Isolating Game Elements: Graphic Art and Games

Games has everything to do with graphics. Even when a game isn´t all about graphics, it had some graphic related choice to be made previously to get it done. It isn´t a rule, but most of games out there has this relation clear. Although most of game designers have not an art background to support them, they handle with it quite well. However, when you take decisions consciously things runs pretty smoothly.

Bread and Butter

At one moment over a game conception, it was right there at someone´s mind. No matters exactly where this idea came from or if it is original. It was just an abstract idea, untouchable and it needed to find a way to come to reality. So you have to find a way, a media, to bring it to reality. In case of games, it is like idea is the butter and media is the bread. Both might exist independently, but when they are put together, things get way much better. And according to the bread, things might get tastier.

Even when it isn´t made consciously, every game had been influenced by some art movement. During the conception process, usually we call upon what we know or had been in touch that might fit on what is intended to be exposed. There is a plenty of bread out there and, according to previous references, this blend can have a whole new taste.

Getting Inspired

Getting inspired by art isn´t exactly such a hard thing to do. Information about almost everything is available on the internet. So it is easy to take a look at some History of Art book or website. A good starting point, however, should be on a  History of Art overview article.

As reference of important art movements, bellow is described lots of references from them. Remember that each movement has a reason to exist and putting yourself on a person back at that time´s shoes would be a good experimental exercise. Checking further geographic and historic information is a plus to hit the road about art.

Baroque architecture.

Surreal painting from Vladmir Kush.
Square Enix crew might have been inspired by paintings like
that to create Final Fantasy series.

Cubism, Realism, Barroque, English Barroque, Cubism, Surrealism, Dadaism, Art Deco, Classicism, Minimalism, Art Noveau, among others, would be a nice reference to start your studies. Grafitti as a current art expression is a good reference to be studied. Also, pay attention to western and eastern arts and influences because at this stage, the broader, the better.

Cubist painting from (c) Thomas C. Fedro

Classical paintings might be helping
currently games to be realistic.

Curiously, when we start looking over all those pictures from each style, surely some reference of appreciated things and not so much appreciated things come up. Pay attention on it because it is a good way to refine our taste of Art. This is a continuous process that everyone might keep paying attention on our spare time. It is pleasant to understand all those movements and where we might get it applied on our work.

Also studying entire Gutemberg´s history and Typography´s  evolution and contribution to the press and all sort of things related to this amazing process is handful to build your knowledge about Art. His role to change the way information is spread around the world is priceless and must be considered part of any study. It might sound weird but character writing way, shape and composition is also considered a form of Art.

Paintings, painters and artist´s life in general is also a good way to study art because most of them used to be controversial, innovating and had quite interesting life. Spend time wandering what they had been doing back at their times, their difficulties and efforts to express themselves is a good theoretical exercise to start getting serious about studying art.

Assassin´s Creed - Unity - Hystorical commitment
to improve player experience.

Out of this world - vectorial and minimalist
art used in this amazing game.

La Abadia del Crimen - famous spanish game took
over the world back in the 80´s.

Collecting as much information as needed helps when it is needed to create a consistent graphic ambient to have a game running. In this first stage texts, our commitment is to collect information to apply them accordingly into game projects. Paying attention on elements that must match and follow rules imposed by ourselves, combining among them is a good signal that this text is taking desired effect.

Art has autonomy to reinvent itself.

Human kind has been through so much when it comes to History of Art that is almost impossible to cover every inch of it just taking a look. And would be smug of me discuss about it in a brief and amateur text. Consider this text as a contribution to get started in this world and remember that it isn´t intended to transform you into an art expert but only to be in touch with it when you are designing games.

All characters and brands in thisarticle are properties of their respective owners. This is a fictional text and has nothing to do with any official schedule neither implies into anyone´s oppinion unless expressed otherwise.