Programming is only one aspect of creating video games. Even though the code that runs in the background is crucial, the typical customer never even sees it.
But do you know what they actually see?
The game art!
The first thing that players notice about every game whether it’s a text-based one, is its visuals, or game art.
If you have any interest in delving into game art design services, you’ll find this piece handy as I’ll be showing you different things you need to put in place for your game art to look awesome. But what is Game Art?
What is Game Art
Ever wondered why you liked the last video games you played so much?
It could be the fascinating characters, the logo, the UI and background image, the weather, and even the bad guys in the game.
All these are the magic of a gorgeous game art which majorly entails everything that the player sees in the game.
To put it simply, game art includes all 2D and 3D visuals that are utilized in games.
Why You Need Game Art
The visuals of your video game have to look appealing to the players and not boring.
Having appealing game art will help you kill two birds with a stone. For one part, it gives your games the potential to go viral and expand your customer base.
For the other part, it gives credibility to the price you slap on your games, and this in turn boosts your revenue.
Hope you all agree with the Future of Game Development is Game Art. Isn’t it?
Types of Game Art
The following are the four major types of art mostly seen in video games:
1. Pixel Art
The images we see on any type of screen are composed of tiny squares of color that we refer to as pixels.
Whether it’s the screen you’re now viewing or a gaming character, all of these pixels added together are ultimately what give us the image we see.
2. Vector Art
Vector art uses mathematical formulas and in this sort of art, artists make images by using either curves, lines, or even points.
Vector art has the benefit of being scalable. Also, using this kind of art helps maintain the quality of an image whether you resize it into a small or large one.
3. Raster Art
This type is the most suitable for 2D games. Any kind of digital art that uses rows and columns of pixels is referred to as raster art. In actuality, pixel art is a form of raster art.
Unlike pixel art which focuses on each individual square, most raster art takes a broader scope.
4. 3D Art
The concept of 3D modeling has become prevalent in gaming. Just like its vector counterpart, mathematical calculation is required.
This makes 3D models highly scalable, with no loss of quality to images.
However, 3D is in contrast to 2D art. This is because 3D models also have the distinct benefit of being more straightforward to animate since computers can determine the correct form of each polygon depending on the movement of its vertexes.
5 Steps to Creating Gorgeous Game Art
It’ll surprise you to know that putting out gorgeous game art isn’t about skill. Succeeding at game art is all about strategy.
Alternatively, you could go the easier route by using game art development services.
Below are 5 things you need to get right to make your game art beautiful.
1. Color
Color harmony for some reason just catches the attention of your audience. This is because the human eyes can’t help but love it when colors are rightly harmonized.
The color factor is key to making your game come alive and look interesting. But keep in mind that the color aspect of a game’s screenshot has absolutely nothing to do with its detailing and realism.
So, what exactly makes screenshots look good?
Well, it’s all about color theory and that’s down to simple math. Although color theories abound, the 6 most valuable color theories to know are:
- Complementary
- Monochromatic
- Triad
- Analogous
- Split Complementary
- Tetradic
My suggestion is to use the complementary color as often as possible while being more strategic about its usage. This is because most beautiful games use it.
2. Shapes
As you go about your life, just observe and study the world around you and you’ll find that it’s all about basic shapes. This implies that things are either in circles, squares, rectangles, or triangles.
For instance, if you were to blur the picture of a horizon and zoom it out, it’ll still look like a horizon. This is because it was formed with basic shapes (triangles).
A similar concept applies if you were to blur the picture of a pine tree forest, a tree, and a cityscape.
You’ll find that the pine tree is formed with triangles, the tree is formed with circles, and the cityscape is made up of rectangles and squares.
Now, these basic shapes are the foundation of beautiful artwork. If you wish, you can go on to add detailing after you understand these shapes.
3. Cleanliness
Game players can sense even on a subconscious level how much time they spent on designing your game’s scene.
This feeling of cleanliness makes your game look beautiful.
So, endeavor to clean up your game to give it an organized look and feel.
4. Depth
When in doubt, add some depth to your scene whether it’s 2D or 3D to make it pop. This is one of the primary reasons why the game, ‘hollow night’ looks so incredible. There’s a scene in the game that has 12 or more layers.
However, keep in mind that depth occurs because of the following two reasons:
- Fog – Global fog in 3D is easy to apply unlike in 2D where it’s a bit more challenging. This is because, in 2D, you need to decide the color of the camera’s forest point.
- Lens Blur – You can use the lens blur effect in 3D or 2D. As objects get further away from the camera or closer, you can add some blur.
You’ll find the two methods above helpful in designing your game.
5. Sound
Our senses aren’t independent of one another because they’re connected.
For instance, if you were to watch Peppa Pig while it’s muted, you’d probably think it’s crap. But suddenly when you turn the volume up, it looks great. Now, this is because sound informs our eyes.
Your game can look like it’s from the 90s, and have simple shapes and colors, but having a killer sound will make it come alive and more importantly make it worth its price.
Conclusion
Good game art plays a key role in the appeal of your game to players so make it count.
Also, acknowledging and adhering to these 5 tips will not only double your revenue but also make your games stand out among other games on the steam platform.
However, if splashing the cash isn’t a problem for you, you can employ the services of a game art development company you can trust.
Inquire Now to experience an end-to-end gaming service from the Gaming Giant!