2D Animation for Games - A Primer

Dive into the world of 2D character animation for games with this 56-minute Game Career Seminar talk from GDC 2021. Explore basic skills and techniques through examples from prominent 2D games and the speaker's own career work. Learn about general considerations, communication, aesthetics, and essential animation principles such as squash and stretch, anticipation, contrast, timing, and easing. Discover how to apply follow-through, overlapping action, and exaggeration in game animations. Master the art of creating strong, readable poses, using smears and multiples, and avoiding over-animation. Gain insights into skeletal animation, its benefits and limitations, and the importance of hips and shoulders in character movement. Enhance your animations with visual effects and smears while avoiding common mistakes. Perfect for aspiring game animators looking to strengthen their 2D animation skills and create more dynamic, engaging characters for interactive experiences.

Intro
General Considerations
Communication
Aesthetics
Squash and Stretch
anticipation
contrast
timing
easing
arcs
followthrough overlapping action
followthrough in games
exaggeration in games
more frames
strong readable poses
smears multiples
smears and speed
over animating
use references
mistakes
construction
unfinished animation
miscellaneous
skeletal animation
benefits of skeletal animation
limitations of skeletal animation
hips and shoulders
visual effects
smear
outro