If you are new to game development, you might have noticed the word asset used many times. You might have even seen asset store. So, what are these assets and why are they important for game development. Let’s find out.
A game asset is something that is a part of the game. An asset can be a text file, image, 3D models or a music file. Anything that is a part of the game is called an asset.
My code is part of the game, is it an asset? YES, even the codes written in game development are assets.
Who makes these assets in game development?
Mostly there are separate designers for each type of assets. 2D sprites are made by 2D artist, 3D models are made by 3D artist and music is composed by sound designers.
These are separate departments in a gaming industry. AAA game publishers have multiple artist and designers working in one game. Whereas indie game publishers mostly create all their assets themselves.
Where can I get assets for my game?
You can either make or buy game assets. If you want to make assets for your game then you will have to learn the respective software. If you want to make a 3D model then you will have to learn Blender, Maya or 3DSmax. If you are into 2D art then Inkscape is a good free option.
It’s not necessary to make all the game assets yourself. There are multiple websites that offer free and paid assets that you can use in your game. You can use the game asset finder to find the assets required for your game in one place.
That is not it. You can also hire freelance artists to make game assets for you. If you are not feeling up to it, you can even hire freelance game developers to make game inclusive of the assets.
Can I import assets into the game engine?
YES, most of the available game engines allow you to import assets you have created and use it in your game. Though there might be some pre-requisites to make a work a required but most assets work out of the box.
Also, game engines provide some small tools to support asset development inside the game engine. For example, Unity supports the use of pro builder inside the Unity editor.
Bigger game engines have their own game assets stores. Like Unity has the asset store, Unreal Engine has marketplace.
