Color

Color is vitally important in art and design. It has a wide variety of ways in that it effects video games as well.  No video game would be successful without the correct colors chosen to reflect its design. Three color types that can be observed are with cool colors, warm colors, and triadic colors. 

Cool Colors

Cool colors are defined as colors on the color wheel that are closer in hue to blue. These cool colors are associated with specific emotional feelings. In the picture below a deep blue pervades the scene of Yuna crying in this emotional scene in Final Fantasy 10. Blue is a color often associated with the feeling of sadness, which is why this cool color intensifies her impending self-sacrifice. 

Emanuele. "Macalania Revisited | Boy Kisses Girl under the Moonlight." Electric Blue Skies RSS. N.p., 6 May 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://www.electricblueskies.com/portfolio/final-fantasy-x/macalania-revisited-boy-kisses-girl-under-the-moonlight/

Warm Colors

Warm colors are composed of the colors around red on the color wheel. Axel, from Kingdom Hearts 2, is seen below surrounded by the warm colors present in the sunset behind him. These colors are associated with this heart-warming scene of friendship and give the viewer a sense of happiness that the characters in the story felt at this time. 

Joey. "Tetsuya Nomura Interview HD Screenshots! - News - Kingdom Hearts Insider." Tetsuya Nomura Interview HD Screenshots! - News - Kingdom Hearts Insider. N.p., 4 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://www.khinsider.com/news/Tetsuya-Nomura-Interview-HD-Screenshots-3097

Triadic Colors

Triadic colors are colors on the color wheel that are separated by three colors. There are different sets of triadic colors in the triadic color scheme and one of those sets are made of blue, red, and yellow. An example of this set of colors is Mr. Drippy, the fairy from Ni no Kuni. His body is made of blue and yellow, while his lantern/nose is made of red and yellow.

Williams, Ed. "Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch." The 405. N.p., 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://thefourohfive.com/review/article/ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch

Value

Value in art is the term for a color's lightness or darkness. Light in relation to video games can be seen in various terms such as: achromatic, chiaroscuro, and value emphasis.

Achromatic

The term achromatic refers to being without color. Not many video games are created in black, white and grey and Epic Mickey is an unusual exception. In this part of the game, the original world of Mickey Mouse can be explored in all of its achromatic beauty, just as it is seen below. 

Riley Little. "'Epic Mickey'€™ Hands-On Preview." Game Rant. N.p., 17 Oct. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://gamerant.com/epic-mickey-preview-demo-riley-46405/

Chiaroscuro 

Chiaroscuro is a term that is used to describe depth created by the combination of light and dark. The figure that is show below is clearly outlined and feels much closer to the screen than the background which is so bright that it feels very far away. 

Romano, Sal. "Square Enix Reveals Next-gen Final Fantasy Tech Demo - Gematsu."Gematsu Square Enix Reveals Nextgen Final Fantasy Tech Demo Comments. N.p., 5 June 2012. Web. 04 Mar. 2013. http://gematsu.com/2012/06/square-enix-next-gen-final-fantasy-tech-demo

Value Emphasis

Value emphasis is when light and dark combine in order to bring the eye directly to an area of emphasis. This picture is encompassed in darkness except for one bright flashlight which in combination allows the zombie figure in the center to pop out as a very strong focal point. 

Emanuele. "'€œBooh'€." Electric Blue Skies RSS. N.p., 21 Jan. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://www.electricblueskies.com/portfolio/doom-3/booh/

Illusion of Motion

Art is a reflection of life and life is constantly moving - therefore motion is an important element of art. Some types of motion that can be experienced in a video game include: anticipated movement, lines of force, and kinesthetic empathy. 

Anticipated Movement

Anticipated movement is defined as the motion a viewer thinks will happen given their own  past experiences with the subject matter. In Lollipop Chainsaw, for example, we see the main character swinging a chainsaw at a zombie. We, as the viewer, can assume this motion will be completed with her sawing the zombie and his falling to the ground. 

