How Important is Artwork?

[ObsidianTrance]

I've been wondering this question and no better place than to ask unless among people developing a game. Is the artwork important
as part of your game in adding an important element such as music, gameplay and story? Does it not matter when you have facesets


and generator provided for you, or does that not make your game stand out like you want it to? What about style? Anime, realism


or something unique what you look for, or does it depend on the tone and theme for you? 



I partially ask this to get an idea for what people are looking for, but to find out what people here are actually thinking when it comes


to something like this. As an artists, it's important to get a sense of this as well as satisfy some curiosity. Let me know your thoughts

 

[HexMozart88]

The artistic aspect is the most important in my games. If my art is horrible, I can't live with it. I need to change it as soon as possible. In other games, I like the art as long as I can see that they made an admirable effort. If it's creative, I like it. As for style, I usually do anime, but the most unique style possible. Bad music really gets to me. If I don't like the music, I will either mute it and play some good music in the background, or if there isn't anything else particularly notable worth staying for, I just quit.  

 

[Tsarmina]

I'm also pretty focused on artwork, but I'm also biased because I'm an artist, lol. I think it really adds a unique flavour to one's work, especially when it comes to creating the mood--in that aspect, having the right kind of art can set the tone the same way music can (i.e. subtly I guess? XD) I love portrait emotions and sprite animations the best because it really creates immersion.  

 

[ObsidianTrance]

The artistic aspect is the most important in my games. If my art is horrible, I can't live with it. I need to change it as soon as possible. In other games, I like the art as long as I can see that they made an admirable effort. If it's creative, I like it. As for style, I usually do anime, but the most unique style possible. Bad music really gets to me. If I don't like the music, I will either mute it and play some good music in the background, or if there isn't anything else particularly notable worth staying for, I just quit.  

Hello, @HexMozart88,
For you then, how do you go about changing the artwork? Do you actually draw it yourself or switch up available faceset resources or commission work? Given the fact that RPG maker isn't heavy in graphics department like other game makers, art, music and narrative is vital indeed, just as it was for developers in the mid 80s-90s conveying through what they had available.There's a huge variety of anime styles out there and many unique; which one is ideal for you? Okay, now if the music is so bad you have to mute, that would likely be the point where I stop playing. I've experienced that a few sad occasions, but everything else about the game wasn't enjoyable either. Forgettable orchestra tracks are one I've become acquainted with recently that rarely have composers do something unique and memorable with it.

I'm also pretty focused on artwork, but I'm also biased because I'm an artist, lol. I think it really adds a unique flavour to one's work, especially when it comes to creating the mood--in that aspect, having the right kind of art can set the tone the same way music can (i.e. subtly I guess? XD) I love portrait emotions and sprite animations the best because it really creates immersion.  

Haha, I think everyone is biased in their respective fields, but likely feel the same way about all ^^ Personally, if the person making the game is an artist, that just makes the experienced even better because you're getting more of their unique immersive storytelling. If not and don't have an artist, then I suppose it would be left to music and storytelling. Those are also two good points, portrait emotions and sprite animations. Forgot to consider those, even though if a story is good enough, I will forget about emotion sets being used. 

 

[RavenBlueIndigo]

Art is a very important area in games/game development and can drastically impact a game. It doesn't even have to be insanely complex or anything. A minimalist art style can be very appealing. Good art is the difference between a 5 second MS Paint drawing and something of quality that captivates the eyes.

 

[HexMozart88]

@ObsidianTrance I draw it myself. My avatar is an example. That's a character in my game. As for style, I have many different styles. A bigger version of my avatar:

Spoiler

View attachment 44797

A slightly different, less detailed style I usually use for tutorials: 

Spoiler

View attachment 44798

Really, really dark style:

Spoiler

In short, I have many different styles for many different things. 

