Games give us the opportunity to meet and explore new and old worlds, to share feelings and situations with characters that captivate or repulse us, to learn unique mythologies, to feel in the shoes of heroes, villains, monsters, wizards, and all kinds of characters we can imagine… even geese(!). Be honest: have you ever thought about being a stubborn goose who steals items from people? Well then, your dream is a reality!
For these worlds to fulfill the roles they were created from, they need to be constructed in a way that makes sense in every aspect that surrounds them. And one of those main aspects is, without a doubt, the visual. If there is no correct construction of it, there is a high chance that the player will lose the immersion of the world he is in. And that’s a big problem.
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Where to start thinking about the visual aspect of your game? There are numerous variables that will influence its design, and it is mainly before/at the start of production that the decisions made will impact the rest of the development.
But, if we can be guided by a single point that holds the structure of a game, it would be: stay true to the feeling, to the narrative you want to convey. Will your game be horror? Think claustrophobic environments and use dark colors. Are you going to do the next Animal Crossing? Cute and colorful elements are the rule.
Define the visual style of the game by looking for references and looking at what other games and other media do (cinema or theater, for example) in order to develop one that fits your game’s proposed concept, but be careful with this: at the same time research helps you visualize and come up with ideas, it is important that they are as authentic as possible, ie the more you put in your personal taste and input, the more unique the product will be.
It is also important to think that the game needs to be done using the skills of the team involved. For example, if the artist knows how to make pixel art, use and abuse this skill. It saves time and the chance that your game will look better is greater than creating advanced 3D. Of course, if you have the money to hire more resources, go for it!
I’m not a specialist, how can I get some help?
Now, if you are a developer who doesn’t have any art knowledge, there are some options that help you in this part:
- There are numerous free assets that you can download and use in your projects.
- Create a game using geometry! It may sound weird, but the Thomas Was Alone game is a successful example where there is a story and doesn’t use human or animal figures.
- Games based on existing games (Go, Chess, Mahjong, for example) use predefined tiles. For those, it’s easier for you to know what to use and try to recreate them.
For the next text, I’ll show you where to look for visual references and how to organize them! The journey has just begun. : )
