What’s The Difference Between Game Art And Games Design?

Games design or game art degree? Learn the key differences, skills involved and which degree suits your strengths if you want a career in the games industry.

If you’re interested in working in the games industry, you’ll often see game art and games design listed as separate degrees. While they work closely together in studios, they focus on very different skills.

What is game art?

Game art is about how a game looks and feels visually. Game artists create the characters, environments, props, textures and user interfaces that bring a game world to life.

Game art degrees typically focus on:

Character and environment modelling
Texturing and materials
Lighting and visual storytelling
Industry software such as Maya, ZBrush, Substance and Unreal Engine

If you enjoy drawing, 3D modelling, visual detail and creative problem-solving, game art may be the right fit.

What is games design?

Games design is about how a game plays. Games designers shape mechanics, levels, systems and player experience. They decide how challenges work, how players progress and how gameplay feels moment to moment.

Games design degrees often cover:

Level and systems design
Gameplay mechanics and balancing
Player psychology and user experience
Prototyping in engines such as Unity or Unreal

This path suits people who enjoy problem-solving, experimentation and thinking about how players interact with games.

Do game artists and game designers work together?

Yes: in professional studios, artists and designers collaborate constantly. Designers create the structure and rules of the game, while artists build the visual world that supports those ideas. Strong communication between the two roles is essential.