 

[Sharm]

Similar things to this question comes up from time to time, usually in the general lounge.  It can get heated too, some people thinking that art doesn't matter one bit, and some thinking that it's the most important thing, and everything inbetween.  In my opinion artwork is 1/4rd of the storytelling (text, music, and gameplay being the other parts), at least half of your advertising, and can make a huge difference in how much slack people will give you for game flaws.  Because of it's story telling aspect, art that is appropriate for your game is very important.  The artwork can be the thing that carries the story more than any other part, or be just a minor aspect that looks nice but doesn't really contribute much, or be the thing that makes it so no one gives your game a chance.  I think people can get a bit caught up in the wrong thing though.  It's not the quality or quantity of the artwork so much as it is all about the design of it all. Beautifully rendered art is a hinderance, not a help, when it's poorly designed. Terrible crayon stick figure drawings can be the best thing for your game if you do it with effort, style and the art supports the story you're telling.


I personally like to make everything for my (intended) games.  There isn't a huge variety in style with the stuff I draw for games, but that's pretty much because my prefered story to tell and my prefered art style go hand in hand.  If I were to use someone else's art in my game I would want it to be emotionally evocative on it's own.  Tell a story in line weight alone, or maybe just by color.  Stuff that can do that also tends to be pretty, so, win win.


BTW, the little graphic snob signature thing you see from time to time resulted from one of these discussions.  Someone was attempting to say that graphics in games only mattered to graphics snobs, so it became a thing.  Graphics snob and proud of it!

 

[ObsidianTrance]

Art is a very important area in games/game development and can drastically impact a game. It doesn't even have to be insanely complex or anything. A minimalist art style can be very appealing. Good art is the difference between a 5 second MS Paint drawing and something of quality that captivates the eyes.

Indeed, though most times the art usually reflects the narrative and theme, or at least in my opinion, should. It would be hard to tell a serious story with chibi characters, for instance. Sometimes I have to force myself to stop thinking practically about things when considering some artwork, which my simply be conceptual and to capture the eye instead of be functional. Visual novels hing on artwork for the greater part and RPGs depend on it from sprites to character design and effects. In the end I suppose, it's all artistry coming together and should compliment one another.

@ObsidianTrance I draw it myself. My avatar is an example. That's a character in my game. As for style, I have many different styles. A bigger version of my avatar:

Spoiler

View attachment 44797

A slightly different, less detailed style I usually use for tutorials: 

Spoiler

View attachment 44798

Really, really dark style:

Spoiler

View attachment 44799

In short, I have many different styles for many different things. 

It's great that you have those aspects in mind when it comes to your artwork, some tend to forget such when starting out.

Similar things to this question comes up from time to time, usually in the general lounge.  It can get heated too, some people thinking that art doesn't matter one bit, and some thinking that it's the most important thing, and everything inbetween.  In my opinion artwork is 1/4rd of the storytelling (text, music, and gameplay being the other parts), at least half of your advertising, and can make a huge difference in how much slack people will give you for game flaws.  Because of it's story telling aspect, art that is appropriate for your game is very important.  The artwork can be the thing that carries the story more than any other part, or be just a minor aspect that looks nice but doesn't really contribute much, or be the thing that makes it so no one gives your game a chance.  I think people can get a bit caught up in the wrong thing though.  It's not the quality or quantity of the artwork so much as it is all about the design of it all. Beautifully rendered art is a hinderance, not a help, when it's poorly designed. Terrible crayon stick figure drawings can be the best thing for your game if you do it with effort, style and the art supports the story you're telling.


I personally like to make everything for my (intended) games.  There isn't a huge variety in style with the stuff I draw for games, but that's pretty much because my prefered story to tell and my prefered art style go hand in hand.  If I were to use someone else's art in my game I would want it to be emotionally evocative on it's own.  Tell a story in line weight alone, or maybe just by color.  Stuff that can do that also tends to be pretty, so, win win.


BTW, the little graphic snob signature thing you see from time to time resulted from one of these discussions.  Someone was attempting to say that graphics in games only mattered to graphics snobs, so it became a thing.  Graphics snob and proud of it!

