game animation must always consider the response time between player input and response as an intrinsic part of how the character or interaction will “feel” to the player. Inertia is a great way to not only provide a sense of feel to player characters, but also to make things fun. A key component of the “feel” of any action the player and avatar perform is the visual representation of that action.