Ashcraft, Brian. "Lollipop Chainsaw Reveals Skimpy Outfits." Kotaku Australia, the Gamer's Guide. N.p., 9 Mar. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/03/lollipop-chainsaw-reveals-skimpy-outfits/

Lines of Force

Lines of force are well used to strongly suggest the feeling of motion and where the motion is going. Lines of force are widely used in video games, as demonstrated below. The warrior is swinging his weapon and the lines used to show the pathway of his weapon and really enhance the motion are clearly seen below the jumping man. 

Simmonds, Murphy. "Games Reviews Final Fantasy XIII-2, Soul Calibur V, Resident Evil: Revelations." Leeds Guide Articles RSS. N.p., 8 Feb. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.leedsguide.co.uk/review/games-reviews/final-fantasy-xiii-2-soul-calibur-v-resident-evil-revelations/20232

Kinesthetic Empathy 

Kinesthetic empathy is motion an observer feels when looking at a work of art. Legend of Zelda's hero, Link, is seen here swimming underwater with bubbles rising towards the surface. Seeing someone swimming underwater can evoke a feeling in the player that reminds them of what it feels like to hold their breath and float in the water. 

Share-Strom, Daniel. "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - Review." - GamrReview. N.p., 18 June 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.gamrreview.com/review/86879/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d/

Illusion of Space

The illusion of space is found in all forms of art. The viewer can experience these various feelings of depth and space in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional plane depending on the type of art they are observing. Three concepts of space that can be observed from video games are open form, one-point perspective, and aerial perspective. 

Open Form

Open form is when the elements in the picture are cut off so that the viewer is only able to see what seems to be a portion of the full scene. In the Final Fantasy scene below, we can see a young girl interacting with a creature called a Moogle, but we cannot see everything that is going on outside the frame. Their bodies are cut off, but we still can know that other things are happening outside of this limited viewpoint. 

Duine, Erren Van. "New FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 Screenshots Return to Yaschas Massif." Nova Crystallis. N.p., 22 Aug. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.novacrystallis.com/2011/08/new-final-fantasy-xiii-2-screenshots-feature-serah-farron/

One-Point Perspective

The one-point perspective is directly parallel or perpendicular to the viewers eye-line where lines come together on a single point (vanishing point) that is on the horizon. The vanishing point in this case can be seen behind the running girl from Atelier Meruru. 

Kollar, Phil. "The Year of the RPG?" Gameinformer. N.p., 29 Dec. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/12/29/the-rpgs-of-2012.aspx

Aerial Perspective

Aerial perspective is when the colors in the background of the picture become blurry or washed out so that they look like they are part of the atmosphere. Ni no Kuni's landscape in the picture below illustrates this aerial perspective. The ground closer to the viewer's eye is distinctly easier to see in contrast to the areas farther back which have a blue, foggy quality due to the atmosphere obstructing the colors the eye can see. 

HelenBaby. "Eurogamer 2012 : Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch." Plus XP RSS. N.p., 13 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2013. http://www.plusxp.com/2012/10/eurogamer-2012-ni-no-kuni-wrath-of-the-white-witch/

Pattern and Texture

Pattern is a series of repetitive designs that are either simple or complex. Texture is similar to pattern, but it appeals directly to the sense of touch. 

Pattern

Pattern, as is stated above, is a sequence of repeated designs. Behind the characters from Tales of Xillia 2 is a fence made up of several repeating simple patterns that frames the scene and the sky. 

Slayton, Olivia. "Tales of Xillia 2 Has Special Order System, 100 Cats to Find - Gematsu." Gematsu Tales of Xillia 2 Has Special Order System 100 Cats to Find Comments. N.p., 9 Oct. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://gematsu.com/2012/10/tales-of-xillia-2-has-special-order-system-100-cats-to-find 

Visual Texture

Visual texture is an illusion that suggests a tactile quality despite not having actual realistic texture. In the picture below from Secret of Mana,the trees and foliage give us a sense of actual texture, despite it not actually having any. 