Oh, I'm sure it's surfaced a number of times, but I wanted to get a feel for the community here and perspective views. If I ever wanted to keep audience in mind for my game, joined a team or started commissions, it's good to get an idea for what people think of art (as an artist) even if it varies little from any other instance. I can agree with that, even though artists will always have some kind of bias, haha! But as someone that writes as well, and Tsarmina which I know of, know the value of other aspects too. And indeed, there should be an appropriate balance of technical and creativity that blends into all else and I'm particularly keen on that point myself. Lol! Hmm, I suppose the stick figures would be for an experimental piece rather than RPG though; I can't imagine someone being immersed if it were to last longer than say, 10 hours ^^


So you stick with what appeals to you and conveys the kind of story you wish to tell? I enjoy those since it is telling of the creator and become iconic for them. And yes, if an artist is working on someone else's project, it's crucial to convey as much as possible with what is desired and I assume they look for fitting artwork that seems close in aspect. Now I understand people have varied tastes and backgrounds in some strictly preferring realism or your 'Hyperdimensional Neptunia' style, so whatever works before it is time to branch out.


I certainly hope no argument starts as mostly what is being given is different opinions in preference, with some experience given too. Now if someone is being affirmative in their stance, that's fine as long as they are not being combative since there is always exceptions to the rule when it comes to this sort of thing. As far as graphics are concerned, they are important to a degree as long as it is balanced with all other areas the game. What we see in the professional industry now is a lack thereof for the greater when it comes to games that are meant to entertain immediate gratification and story is not important. For RPGs on the market that are missing the mark where they once became famous for balance, I believe that has been part of their decline on consoles. SE is at the forefront of this change currently, but I'd rather hold my piece until their latest endeavor comes out. Sales might be amazing, but I'm more interested in whether people with remember the game as much as their past works, and that shows whether they succeeded or not, to me. Hype is king and people purchase most things on a whim or sight alone, so that is hard to go by these days.
Some of us might just have been around long enough to spot tropes and plot devices of all manner at this point within a few minutes, so the
search for originality becomes more important.

 

[Sharm]

Yeah, I do my thing, not someone else's.  I know, for instance, that horror is very popular, but I don't do horror tiles.  I mean, I suppose I might give it a try eventually for the challenge of it, but I don't see the point in investing a lot of time and effort into something I don't like if I could put the same amount of time and effort into something I do like and get a similar positive result.  That doesn't mean I'm not open to new styles and subjects.  I am.  I think that if you don't go out of your comfort zone as an artist and try new things from time to time that you stagnate as an artist and your work becomes self referential and flat.  But I'll branch out with small stuff, things I can play with and abandon at a moment's notice.  One of my most admired authors uses Nanowrimo this way, to write the experimental novels that he's not sure can work or in an unfamiliar writing style.  Sometimes he gets something he can publish, sometimes they're not, but they're not the sorts of things he would work on day to day.


I agree, the AAA gaming industry is becoming all flash and no substance.  I think it's that way for the art too.  If you showed me a character from the latest Final Fantasy instalment and told me they were from FF 13 I'd believe you.  I also wouldn't be able to tell you anything about that character from looking at them.  It's vaguely pretty and completely forgettable.  Hollywood's been doing it too.  My friends know my rant about the transformers movies and how annoyed I am that they spent so much time rendering pistons and panels that they forgot to make the designs of the characters visually legible.  Such a wasted opportunity.  There's a sameness in tech design these days.  A mech from Pacific Rim wouldn't look out of place in the background of a Matrix film.  But it's certainly the worst in gaming.  I find myself so much more interested in RPGs I find on RMN than I do at my local Game Stop, simply because the new stuff coming out is usually so flat and samey.


I play a lot of old games these days, and not many new ones.  *shrug*  Maybe it's because I'm older and nostalgia's getting to me, but I don't think it is.  Although I will admit a huge bias towards pixel art and away from 3D.  Most 3D games make me ill, and I love the pixel art aesthetic.

