Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The same goes for fantasy. Forget the same old elves, dwarves, wizards, and dragons
( Figure 4.12 ). Look to other cultures for your heroes and villains. Right now about
the only non-Western culture portrayed with any frequency in games is Japanese
(feudal, present-day, and future) because the Japanese make a lot of games and their
style has found some acceptance in the West as well. But there are many more
sources of inspiration around the world, most untapped. Around AD 1200, while
the rulers of Europe were still holed up in cramped, drafty castles, Islamic culture
reached a pinnacle of grace and elegance, building magnificent palaces filled with
the riches of the Orient and majestic mosques of inlaid stone. Yet this proud and
beautiful civilization seldom appears in computer games because Western game
designers haven't bothered to learn about it or don't even know it existed. Set your
fantasy in Valhalla, in Russia under Peter the Great, in the arctic tundra, at Angkor
Wat, at Easter Island, or at Machu Picchu.
FIGURE 4.12
Yet another quasi-
medieval setting:
Armies of Exigo
SOURCES OF INSPIRATION
Art and architecture, history and anthropology, literature and religion, clothing
fashions, and product design are all great sources of cultural material. Artistic and
architectural movements, in particular, offer tremendous riches: Art Nouveau, Art
Deco, Palladian, Brutalism. If you haven't heard of one of these, go look it up now.
Browse the web or the art, architecture, and design sections of the bookstore or the
public library for pictures of interesting objects, buildings, and clothing. Carry a
digital camera around and take pictures of things that attract your eye, then post
the pictures around your workspace to inspire yourself and your coworkers. Collect
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