GamesRadar. "28 of the Most Favourite Video Game Trees Ever." Page 2 -. N.p., 23 June 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://www.gamesradar.com/28-of-the-most-favourite-video-game-trees-ever/?page=2

Textural Variety

Textural variety is a varied texture that draws and keeps the interest of its viewers with its differences. It may seem odd to talk about textural variety when it comes to video games, but there is one video game in particular that has a very unique take on textural variety inside of a game. In Paper Mario, the designers worked to actually produce a game where the world sports a contrast between a normal game and the feeling of paper. In the image below, this contrast is seen where Mario and Toad are clearly made out of paper while their surroundings are not. 

Cubedgamers. "Paper Mario: Sticker Star Review – A Sticky Situation | Cubedgamers." Cubedgamers. N.p., 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://www.cubedgamers.com/home/2012/12/15/paper-mario-sticker-star-review-a-sticky-situation/ 

Shape

A shape is an enclosed space that is defined by its outline.

Naturalism

Naturalism in art is the way shapes, colors, and forms are depicted as they may be in nature. In this picture from Ni no Kuni, the forest scenery can clearly be seen in how it attempts to accurately portray nature. 

Pederson, Eric. "Ni No Kuni E3 2012 Demo Hands-On." ManaTank RSS. N.p., 15 June 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2013.  http://manatank.com/2012/06/ni-no-kuni-e3-demo-hands-on/

Idealism

Idealism is the idea of perfection of beauty and form defined by society, an individual, or culture. Many role playing games, such as Guild Wars 2 featured below, give the player the option of customizing their own personal character. With this option, the player is able to create their own  ideal image, within the parameters that the game provides. 

Kain, Erik. "'Guild Wars 2' Review - Part 3: Six Things ArenaNet Gets Right - Or Very Nearly Right." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 09 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/09/09/guild-wars-2-review-part-3-six-things-arenanet-gets-right-or-very-nearly-right/

Curvilinear Shapes

Curvilinear shapes are forms that are made through the use of curves and flowing lines or contours. In the picture below from a dungeon in Tales of the Abyss, the whole structure of the platform as well as the interior platform are made of curved and flowing lines. 

Azizmb. "Tales of the Abyss 3DS Review." Game Crunch. N.p., 1 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2013. http://gamecrunch.co/2012/03/01/tales-of-the-abyss-3ds-review/

Line

A line is the beginning of all design and shape. It starts with a single point and continues on to create the first dimension.

Sheard, Dominic. "Star Ocean: The Last Hope Xbox 360 Review." Darkzero RSS. N.p., 6 Sept. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. http://darkzero.co.uk/game-reviews/star-ocean-the-last-hope-xbox-360/


The picture above is filled with all the various types of line that are used in the game world of design. Three specific types of lines are the implied line, the psychic line and the cross contour line. 

Implied Line

The implied line is not in fact an outright drawn line that the eye can see, but a line formed by a certain direction created by the artist for the observer to follow. The picture below from Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, has such an implied line formed by the rows of people standing in the hall. The eye is drawn to a vertical implied lines as well as horizontal implied lines. 

Menashe. "The 100 Best N64 Games." Nintendo Enthusiast. N.p., 12 July 2012. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. http://nintendoenthusiast.com/6731/best-n64-games/2/

Psychic Line

The psychic line is a line created not by a drawn line or points that lead the eye, but by the feeling that the line conveys between two points or elements. In the picture below from Tales of Graces F, this invisible line can be clearly felt by Asbel, the male character's gaze towards Sophia, the purple-haired girl. The line of sight is immediately drawn towards this line despite not being actually physically drawn. 

Mirkovich, Matt. "Review." Gaming Nexus. N.p., 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.  http://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/Tales-of-Graces/Item3416.aspx

Cross Contour

The cross contour line are lines that curve in a vertical and a horizontal pattern that are drawn at various angles to convey a three dimensional form. Below is a character made out of wood from the game Tekken. It is easy to see the various curves and contours that make up his body that make him very defined. 

GamesRadar. "28 of the Most Favourite Video Game Trees Ever." Page 2 -. N.p., 23 June 2011. Web. 20 Feb. 2013. http://www.gamesradar.com/28-of-the-most-favourite-video-game-trees-ever/?page=2