Art in video games
Ever sat there in awe and wondered how wonderfully wonderful that guy sat on your corpse's face as he majestically spins around like a beautiful mistake of nature, shooting people in the foot with what is thought to be, in the minds of many, the only model of Barrett anti-vehicle rifle ever created while he sings the songs of angels down his microphone, if the angels decided to write their songs about how they had intercourse with my mother looks ? Neither have I, but we're still gonna talk about it.
This is going to cover what types of art in video games there are and where they came from and such, and you're going to sit there, with a smile and learn something today. And feel good about yourself later~
Photorealism
what is it ?
Photorealism is an art movement that mainly appeared in the
early 1970’s that used cameras and all their photographs as research towards a piece of art that would look, well, Photorealistic. Photorealism is essentially just copying a photo you or someone else took and trying to recreate it using art methods. Sometimes when a artist gets the feel for photorealism they gain the magnificent power to add parts with the use of pictures, like if they were drawing a future setting for an example.
How does it appear in video games ?
In-case you've never heard of games trying to look as photorealistic as possible, then I've just found you under a rock, welcome! this is the world and these are current generation video games. Photorealism is often used in video games today, with things like the Call of duty, Crysis and the grand theft auto series really trying quiet hard to perfect it. Using simple things like reflections and 'realistic' HD texture pop-in's to really bring their games to life. You want a really good example of good looking photorealistic game ? go play any boxing game that's come out in the past few years, like fight night round 4, everything is realistic there, right down to the last blood, tear and sweat droplet that flies off their loose sack of bones they now call a face.
(Now for the boring part but without it you don't learn anything ~) The Art movement of photorealism first reared it's realistic little face in the late 1960's as a reaction to thinking the world of pop art and minimalism wasn't quite realistic enough. An example of an artist that decided he wanted to be one of the original photorealism crew is Ralph Goings, A photorealistic painter who's work was inspired by pop art, who's name nearly made me make an obvious funny and who isn't (to my knowledge) quiet dead yet ! that alone is worth a mention. Ralph uses a mixture of oil paints to re-create photo's of things like a diner. And there it is below along with lots of other relevant things if you read it all.
Cell shading
what is it ?
Cell shading is a form of art style incredibly similar to that of all those comic books no one reads anymore.
It's similar to them because Cell shading is supposed to make a 3D model look exactly like the model was drawn by a hand, as well as the world. And pretty much anything else in the games world. but not tree's, tree's look awful no matter how good you think your Cell shading program is.
How does it appear in video games ?
Here's where I would make a remark about video games not being good, but off the top of my head, all of the Cell shaded games that I've come across in my 16 years of being alive have actually been quiet good and fairly original. The Cell shading makes a video game seem like an interactive story book without any of the reading. Games like XIII or Thirteen if your not a Roman scholar, is a game very, very heavily based on comic books, as it's incredibly Cell shaded, all important spoken information is in a narrator box or speech bubble, every gun has the ability to produce comic style "BANG" lettering around the barrel when you fire and every cinematic kill = several comic panels portraying their death in gruesome death in a comic book way. It's all very amazing and obviously inspired by the early super hero comics that are being giving no justice in the box-office. Since there aren't very many/ well know Cell shaded artists who do just Cell shading I'm going to have to give an example of one of the first games to use Cell shading; ZPC, an FPS made by the good folks at zombie studios in the year of '96. The game uses art inspired by a man, a man called Aidan Hughes, a guy who does his works in the style of comic artists.. Comic artists inspired by Russian propaganda ! (collective gasp). Why just think, Jet set radio's art originally started out as Ivan's way of getting people pumped to kill Hitler, small world. below are examples of games that use cell shading and some of Aidan's art
Cyberpunk
What is it ?
Cyberpunk is the cousin of the much loved and widely recognised Steampunk (but that ones for another day) . If you're familiar with Steampunk odds are you've had a peek at cyberpunk by accident, it's not actually that uncommon to see a mixture of the two in the same scene. It's different from Steampunk as Steampunk is set in the past while Cyberpunk is set in the future, so in other words make everything in the Steampunk world chrome, attach about fifty pointless lights and antennas and make it fire lasers. For great science!
How does it appear in video games?