 

[Espon]

Art is usually one of the first things that attracts me to a game.  With so many games out there, you really need something that grabs people's attention.  Even if a game might have great gameplay or story, I'd likely skip over it if the artwork was bad, unless someone told me to check the game out.  Browsing through something like Steam, most games only get about 1-2 seconds of my attention before I move on, where as good art will make me click on it and read up on what it's about.

 

[RavenBlueIndigo]

Oh, another thing about art that I'll mention here is that it can actually factor into gameplay in the sense of the arts animation. Long ago I had a discussion about this where I was tackling the whole gameplay > graphics argument and I pointed out that they can go hand in hand. Visibly showing things is much more satisfying than just showing nothing at all. Imagine if you went to attack with a sword and nothing happened. It just did the damage with no input. That would honestly be kind of bland. I know a game that did this actually, and I DID like the game, but the combat was one of the weaker aspects for the lack of visual feedback. The game in question was YS Book I/II. The combat consisted of literally just walking into enemies, and some magic later, but that was the bulk of it and it was honestly kind of disappointing. When I make games, I try to animate simple things like pressing a button because it's more satisfying to see things be done visually as opposed to not shown.

 

[ObsidianTrance]

Yeah, I do my thing, not someone else's.  I know, for instance, that horror is very popular, but I don't do horror tiles.  I mean, I suppose I might give it a try eventually for the challenge of it, but I don't see the point in investing a lot of time and effort into something I don't like if I could put the same amount of time and effort into something I do like and get a similar positive result.  That doesn't mean I'm not open to new styles and subjects.  I am.  I think that if you don't go out of your comfort zone as an artist and try new things from time to time that you stagnate as an artist and your work becomes self referential and flat.  But I'll branch out with small stuff, things I can play with and abandon at a moment's notice.  One of my most admired authors uses Nanowrimo this way, to write the experimental novels that he's not sure can work or in an unfamiliar writing style.  Sometimes he gets something he can publish, sometimes they're not, but they're not the sorts of things he would work on day to day.


I agree, the AAA gaming industry is becoming all flash and no substance.  I think it's that way for the art too.  If you showed me a character from the latest Final Fantasy instalment and told me they were from FF 13 I'd believe you.  I also wouldn't be able to tell you anything about that character from looking at them.  It's vaguely pretty and completely forgettable.  Hollywood's been doing it too.  My friends know my rant about the transformers movies and how annoyed I am that they spent so much time rendering pistons and panels that they forgot to make the designs of the characters visually legible.  Such a wasted opportunity.  There's a sameness in tech design these days.  A mech from Pacific Rim wouldn't look out of place in the background of a Matrix film.  But it's certainly the worst in gaming.  I find myself so much more interested in RPGs I find on RMN than I do at my local Game Stop, simply because the new stuff coming out is usually so flat and samey.


I play a lot of old games these days, and not many new ones.  *shrug*  Maybe it's because I'm older and nostalgia's getting to me, but I don't think it is.  Although I will admit a huge bias towards pixel art and away from 3D.  Most 3D games make me ill, and I love the pixel art aesthetic.

I wouldn't have thought horror would grow to be a big thing, so that's interesting. It certainly opens different ideas and creations, but I more can see it working in a visual novel format, not really an RPG. I think most artists will have an area they enjoy the most and will eventually stretch their legs when they feel too much of the same is being done. Sometimes it's a small change, other times big. I don't think they are particularly beholden to that thinking unless they get commission work which can be anything and everything, if not take requests too. As a writer I don't I can say much considering I'm still very new to it. I suppose fantasy and horror/mystery hold my interest the most and what I think I'd be best at writing. I can't imagine doing non-fiction at all, haha!


