Game art Styles

I have started to look at some of the various styles that interest me which are used by developers within the gaming industry. What this will do is give me an understanding of what can and can't be imitated within the time I have got and the tools at my disposal.

I also want to answer questions such as what cultural aspect has informed the game and who the game is aimed at.

Cel Shaded

Cel shaded is mix between a 3D an 2D look, it gives the impression of a hand drawn feel which is mainly seen in Japanese gaming which has been informed by the popular manga comic book style.

Okami

This game is a perfect example of a cel shaded game but this one was informed by a different style of art which most probably informed manga. Okami's visual style was inspired by Emakimono which where horizontal scrolls which tell a story of battles various other stories of Japan.

It's clever how the developer has turned to old methods which tie into theme and story (which takes place in Japan) of the game and adapted them to new technology, even black lines of the game imitate a  hand drawn in ink look which reminds me of the Japanese calligraphy style.

So who would this be aimed at? Well in my opinion, it would be aimed at any age group. The colourful look and simplicity would appeal to children, but I also think it would appeal to  a mature person who would appreciate the thought behind it.

Okami 2006 by Capcom

Examples of Emakimono

2d Cut Out

2D cut out is a method seen a lot these days in animation and games. The backdrop is usually a still layered image that creates depth with an animated character at the front that has simple animations.

I like this simple approach and how they have used simple textures effectively on the trees an landscape. Yet again I would say this is aimed a wide audience, children would find it appealing for it's simplicity and yet casual gamers who play on phones and tablets could enjoy this as well, but most of all fans would play this who grew up with this much loved character in the mid 80's.

So what inspired this style? The only link that I could find was a paper cut animator called Quirino Cristiani. He used paper cut animation in the early 19th century which surely inspired the likes of this style?

Mario By Nintendo

Click the link "here" to view this animation

Quirino Cristiani: "Los que Ligan" (1919)

Handicraft

Handicraft is a process which involves making the game environments out of various materials and textures, however some games take the word "craft" even further. Little Bi Planet is one of those games, the whole idea lies with the clever tag line that goes with the game "Play, Create, Share". Gamers have the tools to create their own platforming levels and share them across the world using their own images.

I can see this aimed at creative individuals such as myself and strategic thinkers who love logical puzzle games like theme park. As for what inspired this style, it's hard to say but only the creative industry as a whole springs to mind.

Little Big Planet
Sony Computer Entertainment

Yoshi's Story By Nintendo

Task

This would be a nice opportunity for an experiment, I could combine the flat 2D style with the handicraft style. I could design a still image of a platforming level using photoshop as a tool.

Retro

Retro games are the humble starts of digital gaming, the early games started their lives in arcades before being brought to our homes. Recently retro games are becoming more and more popular for their nostalgia to all the people who grew up with them.

Out of the many styles on offer, this is one style that could be achieved easily within the time I have left but is it playing safe? I want to create artwork for a game that will challenge my skills, rather than get me the grade. I would rather work towards a challenging task and fail, than breeze through without learning anything.

Pac Man

Super Mario by Nintendo

Sonic the Hedgehog by Sega

Outlandish & Fantasy

Almost every game is a work of fantasy but are mainly set within the bounds of possibility in our world. However some games take it up onto another level. Shadow of Colossus for example creates a whole new fantasy world for you to explore at your disposal, a world with giant creatures roam a deserted land which all need to be defeated for a purpose. 

Although this is outlandish work of fantasy, I can see how the developers have drawn inspiration from real world animals or parts of them to create theses creatures of fantasy.

An important reminder here is to never rule out nature of a way to create creatures or characters even when approaching my design. An interesting task here would be to sketch a design of my own using animals as reference to draw up something unique!

Stylised

Most of the games that I have already covered in this post come user this category. This time I'm looking a little further into what makes a stylised game. The first thing that I notice is how characters are designed like a caricature with over exaggerated facial features and bodies as you can see from the following two images.

Gears of War 3 Character Art

Bioshock Infinite Character Art by Irrational Games

Another example is the use of colour. A stylised game seems to follow a distinct colour pallet through out like this image form Bioshock Infinite. I have played this game and I know form experience that this games environment follows this distinct style throughout.

Bioshock Infinite Art by Irrational Games

Here is example of a game which I believe isn't a stylised game. The developers have seemed to go with a hyper realistic look with The Last of Us which is for a very good reason. This is a game which takes it's story and characters very seriously. It's about a very human story which explores a almost father & daughter relationship set amongst a post apocalyptic word and for that to work, I believe that's why the developers chose a realistic look to create very real characters.

The Last of Us Artwork by Naughty Dog

I feel this has been very useful to look and write about the various new and old styles in a little depth.The only problem is that you can keep on going because their are so many different type of styles out there. Although I'm not making an actual game but rather a packaging, I still will need an in game shot which shows the viewer what the game will look like so a good understanding can only help the development of a unique style.

Information on styles where sourced from, opinions are my own:

www.quora.com