The whole Cyberpunk deal appears in more games then you've probably realised, I know it appear in games allot more then I bargained for, rearing it's big reflective face into games suck as Deus ex and it's new prequel Deus ex: Human revolution; the game of augmenting, System shock if you're old enough to remember that creepy as all hell game, Mirrors edge, The fallout games and even a teeny tiny smidge into our beloved metal gear solid 1 and two games. Giving each and everyone of these games a very cool and believable future setting, minus all the augmenting. Cyberpunk started in the '80's and is heavily based on the 50's thought on what exactly the future of tomorrow, today! would look like, This concept was taken on by many model makers and thus Cyberpunk was created and enjoyed for about five minuets and then most of the modellers and designers were blinded by all the chrome and then left. Cyber punk can still very much be found today, and example of people who still make very very good cyberpunk models are the folks at weta, who run a website called Dr Grordborts; a cyberpunk extremely high quality prop maker site. Go and have a look see if you feel like spending roughly about 48 million pounds on a laser gun that looks like a fifty's diner.
Steampunk
What is it?
Steampunk is some very similar to Cyberpunk only much more loved and recognised and never mistaken for the other. Steampunk also came about around the same time as Cyberpunk but had much more of a build up as the genre was in some books and already slowly becoming more popular, until of course the eighties hit and it exploded and hasn't go down since. The Steampunk style is if the Victorian era had an industrial revolution way too early, which in my opinion it really should have, then history would have a point, a big steamy bronze leather point.
How does it appear in video game?
Steampunk is something that in the past year or so decided it needed more main-stream video game releases to do with it; such as Dishonored, a game what's story changes dramatically (depending if you're a really bad shot) of one from you trying to heroically clear your name and assassinate all that's bad in the world to "Oh crap I just shot the queen in the face by accident I'd better blame it on them". But whatever fate you heroically gave yourself the Steampunk in it really shines out with everything really having that mechanical feel to it, also it appears to be a requirement for all lone heroes in main-stream Steampunk games to have amazingly believable mythical powers beyond your wildest dreams! oooo! now have a list of but a few steam punk games, starting out with: Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock infinite, Dishonored, Guns of Icarus, Professor Layton, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI and Spiral Knights. Steampunk art is pretty much the same deal as Cyberpunk as far as that goes, just a group of rowdy model makers and a whole flock of artists giving their own input into the world of Steampunk. A good place to start this journey way too big to even cover one thing, is the blog Brass goggles, this blog (which is in no way better than mine) gives news and all the latest and most impacting things in the world of steam punk, like kick-starters and newest video games. It also contains links to many other websites about Steampunk, even Dr Grordborts Cyberpunk site.
How does it appear in video games ?
In-case you've never heard of games trying to look as photorealistic as possible, then I've just found you under a rock, welcome! this is the world and these are current generation video games. Photorealism is often used in video games today, with things like the Call of duty, Crysis and the grand theft auto series really trying quiet hard to perfect it. Using simple things like reflections and 'realistic' HD texture pop-in's to really bring their games to life. You want a really good example of good looking photorealistic game ? go play any boxing game that's come out in the past few years, like fight night round 4, everything is realistic there, right down to the last blood, tear and sweat droplet that flies off their loose sack of bones they now call a face.
(Now for the boring part but without it you don't learn anything ~) The Art movement of photorealism first reared it's realistic little face in the late 1960's as a reaction to thinking the world of pop art and minimalism wasn't quite realistic enough. An example of an artist that decided he wanted to be one of the original photorealism crew is Ralph Goings, A photorealistic painter who's work was inspired by pop art, who's name nearly made me make an obvious funny and who isn't (to my knowledge) quiet dead yet ! that alone is worth a mention. Ralph uses a mixture of oil paints to re-create photo's of things like a diner. And there it is below along with lots of other relevant things if you read it all.
Cell shading
what is it ?
Cell shading is a form of art style incredibly similar to that of all those comic books no one reads anymore.
It's similar to them because Cell shading is supposed to make a 3D model look exactly like the model was drawn by a hand, as well as the world. And pretty much anything else in the games world. but not tree's, tree's look awful no matter how good you think your Cell shading program is.
How does it appear in video games ?