The main title series for SE has certainly gone the direction of even having very little variation, but that's because they have Tetsuya Nomura heading most projects like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. I think the biggest reason for even his choice in style now has been for some time now, but cosplay; since it has become a really big thing over the last decade and longer, they design things so that it is easier for people to dress up as. Pop culture runs it now, for better or worse. However, there are titles that were done by Yasumi Matsuno and Akihiko Yoshida that stayed with some original designs. I'm not liking the current choices especially in Final Fantasy VII universe which come off as bland and fetish for black leather ^^
Seems you keep an eye out in most things. I never liked the designs in Transformers as they were foreign to the originals in the worst ways and Pacific Rim...they killed off everyone else in one scene for me to have made an assessment. I'm not sure what that movie was supposed to be. Most creativity might be found on handhelds these days since AAA titles require a certain look and feel that general audience aren't alienated from.


I too spend most my time with emulators and older games rather than those of recent years.It's hard to reconcile the lack in writing and imagination in other aspects like music, which has become orchestrated in games now, as I don't feel as much life in them as there used to be. You can't fault the industry for gearing toward business once it became huge, but you are undoubtedly going to lose something in the process when you hire business oriented leaders instead of game enthusiasts to run companies and projects. I value Sony's game development team a lot since they still take on projects that are about imagination (Dark Souls/Bloodborne, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and others).

Art is usually one of the first things that attracts me to a game.  With so many games out there, you really need something that grabs people's attention.  Even if a game might have great gameplay or story, I'd likely skip over it if the artwork was bad, unless someone told me to check the game out.  Browsing through something like Steam, most games only get about 1-2 seconds of my attention before I move on, where as good art will make me click on it and read up on what it's about.

What kind of games struck out in holding your interest then? I seem to roam between RPGs on handhelds, certain companies on consoles and random PC games, often first-person mystery oriented or something random like Bastion/Transistor, Stranger of Sword City, Dust if not primarily because of the artwork. I actually was doing the artwork for someone trying to make a game on Steam, but the development side was horrible and lazy and even the minimal amount of artwork I had to do was unimaginative; I would have passed it over myself and you do see a lot of that. You start somewhere and eventually learn and grow, so hopefully those devs put something out interesting later that grabs you.

Oh, another thing about art that I'll mention here is that it can actually factor into gameplay in the sense of the arts animation. Long ago I had a discussion about this where I was tackling the whole gameplay > graphics argument and I pointed out that they can go hand in hand. Visibly showing things is much more satisfying than just showing nothing at all. Imagine if you went to attack with a sword and nothing happened. It just did the damage with no input. That would honestly be kind of bland. I know a game that did this actually, and I DID like the game, but the combat was one of the weaker aspects for the lack of visual feedback. The game in question was YS Book I/II. The combat consisted of literally just walking into enemies, and some magic later, but that was the bulk of it and it was honestly kind of disappointing. When I make games, I try to animate simple things like pressing a button because it's more satisfying to see things be done visually as opposed to not shown.

That's another good area to think about, but takes a lot of painstaking effort from the person doing the sprite-work and battle animations. One thing I know will hold me back in making a game is being overly ambitious. I'd want all that you just mentioned even with the work it required, so it would take much longer to develop for an amateur. Those aspects do immerse you and show you a level of commitment from the creators that makes it all the more worthwhile. 



Now I have to disagree with Ys, lol! I love that series, even with the odd choice of bumping into your enemies for an attack animation ^^; I like to think of that as they did so with difficulty in mind because you had to attack from sides or back, never head-on. Despite that oddity, I found everything about it refreshing (though an old game I never heard of), and absolutely loved the music. I still can see how the combat might have turned you off, but in it's defense, it was an older title and they switched it up considerably by Oath in Felgana (on of my favorite games ever) and Ys Origins. I wish they never made the jump to 3D because it seemed to lose the cute sprites and level of combat only capable with sprites in how fast-paced it was, but I want to play the PS Vita game and poooossssibly the PS4 upcoming title.



If you haven't played Oath in Felgana, I highly recommend it and see how you like the new gameplay.

 

[bustedradio]

For me, aesthetic is a huge selling point. 


