Gameplay Animation Challenge 1- Building Your Character’s Attitude and Identity (January 2026)

2026 begins with a new structure for AniMotion.

Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the best way to support you and help you grow through my articles.

I’ve decided to organize the year around a clearer, more progressive format, and one that’s simply more enjoyable to follow.

Each month, we’ll move forward together around a gameplay theme, with:

• a short and accessible challenge

• an article to better understand industry expectations

• an interview with a professional

• a technical deep‑dive

And of course, downloadable resources that will evolve throughout the year.

This format allows me to offer you more value, more coherence, and above all, real progression over the course of the year.

The goal: helping you improve step by step, without pressure, through quick but genuinely useful exercises.

Ready for the first challenge of 2026!

Theme: Character Attitude & Identity

We’re starting the year with an essential theme:

Attitude & Identity : posing a character to reveal who they are, even before they move.

In gameplay, the player must instantly understand who the character is:a heavy tank? an agile assassin? an arrogant mage?

That immediate read is what guides all your animations afterward.

For this first challenge, we’re keeping it simple, fun, and highly effective:

Create a sheet of 3 to 5 poses that reveal your character’s personality.

No need to animate.

No need for a complex rig.

No need to spend hours on it.

Just:

• 3 to 5 poses

• that show who your character is

• before they move

• before they attack• before they walk

This month is all about attitude, energy, and identity.

Example: pose exploration for an NPC in Prince of Persia

Why work on poses?

In animation, everything starts with the pose.

A strong pose is the foundation that supports the entire animation: it defines weight, intention, the character’s internal dynamics, and the way they occupy space.

The clearer and more solid the pose is, the more credible, readable, and enjoyable the resulting animation becomes.

Conversely, an animation can never truly succeed if the poses are weak or unclear.

Training yourself to create poses is one of the fastest ways to improve. It’s a simple, short, yet incredibly enriching exercise: by repeating, testing, and exaggerating, you develop your eye, your sense of silhouette, and your understanding of body mechanics and intention.

It literally strengthens your ability to communicate something in an instant.

And in gameplay, it’s even more crucial.

The player doesn’t have time to analyze , they must instantly understand what the character is doing, how they feel, and what they’re about to do.

A strong pose allows for immediate readability, even in motion, even in the middle of combat, even from a distance.

That’s what makes an animation effective, responsive, and satisfying in-game.

Example: on Prince of Persia, the preparatory work on posing drastically strengthened the characters’ identities.

That’s why I’m starting the year with a posing challenge: mastering poses means laying the foundations for solid gameplay animation.

Challenge Objective

The goal is simple: learn how to communicate a character without animation, purely through posing. It’s the very first step when creating gameplay animation.

Character, role, energy, posture, vibe, gameplay personality… everything should be readable in an instant.

Knowing your character is the foundation. Once that intention is set, the rest of the animation work becomes much clearer.

Instructions

Create 3 to 5 attitude poses for a character of your choice.

You can use whatever you want: a rig, a drawing, a rough sketch, a mannequin, an existing character, or an original one.

The tool doesn’t matter.

What matters is the intention.

What You Should Aim For

Poses that communicate something at first glance and stay consistent with your character’s personality.

Confidence, nervousness, heaviness, agility, arrogance, fatigue, defense, determination…Any attitude works, as long as it reflects who they are.

You can exaggerate. You can stylize. You can have fun with it.

Bonus Resource (Optional)

To help you during the challenge, I’ve created an additional downloadable resource:

→ Method for defining your character

→ Validation checklist

→ Annotated examples

→ Progress journal to document your evolution

Download the PDF (Challenge section)

Practical Details

Estimated time:

20 minutes to 1 hour(And if you want to push the polish a bit further, go for it.)

Showcasing the Best Challenges

In the technical article that will follow this challenge, I’ll publish a selection of the best poses submitted.

It’s a great opportunity to showcase your work, gain visibility, and inspire other participants.

Deadline

You can submit your challenge until January 18, 2026.

That gives me time to review your work before the technical article.And if you submit later, it’s still a great exercise.

How to Participate

Post your image:

• on the AniMotion Discord: https://discord.gg/ZBgbhmEvUj

• or in the comments (here or on LinkedIn)

• or by email if you prefer

With the hashtag: 👉 #AniMotionChallengeJanvier

If you’d like to be featured, remember to include your name and a link to your portfolio (website, ArtStation, LinkedIn, Instagram , your choice).

It’s the first challenge of the year, and I can’t wait to see how you’ll have fun with it

Here, we share to grow , not to compare ourselves.

You’re welcome here, no matter your level.

Excited to start this new gameplay adventure with you!