There are many ways a game can be animated in the present age due to the development of modern software and as a result, the workflow may seem vague to new game producers however, there seems to be strong idea that effort is equivalent to artistic value. In terms of animation in games, the article, Directing Game Animation, by Mike Jungbluth (2024) acknowledges that there are three categories that animation fall under: keyframe, capture and procedural. These all come together to communicate their own vision through art instead of words. However, Jungbluth argues that upcoming developers need to know that even though “one tool requires more effort than another, that does not make it more valuable.” (p. 35)
The author’s main point in the article is that no matter what animation, the creative intent behind communicating through art is of far more importance than the effort. He uses stop signs as an example, that even though a stop sign is made through the effort of a multitude of people and tools with a variety of skills, many people would not call the final product a work of art- even if the message of “stop” is clearly being communicated through the sign. On the other hand, the creative intent behind the original design, glass, photograph or a hung-up stop sign in a gallery may be seen as works of art by most of the public. The writer argues that this is due to the “clear intent of the individual being communicated in each of these pieces,” (pp. 34-35) and the engagement between the individual and the art piece. In fact, the factors that contribute to the management of game animation is heavily restrained by the producers’ choice in creative intent.
The author argues the same for animation, that the success of a medium as interactive as games is weighed heavily on the engagement of the project by the many producers thus, clearly defining the game’s vision through its “creative intent”. In fact, the tools of animation help the artists communicate their idea however, none is more artistic than the other. The author criticises Pixar for instilling the belief to the audience, to the creators, to the producers, that effort increases the artistic value of an animation, that by not using “shortcuts” such as motion capture, that by actively learning new craft outside of the makers’ comfort zone will “maximize value from the artists.” (p. 35) As a result, the author grieves the idea that, “we allow ourselves to have our passion be exploited by those looking to profit from it,” (p. 35) and uses this notion to dissuade upcoming game producers from walking the same path.
To an extent, the argument that the artistic value of animation is not equivalent to the effort of the artist is true. However, the author does not take into consideration the legacy left behind by the pioneers of animation which seems valuable to the intended audience. Moreover, the author’s definition of art tends to be problematic especially when applying the term to games, deeming games as just an artform, where it can be more than that. Shooters, as an example, are more so created to be a competitive game that is not intended to be consumed as an artform, but rather, a form of entertainment. It can be argued that there is artistic expression within the production of the game, however, the product itself was not created to be an artform. Therefore, while the author’s words hold value to some extent, their use of terms can seem vague and should not be summing up all end products as an art piece.
A major factor that was quickly glossed over in Jungbluth’s article was the amount of time animators put into their work, and how that is fairly relevant to the effort and quality of the final product. For example, it can be argued that finishing an animation that would generally take two weeks within one week instead with the same level of quality, that is an indicator of effort and skill. As more effort was put into this task to push the project forward, the value of the work is increased due to the diligence of the artist themselves. Another example would be low budget indie films. While there are budget restraints, many indie films are regarded with high artistic value due to the amount of time put into the project. Therefore, while there is some truth to the idea that higher effort is not equivalent to more artistic value inherently, higher effort is very likely to correlate with higher artistic value.
Therefore, while Jungbluth’s idea that effort does not equal higher artistic value, it can be argued that there are exemptions in regard to the diligence of the production crew. As well as this, the text needs to be clearer on what makes the product more valuable and to take time restraints into consideration. However, Jungbluth does bring up a valuable point that effort is not the sole benefactor to artistry, which can be challenging for upcoming game developers in particular. In conclusion, the author’s idea of the word “value” itself is quite subjective and needs to be carefully considered, without glossing over major factors that can be seen as high level itself.
Jungbluth, M 2024, Directing Game Animation, viewed 2 August 2025,