I primarily like to play games from Japan because their games have such a wide appeal. Some anime games I like are Fire Emblem, Persona, Tales of, and The World Ends With You. Some semi-realistic games I like are Dragon's Dogma, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Neir. Some cartoony games I like are Animal Crossing, Mario, Kirby, and Splatoon. I do like some games from the west, like Journey, because it's so breathtaking, and Fallout NV, because it has a very consistent and well lived setting. I can forgive a lot in a game as long as it's interesting to look at. I even like FF13, even though it's really linear and boring because I like how the characters look and move. 


As for playing rpgmaker games, I tend to over look a lot of games that use default sprites or edited default sprites. I think it's just too boring and traditional. Just like Espon, I probably wouldn't give is a second look unless someone recommended the game to me. I understand it might be unfair to those who are less artistically inclined because the writing or gameplay may be something I enjoy a lot if I gave it a try, but I can't help myself. Some rpgmaker games I like are Alicemare, Wadanohara, OFF, and Poms Get Wi-Fi.


When I make my own games, I like to create my own art assets. It gives me greater overall control of what kind of look and feel I want my game to have. In general, I like to keep my environments simple and my characters a bit more detailed (kind of like the opposite of Gibli Films haha), but they're both very colorful and bright. It kind of stems from my own personality, where the bright faces often hold the darkest secrets. Cliche I know haha. 


Though first and foremost, I create games for myself. It's a good creative outlet and something to keep me busy. Every single design is something that makes me happy. If other people happen to like it too, then it's a nice little bonus. 

 

[dragon_drager]

IMO, graphics, music, story is important for games.


Music and story is most important,


graphics is number 2,


it is useless if you have super professional quality style artwork, if story and music can't support it, it will be useless. unless if you creating eroge or porn game.


for quality of artwork, IMO its needed but doesn't important, as long as we can tell are their women or men it will be fine


for art style it should be match to the game.


you can use anime-ish style for western RPG like Skyrim or The Last of Us, but it will bring small impact to the game "feel" but you can manipulate it by music, that why I said music is important aspect for game or film, because it is part of atmosphere and story telling family


but for game type like Visual Novel, RPG Classic, whatever artwork style you use is fine, but once again, it depend on you game.


ie if you game is thriller, horror, gore game and you use moe-ish anime style for all character, of course you can, but it will bring small impact to game feel/atmosphere, but again, you can manipulate it by music.


So whatever art style for game is fine, but for audience is important, you must deciding what style you should use for attracting you audience

 

[ObsidianTrance]

IMO, graphics, music, story is important for games.


Music and story is most important,


graphics is number 2,


it is useless if you have super professional quality style artwork, if story and music can't support it, it will be useless. unless if you creating eroge or porn game.


for quality of artwork, IMO its needed but doesn't important, as long as we can tell are their women or men it will be fine


for art style it should be match to the game.


you can use anime-ish style for western RPG like Skyrim or The Last of Us, but it will bring small impact to the game "feel" but you can manipulate it by music, that why I said music is important aspect for game or film, because it is part of atmosphere and story telling family


but for game type like Visual Novel, RPG Classic, whatever artwork style you use is fine, but once again, it depend on you game.


ie if you game is thriller, horror, gore game and you use moe-ish anime style for all character, of course you can, but it will bring small impact to game feel/atmosphere, but again, you can manipulate it by music.


So whatever art style for game is fine, but for audience is important, you must deciding what style you should use for attracting you audience

Just so I'm not confused in understand the rest of the post, graphics and artwork count as the same or two different things to you?

 

[Hellpug]

It's all important. If you have great art, but the story's garbage, it's not going to be very enjoyable. If you're art's not good, some people may not even look at the game. You don't want people muting the game from awful sound/music either, or annoy the hell out of them. It all needs equal amounts of attention. If you are concerned about using default assets in terms of art, consider how you can map in a way that's different or look at what's commonly used and try using tiles that aren't used often. Even if you are restricted to non-custom stuff, you should take the time to properly choose everything.

