U78 Assignment 1

Digital graphics for games design:

Types of game styles:

Cel shading- Also known as toon shading, this is a type of non-photorealistic rendering which is designed to make 3-D computer graphics look like it is flat by using less shading colour instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades. Cel-shading is also used to look like the style of a comic book or cartoon and/or give it a characteristic paper-like texture. This style makes the game look plain yet good visuals which makes the game immersive as you are looking at everything to try figure out the story, especially in the game example below which has a few ideas about the story. The background/scenery of these style games are simple designs that fit and tell the story, on the example below the scenery is mainly dark or very shaded since he is seen to be in a tough/intense situation. 

An example of a cel shading game is Inside, this is a recent game which came out in June 26th 2016. 

Steam punk- This type of style is based around steam powered machines which is set in the victorian era, you see a lot of metal objects like cogs and pipes as well as strange machines that are in/on buildings or streets, characters also have clothing the style of steam punk. This style makes the game look old fashioned yet with a few machines that look futuristic, this style game makes the player intrigued and want to know what other type machines there is. The background/scenery of these type games usually have misty/foggy skies due to all the steam being produced also old and rusted looking buildings which make the environment seem run down. 

A popular example would be the bioshock series, but as a less popular one would be damnation which is a steam punk shooter game which was released on may 26th 2009.

Pixel- The pixel style is a type of digital art which is made out of single blocks that are called pixels, the use for pixel art is to make objects (or anything you want) from blocks and which when viewed from a distance it looks like what you wanted to make. This style makes the game look simple and interesting as its a cool way of showing the scale of thing, it is also an interesting way to create things you want and it could help with you 3D perspective while you figure out how to make the thing you wanted. The scenery/background for this style is usually something simple to fit with its game, you also see pixel/block structures that fit in with the environment. 

An example of this would be minecraft, this game is most probably the most popular/famous pixel style game and has won many awards. Minecraft came out on november 18 2011.

Anime- The anime style games is a Japanese cartoon which have bright colours. Its made of an ideal story-telling mechanism, combining graphic art, characterisation, cinematography, and other forms of imaginative and individualistic techniques. The production of anime focuses less on the animation of movement and more on the realism of settings as well as the use of camera effects, including panning, zooming, and angle shots. This style makes the game looks vibrant, the charters are usually with unrealistic hair or body proportions so this style looks fun and different which is interesting to see and be playing. The scenery/background is usually full of different brightly coloured objects which stand out or to fit where the character is.

An example of this style is Yandere simulator which began in 2014.

Exaggeration- This style focusses on using over the top graphics that can really make the game seem like its not meant to be taken very serious. The exaggeration art style (to an extent) looks almost cartoon, the colours and edges are very defined and look very similar to the art in animes. There are many games with exaggerated features, Nintendo uses a lot of this in their games and with its characters. this style makes the game look interesting with its exaggerated characters and seeing what they look like, also makes the game seem not serious, as if you dont need to be too take it too serious while playing the game. The background/scenery of this style can vary from normal to also exaggerated as its either the characters or environment that is exaggerated. 

An example of this style is the uncharted series, which the first one came out in november 19th 2007.

Photorealism- Photorealism simply means that a simulated scene appears indistinguishable from a photograph, or by extension, from real life. The main obstacle to photorealism is processing power the action in a scene has to respond dynamically to player input, video games have to render their graphics in real time, usually at a rate of 60 frames per second.

An example of a photorealism game is crysis which came out in 2007, people have said its the best photorealism they have seen, more of crysis games have been released since this one

Abstraction- Abstract art styling in games could be defined as the opposite to photo realism, the style doesn't strive to resemble realism in anyway and often has features that are very unrealistic and may look different in the different perspectives of different people seeing them. The style usually makes use of a lot of shapes and lines that don't really resemble any actual objects in real life.

An example of this is the game the legend of zelda: the wind waker, came out in 2013

Manga- These style games are similar to anime with bright colours and background but the characters art style looks different, looks little more realistic. the majority of these games involve fighting.

The latest example that is known is 'J-stars victory' which came out in 2013

Computer games graphics:

Pixel art- The easiest way to define pixel art is by saying what is not pixel art: that is, anything that generates pixels is not pixel art.

Sprites are 2D bitmaps that are drawn directly to a render target without using the pipeline for transformations, lighting or effects. Sprites are commonly used to display information such as health bars, number of lives, or text such as scores. Some games, especially older games, are composed entirely of sprites.

3D isometric sprites are 2D sprites that give the impression of depth, posed in 3D, these are used in "The Sims" to add depth to the single perspective. They are still used in games today normally on foliage (as you play games the grass and leaves on trees turn to face you to give the impression of depth).

Concept art- Concept art is a form of illustration used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design. Concept art is developed in several iterations. Artists try several designs to achieve the desired result for the work, or sometimes searching for an interesting result. Designs are filtered and refined in stages to narrow down the options. Concept art is not only used to develop the work, but also to show the project's progress to directors, clients and investors. Once the development of the work is complete, advertising materials often resemble concept art, although these are typically made specifically for this purpose, based on final work.

In games this includes things like: characters, weapons, vehicles, environments

Texture art- In the visual arts, texture is the perceived surface quality of a work of art. It is an element of two-dimensional and three-dimensional designs and is distinguished by its perceived visual and physical properties.

In games this includes background graphics which could be: walls, forests and clouds

In-game interface- A 'game interface' is simply a interface between the game and something else (typically, a player). In an electronic game, people typically think of the interface as the visual components on a screen that we read (HUDs, avatars, text, etc) and the visual areas we interact with (characters we move, buttons we press, etc). In video gaming, the HUD (head-up display) or Status Bar is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface. It takes its name from the head-up displays used in modern aircraft.

Print media art- These are things such as posters and box art, which can be used for marketing. Print media art is essentially any sort of material that applies to a game in the form of a print. The aim of this type of graphic is to look appealing and draw people it to buy it, this is achieved through use of colours, different techniques of drawing styles and sometimes writing. Such as this box art which clearly shows this, It has a large title that has the effect that it is shooting out at you, which makes it attract the eye. You can also see that when you look at this item of print media, the eye is instantly drawn to the lightsaber blade which is the focal point of this box art.

This includes game packaging, box cover, manual, label and poster.