Here's where I would make a remark about video games not being good, but off the top of my head, all of the Cell shaded games that I've come across in my 16 years of being alive have actually been quiet good and fairly original. The Cell shading makes a video game seem like an interactive story book without any of the reading. Games like XIII or Thirteen if your not a Roman scholar, is a game very, very heavily based on comic books, as it's incredibly Cell shaded, all important spoken information is in a narrator box or speech bubble, every gun has the ability to produce comic style "BANG" lettering around the barrel when you fire and every cinematic kill = several comic panels portraying their death in gruesome death in a comic book way. It's all very amazing and obviously inspired by the early super hero comics that are being giving no justice in the box-office. Since there aren't very many/ well know Cell shaded artists who do just Cell shading I'm going to have to give an example of one of the first games to use Cell shading; ZPC, an FPS made by the good folks at zombie studios in the year of '96. The game uses art inspired by a man, a man called Aidan Hughes, a guy who does his works in the style of comic artists.. Comic artists inspired by Russian propaganda ! (collective gasp). Why just think, Jet set radio's art originally started out as Ivan's way of getting people pumped to kill Hitler, small world. below are examples of games that use cell shading and some of Aidan's art
Cyberpunk
What is it ?
Cyberpunk is the cousin of the much loved and widely recognised Steampunk (but that ones for another day) . If you're familiar with Steampunk odds are you've had a peek at cyberpunk by accident, it's not actually that uncommon to see a mixture of the two in the same scene. It's different from Steampunk as Steampunk is set in the past while Cyberpunk is set in the future, so in other words make everything in the Steampunk world chrome, attach about fifty pointless lights and antennas and make it fire lasers. For great science!
How does it appear in video games?
The whole Cyberpunk deal appears in more games then you've probably realised, I know it appear in games allot more then I bargained for, rearing it's big reflective face into games suck as Deus ex and it's new prequel Deus ex: Human revolution; the game of augmenting, System shock if you're old enough to remember that creepy as all hell game, Mirrors edge, The fallout games and even a teeny tiny smidge into our beloved metal gear solid 1 and two games. Giving each and everyone of these games a very cool and believable future setting, minus all the augmenting. Cyberpunk started in the '80's and is heavily based on the 50's thought on what exactly the future of tomorrow, today! would look like, This concept was taken on by many model makers and thus Cyberpunk was created and enjoyed for about five minuets and then most of the modellers and designers were blinded by all the chrome and then left. Cyber punk can still very much be found today, and example of people who still make very very good cyberpunk models are the folks at weta, who run a website called Dr Grordborts; a cyberpunk extremely high quality prop maker site. Go and have a look see if you feel like spending roughly about 48 million pounds on a laser gun that looks like a fifty's diner.
Steampunk
What is it?
Steampunk is some very similar to Cyberpunk only much more loved and recognised and never mistaken for the other. Steampunk also came about around the same time as Cyberpunk but had much more of a build up as the genre was in some books and already slowly becoming more popular, until of course the eighties hit and it exploded and hasn't go down since. The Steampunk style is if the Victorian era had an industrial revolution way too early, which in my opinion it really should have, then history would have a point, a big steamy bronze leather point.
How does it appear in video game?
Steampunk is something that in the past year or so decided it needed more main-stream video game releases to do with it; such as Dishonored, a game what's story changes dramatically (depending if you're a really bad shot) of one from you trying to heroically clear your name and assassinate all that's bad in the world to "Oh crap I just shot the queen in the face by accident I'd better blame it on them". But whatever fate you heroically gave yourself the Steampunk in it really shines out with everything really having that mechanical feel to it, also it appears to be a requirement for all lone heroes in main-stream Steampunk games to have amazingly believable mythical powers beyond your wildest dreams! oooo! now have a list of but a few steam punk games, starting out with: Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock infinite, Dishonored, Guns of Icarus, Professor Layton, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI and Spiral Knights. Steampunk art is pretty much the same deal as Cyberpunk as far as that goes, just a group of rowdy model makers and a whole flock of artists giving their own input into the world of Steampunk. A good place to start this journey way too big to even cover one thing, is the blog Brass goggles, this blog (which is in no way better than mine) gives news and all the latest and most impacting things in the world of steam punk, like kick-starters and newest video games. It also contains links to many other websites about Steampunk, even Dr Grordborts Cyberpunk site.
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