Difference Between Animation In Movies, Television, And Games

Chapter One

Introduction

Although both video games and animated movies can fascinate and players and viewers with its captivating 3D animation graphics, they are more or less not the same thing. Basically, it is just the same medium applied in two various means - much like the difference between the steel string for an electric and an acoustic guitar. The main difference between video games and movies is its interactivity. Animated movies, after all, are simply meant to be experienced in movie theaters, while video games require the involvement of the player to make characters and sequences in the television screen move. However, this is simply the tip of the iceberg. There are more differences between the two platforms.

3D Environments

Imagine yourself entering your bedroom. For animated movies, if the sequence requires the screen character to likewise enter the same room, all they have to model is the line of vision of the character or the intended camera view angle specified in the story board. The 3D environment which has to be created is just the mise-en-scene - or everything that has to be seen in a movie screen.

However, in video games, if one is entering the bedroom, one is more likely to explore the whole house. This is why video games productions are more tedious. They not only worry about the mise-en-scene; they also work on creating the entire 360-degree 3D environment where the character would have to explore for a full range of motion. Motion is the premium in video games thus it is important to create the entire environment where the character should move.

Ever understand what the fuss is about the graphic engines of the current video game platforms today such as the Sony PlayStation 3, the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii? Because these engines define the look of the rendering of animation.Since video game players are interactive with the world of the game, every input is important and the graphic engines react to these inputs to produce renderings.

This is the reason why there are different rendering levels in a video games - and why usually the normal graphics are not as polished compared to non-interactive cinematic scenes within the game. Video game graphics are always dependent on user input thus their focus is to keep up with the video game players.

On the other hand, since animated movies are created on relatively longer timetables, they can focus on painstaking details. They can work thoroughly on certain sequences because after the work is done, the movie sequences are already set in stone. Now, all the viewers would have to do is, well, view it.

Similarly this same dynamics is what happens to the quality of sound and sound effects. Video games often rely on looped backdrops for music and simple generic sounds for sound effects in order to reduce the strain on the graphics engine. Meanwhile, movies don't have much limitation. Because of its non-interactive nature, the quality of the audio can ...