Concept Art vs Game Art?

Hello
I’m interested in becoming a concept artist and whilst my skill and interest has always been in 2D, I want to learn 3D too. I’d like to see if I change preferences or just how far I can go with both. I’m also interested in Illustration, however concept art and illustration can be linked (I know the difference but they can still be tied in the industry), and I have looked at Illustration course specs and decided one of the 2 above seem to suit my preferred path better.
I’ve been mulling over which course would be the best option for me as Game Art seems to cover 3D a lot more intensely but also has a decent amount of 2D design, whereas Concept Art looks more applicable but with more focus in 2D, but I cant quite tell the difference still or which would be best for me.
Please let me know if you have any more input about the differences of each course, or what seems to suit my direction the most!

Hello
I’m interested in becoming a concept artist and whilst my skill and interest has always been in 2D, I want to learn 3D too. I’d like to see if I change preferences or just how far I can go with both. I’m also interested in Illustration, however concept art and illustration can be linked (I know the difference but they can still be tied in the industry), and I have looked at Illustration course specs and decided one of the 2 above seem to suit my preferred path better.
I’ve been mulling over which course would be the best option for me as Game Art seems to cover 3D a lot more intensely but also has a decent amount of 2D design, whereas Concept Art looks more applicable but with more focus in 2D, but I cant quite tell the difference still or which would be best for me.
Please let me know if you have any more input about the differences of each course, or what seems to suit my direction the most!

I'd say look into individual game industries and make your decision based on their styles. For example, with concept art, you don't really have to match the style of the game art and also your art will only be viewed by a limited amount of people (unless published). If you're comfortable with 'copying' art styles and work for a specific game (e.g. valorant has a very distinct style, such as league, basically each game has its own) then go for illustration.

This is a bit of an amalgamation of things I've written for similar questions in the past, but here goes:
I studied Game Art at a university that also offered Concept Art. Generally concept art courses have a stronger focus on 2D digital painting skills, and game art will have a stronger focus on 3D modelling and sculpting skills. Both courses may teach both skills, and potentially have shared lecturers/modules - but I would anticipate that Game Art will put the majority of it's grade weighting on 3D while concept art will do the same for 2D skills. A Game Art course may also teach you game engine skills - like Unreal Blueprints or making VFX. They might also teach some basic scripting. Concept art are less likely to do that and might focus more on polishing your fundamental skills - you might be more likely to do extended iteration work, or still life drawing, etc. Obviously course content varies massively from university to university and course to course, though, so I would make sure to ask those questions at open days etc.
In general I would always advocate to study a course that teaches 3D skills over a course that is strictly a 2D course. It never hurts to add another skill to your toolset as an artist - having the ability to do 3D competently will make you more employable.
Here's an article with some great resources and videos for how 3D is used as a modern tool to assist concept art, comics and illustration.https://theartsquirrel.com/26/using-3d-software-for-illustration-comics-concept-art-and-digital-painting/ Having extra skills can only ever help you. Having a portfolio with 3D and 2D work will open up more career options for you than having a strictly 2D portfolio.
The key to success at Concept Art is accepting it's unlikely you will place into the industry straight out of Uni and be prepared to continue to develop your portfolio until you're at a point to gain industry experience. Be proactive - seek mentorship from industry professionals - go beyond the expectations of your course - cold email & apply even if you're underskilled. In competitive industries like Games and Film it's just as much about your ability to sell yourself, present your work well, talk to the right people, and interview well as it is your pure technical skill.

Thanks so much! This is the differentiation I was struggling to identify, and I agree I would like to dive into 3D along with 2D skills. I would hope I can improve enough in my 2D in my own studies/in the lessons given so I wouldn't regretting picking concept over it too. Thanks for the article and tips, I will definitely be shooting my shot with industry pros/companies asap!

Thanks for the answer (: I honestly enjoy both haha I guess that makes it easier for me to adapt

Hello
I’m interested in becoming a concept artist and whilst my skill and interest has always been in 2D, I want to learn 3D too. I’d like to see if I change preferences or just how far I can go with both. I’m also interested in Illustration, however concept art and illustration can be linked (I know the difference but they can still be tied in the industry), and I have looked at Illustration course specs and decided one of the 2 above seem to suit my preferred path better.
I’ve been mulling over which course would be the best option for me as Game Art seems to cover 3D a lot more intensely but also has a decent amount of 2D design, whereas Concept Art looks more applicable but with more focus in 2D, but I cant quite tell the difference still or which would be best for me.
Please let me know if you have any more input about the differences of each course, or what seems to suit my direction the most!

Regarding concept art in the games industry; before becoming a lecturer one of my roles was creating environment concept art for the game developer I worked for. To me I would recommend you aim for either a Concept Art degree or a 3D Games Art degree; Illustration work (having also worked as an illustrator) tends to favour style over technical skills - not that it can't be technical, but it's usually more about creating an eye catching image than demonstrating knowledge of anatomy or how perspective is constructed. Some concept art can be for that purpose as well; but the majority of it is things like multiple designs of the same prop, vehicle, monster, character, environment, or is things like paint overs of the 3D level that the designers have put together and then they ask you to redraw their screen grabs to make them look more interesting - so adding more foliage, different lighting ideas, random props etc - whatever it takes to make the scene feel more alive or scary or charming (depends on the game!).
If you pick a Concept Art course make sure it teaches a lot of 3D modelling as well - that is a vital skill for a Concept Artist. You will need to show the same character / creature / environment from different angles, and so making a reasonable base mesh in ZBrush or Maya or Blender is vital - you then paint over that in Photoshop.
As a concept artist you need to really understand anatomy (both human and animal) and how objects are constructed - vehicles, guns, props, buildings and also work in perspective. You need to be interested in replicating surfaces (metals, rough stonework, skin, cloth, plastics, glass etc) so you should show this in your work.
You will need to show style frames / splash images as well - those are the ones where you can go to town and show off your compositional and lighting skills.
If you want to see what my first year students made last year, one of my colleagues made a nice video showing their work (this is art from across all four degrees, including Comics and Concept Art students and 3D Games Art students)
https://vimeo.com/1027745113
This might give you a better idea of the variety of work you might make in future.
Good luck, keep drawing and check your proportions and work from references!