Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Aesthetics
Video games are an art form, so aesthetics are a part of their design. This doesn't
mean a game has to be beautiful, any more than a film or a painting has to be
beautiful. Rather, it must be designed with a sense of style and created with artistic
skill. A game with clumsy animation, a muddy soundtrack, trite dialog, or sloppy
artwork will disappoint players even if its gameplay is good.
Aesthetic considerations go beyond the game world, though. The interface graph-
ics—buttons, numbers, type fonts, and so on—must complement the game world
to create a consistent experience. Even the way the game responds to the player's
button presses can be judged aesthetically. Animations should move smoothly and
naturally; a slow, jerky, or unpredictable response feels awkward. The physics of
moving objects should look natural—or at least credible. Speed, accuracy, and grace
are all part of a game's aesthetic appeal.
DESIGN RULE
Aesthetics Are Important Too
An ugly or awkward video game is a bad one, no matter how innovative its design or
impressive its technology. Part of your job is to give your players aesthetic pleasure.
Harmony
Good games and game worlds possess
harmony
, which is the feeling that all parts of
the game belong to a single, coherent whole. This quality was first identified by game
designer Brian Moriarty. In his lecture, “Listen: The Potential of Shared Hallucinations,
(Moriarty, 1997) Moriarty explained the concept of harmony as follows:
Harmony isn't something you can fake. You don't need anyone to tell you if it's there or
not. Nobody can sell it to you, it's not an intellectual exercise. It's a sensual, intuitive
experience. It's something you feel. How do you achieve that feeling that everything
works together? Where do you get this harmony stuff?
Well, I'm here to tell you that it doesn't come f rom design commit tees. It doesn't come
from focus groups or market surveys. It doesn't come from cool technology or expensive
marketing. And it never happens by accident or by luck. Games with harmony emerge
from a fundamental note of clear intention. From design decisions based on an ineffable
sense of proportion and rightness. Its presence produces an emotional resonance with its
audience. A sense of inner unity that has nothing to do with what or how you did
something, it has something to do with
why. Myst
and
Gemstone
both have harmony.
They have it because their makers had a vision of the experience they were trying to
achieve and the confidence to attain it. They laid down a solid, ambient groove that
players and their respective markets can relate to emotionally. They resisted the urge to
