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In video game development and overall software development, programmer art refers to assets created by programmers.
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Programmer art is made when there is an immediate need for an asset that does not yet exist. When this happens, a programmer will often use or create a placeholder, meant to be replaced at a later time before the project is published, although this doesn't have to be the case.
The term can be used to refer to any kind of art a programmer creates. These assets can be made for quick testing of a feature, for behind-the-scenes reasons, or even fully intended to be shown to the end-user. How much effort a programmer puts into an asset is entirely dependent on the context of where it will be used and whether it will end up being replaced or not. However normally programmer art is just a placeholder graphic and meant to be replaced.
The art can be made to look intentionally crude, so as to alert play-testers that a certain part or mechanic is not yet finished.
In indie games, programmer art is often the norm as small-time developers rarely have dedicated artists or budgets for professionally made assets. It can also be a deliberate choice as some end-users prefer it for its authenticity.
It is a recurring trope for programmers, who are often believed to be logical-minded, to have little experience with or interest in creating art. It is somewhat seen as a contrast, leading to the creation of the term.
Common forms of programmer art include stick figure sprites in platformer games, fuchsia textures in games using 3D models, and grid textures for level geometry. Games with a "top-down" perspective tend to use alphanumeric characters and simple 2D graphics to represent characters and landscape elements.
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