Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Let's look at some color-based phenomena that relate to these questions, and relect on how that might
inluence your design choices.
7.3.1 W
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Every second of the day, people make decisions based on color. Decisions on the ripeness of fruit, the vitality
of a patient's liver, or the appeal of a new hat, dress, or shoes are made on the basis of what color is perceived,
what that color means in the observer's experience, and what attributes the observer gives that color. From a
virtual environment designer's point of view, there are ive broad categories of human life that have an impact
on color choice preference and how you might use color in your designs. A virtual world environment designer
should be aware of these and how they will have an impact on the design and another person's perception. Let's
examine them one by one.
7.3.1.1 Cultural and Geographic Inluences
The actual climate, the geopolitical structure of the country, its history, and the relative level of globalization
are all major factors in color preference. For instance, in the cool climate of Sweden, light, pale colors such
as sky blue, light yellow, and white are preferred, while in the warmer climates of Brazil, highly saturated
versions of green, yellow, and red are preferred. The color preferences of cool versus warm climates are
related to the look of color in the sunlight of those climates. Under the blazing sunlight of Brazil, colors have
to be saturated to have any impact, and under the softer light of Sweden, the paler colors rest easier on the
eye. Worldwide, the nations have wrapped color up in social and political representation. The orange and
green of Ireland's lag represents the Protestant and Catholic groups. In the modern German lag, the black,
red, and gold tricolor represents the Republican democracy. In India, yellow symbolizes wealth, and the
world over for centuries, the color purple has represented royalty.
Over the last few decades, globalization has gradually inluenced the traditional use of color in many
countries. Western brides have traditionally worn white, and Eastern brides have worn red (in China, India,
Pakistan, Vietnam) for hundreds of years. This historical/traditional custom has been shifting in China, and
now you will see Chinese brides wearing white dresses with red decorations or accessories.
As a successful designer of a globally accessible virtual world, you always do your research to understand
the cultural meanings of color and how that information relates to what you are building. That knowledge
will serve you well when the time comes to design evocative palettes that will pack emotional as well as
informational content into the visual environment. Table 7.1 presents the major colors (red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, violet or purple, black, and white) and some of their meanings and cultural afiliations around
the world.
7.3.1.2 Gender and Self-Identity-Based Inluences
Color and gender identiication starts when we are babies. For most of the Western Hemisphere, pink is for
girls, and blue is for boys. However, in Belgium, pink is considered the more assertive color and is used for
boy's clothing, while blue, which has long been associated with the Virgin Mary, is used for girls. A perfect
example of gender identiication combined with political symbolism is the Transgender Pride lag, which
displays two light blue stripes, two pink stripes, and one white stripe in a horizontal composition.
For the most part, children's cartoons, clothing, and toys, and sometimes their living spaces, are decorated
with bright primary colors such as spectrum red, blue, yellow, and green. As they age and start forming their
personal identities and tastes, children will experiment with color. In 2013, color palettes for teen products
were inluenced by fantasy, gothic themes, urban gaming, and television environments. Small wonder that
teens want to try out a Gothic Vampire bedroom or have multicolored grafiti on the walls. Designing the
