Effects of Graphical Style and Location on Video Game Art

Abstract

Video games are an interesting collection of visual elements, ranging from 3D animation to character design and user interface design. Audio-visual aspects are a core part of any video game, since they captivate the player’s attention, create atmosphere, and make the game memorable. However, video games are not usually viewed as an art form, and research on video game visual style is limited. This study aims to research art style and visual design of video games, focusing more specifically on character design. Graphical styles of video games have evolved a lot, from the pixelated shapes of the earliest video games to nearly photorealistic dimensions with modern devices. This study introduces one possible categorization of graphical styles in video games, which includes the stylistic, realistic, and abstract styles. Later, video games are grouped into two sets by their location of origin, followed by analysis on location’s effect on the game’s art style. Small research was conducted as a part of this study, where a game was developed using three different art styles. The game was then surveyed by a test group, and results from the survey were analysed from the point of game art style and its effect on player’s gaming experience. Due to problems in game development and small sample size, results of this study are not conclusive, but some patterns in players’ preference are found.