 

[ObsidianTrance]

It's all important. If you have great art, but the story's garbage, it's not going to be very enjoyable. If you're art's not good, some people may not even look at the game. You don't want people muting the game from awful sound/music either, or annoy the hell out of them. It all needs equal amounts of attention. If you are concerned about using default assets in terms of art, consider how you can map in a way that's different or look at what's commonly used and try using tiles that aren't used often. Even if you are restricted to non-custom stuff, you should take the time to properly choose everything.

Those are interesting suggestion in terms of mapping and using unpopular/uncommon tilesets. Hopefully that has worked and I'm sure someone has done such in the past, but the typical complaints against RPG Maker (though a great starting point and something you can truly turn into something commercial and great with effort, is just how RPG Maker is designed. People always find all the default assets bland and no different than the previous installments, not unless the project is using custom sets. It's always the projects that go beyond the standard that achieve success or remembrance, even though I'm sure there are projects that put a great deal of effort into the game with the limitations they were given.
Everything plays a vital role together, and as some have pointed out, usually the first thing that is going to grab interest is the artwork even before discovering if the game is quality or not. A game like I Am Setsuna is beautiful and has its own appeal for about ten hours, but even I found myself weary of the same environments before even finished; I suppose the same could be said of those familiar with working or following RPG Maker over the years, we are creatures that eventually need a change of aesthetics no matter how much you try and make the defaults work in your favor.

 

[Hyacin]

I my opinion the art is the most important thing for catching the attention and making people play the game, gameplay and story is most important for making people stay and music for making people enjoy your game.


The first thing I see is the art and when it's not appealing to me I just don't look any further at the game. There are so many games out there I think most people would chose to look first into the games which have appealing art.


I like selfdrawn characters more than the ones made with the generator. It gives the game a personal touch. I also like the thought that people might recognize your game just by the art. You can also influence the atmosphere of your game through it (what I think is more difficult with presets). And a good atmosphere is a big step into a good game, in my opinion. 


If it is anime, realism does not really matter to me.

 

[dragon_drager]

Just so I'm not confused in understand the rest of the post, graphics and artwork count as the same or two different things to you?

as Hyacin  said, for me it is important for catching attention.


but for gameplay itself, IMO graphics and artwork is same things to me, its secondary aspect, because like I said before, for me music and story line is first priority stuff


btw, Im not understand about different between graphics and artwork (because you asking me it is same or two different things to me)


but for conclusion for my opinion about graphics-artwork is important but after music and story


-Music, Story


-Graphics


-Gameplay


-Quest


....

 

[eadgear]

As a gamer, art is very important for the game especially in the first phase of the game in market. I wouldn't play a game if I saw that the screenshots of the game isn't that appealing. I notice that some of people here told you that it's all about the gameplay and story. It is, BUT it's not in the first phase of the game in the market. What I mean with the first phase is the stage where no one knows your game and no one told me about the game. For example, I'm a gamer looking for a new game to play. I browse my shop and look for the game. The first thing I saw is the logo, if it's not interesting enough I wouldn't open it. And if the name of the game quite interesting, I will click it and look for screenshots. Again if I didn't find it interesting I wouldn't browse more of its info. Art is important in the first phase. Now that the game is no longer in the first phase. The talk of the town is the next phase. People will tell how wonderful the story, the sound and the gameplay of your game. In that time, art isn't that so important but still important since some people's check list of the game to play, the first thing they want is something pleasant to the eye.


For the style or art, it's the uniqueness that reigning. Why? people loves anything that is new to them. It's like,"It's interesting to play since it's new".


About the anime versus realism. You can't compare them since they targeted different players. Some play either of the two or both. But when it comes to theme. If the game is a science fiction and something like aliens and technology. It is best to choose realism. But if the game is about fantasy, elves and fanservice and lots of girls (especially maids). The anime style is what perfectly fits.