Making a Game Part 1 Iteration 2: Aesthetic Styling

The second iteration will focus more on the art style and how I can present the game.

Problems

• Okay, what will my game look like?
• How will it look pretty?
• Or does it actually need to look pretty?
• How do I present the game?
• Will it be 2D? Or 3D?
• What will be the art style?
• What kind of art style creates empathy more?
• What kind of presentation style lets players feel more?
• What kind of art style can I realistically achieve?
• Do I find an artist to collaborate with?
• What are the limitations of creating a mobile game? Screen size, etc.

Research and Comparative Analysis

One of the 3 Golden Rules of Game Design, according to my lecturer is: “Be REALISTIC – do not be overambitious”.

Okay, so realistically, I won’t be able to create anything in 3D (believe me, I’ve taken classes, and I tried. It’s just no for me).

So 2D vs 3D- definitely 2D.

Also Adrian Chmielarz, when writing about Empathy game design, says that “To the Moon” was able to achieve emotional empathy through:

c) Offering non-3D second person perspective;
d) Minimizing the cognitive load through simple mechanics and UI, and thus freeing up the mental space required for empathy to exist.

Robert Briscoe, the artist behind “Dear Ether” delivered a GDC talk about “The Art of Dear Esther: Building an Environment to tell a Story”. He mentions that Impressionistic art, with a mix of real and surreal, is immersive. In the case of “Dear Esther”, it mirrors the ambiguous nature of their story. One of the qualities of Impressionistic is that its about evoking emotions rather then reality. He also says:

Realism isn’t the Holy Grail for Immersion

It’s not the fidelity of the content that matters, but the message and experience you portray through that content.

And that is good to hear, because, harking back to the whole “be realistic” bit, realism, even in 2D, is also something that I can’t do (don’t visit my DeviantArt to see my failed attempts).

Links:

• http://www.theastronauts.com/2013/11/empathy-game-design-people-like-beyond-two-souls/
• http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1015893/The-Art-of-Dear-Esther

I’m just going to art dump a bunch of games whose art style I really like.

The art style of all the games presented at BAFTA Guru Live “Your First Game” talk actually.

Link: https://bafta.ticketsolve.com/shows/873571412/events?TSLVq=50a47d4d-e9ff-4968-b8a0-a51a2ae31375&TSLVp=c1c9df49-9e93-4bf8-99ae-34985e9ec116&TSLVts=1496329378&TSLVc=ticketsolve&TSLVe=bafta&TSLVrt=Safetynet&TSLVh=9694d7e5502edb775fe7d3921742c31a

The Rivers of Alice

Link: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/the-rivers-of-alice-extended-version?hmb_source=xray&hmb_medium=sidebar&hmb_campaign=ootu_1_3_-ti2nC5Q95c

One of the things taught to us is also, you don’t have to limit yourself to games. You can look outside and get inspiration from other places.

So here are some pictures of watercolor tattoos.

Link:http://www.cuded.com/2014/01/55-examples-of-watercolor-tattoo/

Some of the works on HitRecord are really interesting.

I also remembered Avid Liongoren, a Filipino filmmaker, who gave a talk at the first Graphika Manila about green screens and his movie “Saving Sally”.

I could probably go on forever, but I should stop and continue to the next step.

But, but, before that, I think I need to read of on some copyright stuff, regarding collages.

Links:

• https://www.dacs.org.uk/knowledge-base/factsheets/copyright-in-collages
• http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p22_derivative_works.en.htm

Also what about photographs that I take myself of buildings and landmarks? I remember an finale of Project Runway, where one of the designers had a print with Coney Island and it had to be changed.

Links:

• https://ipcopy.wordpress.com/2014/11/05/copyright-works-in-photographs-photographing-buildings/
• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3136945/Absurd-new-EU-law-mean-ll-face-legal-action-taking-pictures-famous-landmarks-Photos-punished-breach-copyright.html

Okay, now we can continue…

Synthesis

Based on the games, artworks and videos and who I am and my capabilities. I think I really like the collage style, the combination of the real and the surreal, layering drawings onto real life pictures or videos.

I’ll also try to find old art works or pieces that I have done in the past to you know, actually find out if I am capable to producing whatever it is that I want to produce.

This will be like a culmination of who I am as a person or as a poor excuse of an artist.

Warning: Includes so-called art that I dug up from my old DeviantArt account (circa 2004). Also I really, really like flowers.

• Like I previously mentioned, something collage-y.
• Photographs that I’ve taken

• I actually keep a blog type thing on Wattpad composed of ramblings and photos of places I’ve been, maybe I should use that
• Hand drawn
• Watercolor

• Charcoal

• Crayon

• Mixed Media

• Pencil

• Black lines

• Weird Characters

• Even more weird characters – I had a photoshoot with my friends, which I used as a reference

• Markers

• Dried Flowers – I had a phase when I was obsessed with picking flowers and stuffing them in books.

• Beads – my sister started a phase where we started making beaded flowers

• Overlay drawings on photographs
• Origami

• Papercraft
• Paper cutouts
• Using newspaper

• Cardboard

• Cutting out a book

• Collage

Refinement

I suppose it might also be interesting to combine all these into one mixed media art style.