Art Styles Per Genre Discussion

HostileGForce

Hey there fellow Polycount peeps!

I have been thinking lately about the correlation of Games Art Styles and Game Genres. What makes certain genres better with certain styles and where do they clash?
For example, stylized and hand-painted games tend to include MOBAs such as League and Dota 2. However RPGs such as World of Warcraft also have similar art styles, but some try to be as realistic as possible. Ultimately, I have been wondering what styles are out there and how they affect certain genres.

My questions for you all:

• What styles do you relate to what genres and why?
• Second, the inverse. What styles do you NOT relate to what genres and why?
• Bonus point question: What is your favorite game (relatively modern) and what can you say about the art style?

Feel free to answer any question as thoroughly or not as you'd like.

JordanN

I imagine it has to do with a lot of factors:
-what type of hardware does it run on
-what kind of audience is buying into the genre
-how has the genre been treated historically

It would be rare to see a platformer using the same artstyle as COD, because platformers have historically been marketed as for kids with vibrant colors for example.

Just like how you wont see a lot of FPS games looking like a Disney cartoon. The market for it generally leans towards games going for a serious, gritty look, that's being played by adults.

Some other genres offer flexibility. Fighting games can be as realistic or cartoony as they want. There is also a middle ground like Street Fighter, that offers stylized but proportionally humans.

Tobbo

I really don't think there's a tie between art style and genre. Art style is entirely up to the direction that the leads want to take it in. There's a variety of art styles in just about every genre, including shooters.

I personally love well done stylized art. I hate when people term stylized, colorful art, as just being "for kids" or as being "not serious" as that is very much not the case.

I think one of the reasons MMOs and MOBAs tend to go towards the stylized route has to do with longevity (outdated graphics). Stylized art is much more forgiving with the test of time.

Blaisoid

I'd love to work on something like a grotesque hand painted horror game.
Or FPS with some trippy psychedelic art style.

To be honest there aren't really many styles that have been given their own names so it's hard to discuss this stuff.
Most people just make distinction between realistic and stylized but this throws whole bunch of different styles into same bag.

valuemeal

Tough Guy Games
Hyper real
Photo real
someone gory painted things
The aesthetics of these games don't last more than a console's run

Woodland Games
Photo real with a tinge of brown and grey
Low poly paper that was painted with hand

Platformers
Radiant plastics
Low poly paper painted with hands
Cell shade

RPGs
Sprite graphics
Sometimes low poly paper if it's hand held
Cell shade
Sometimes 2D animation

Fighting Games
Old school sprites that look like paintings
Sprites that look like sprites
Stylized somewhat painting like cell shade
Hyper real if we are talking about the tough guy fighting games

Racing Games
Photo Real for the ones with actual cars
Radiant Plastic for Mario Kart
Cell shade

Chimp

Games that you are expected to years playing all day every day (mmos etc) will tend to have art styles that wont age and are easy to look at - hand painted, that's my thoughts on that.

Kel-Shaded

Chimp wrote: »

Games that you are expected to years playing all day every day (mmos etc) will tend to have art styles that wont age and are easy to look at - hand painted, that's my thoughts on that.

Thats a very good point