Tema y Estilo

What is the difference between style and genre in art?

The art world encompasses a vast array of terms and concepts that are often confused with each other. Two of these crucial concepts are style and genre. While genre refers to the themes that a work encompasses, style is related to the techniques and aesthetic decisions that are used to represent them. For example, you might find artists leaning towards the use of oils while others prefer pastels. The female figure and scenes intertwined with nature are recurring themes in both styles, but the techniques for depicting them can vary significantly.

How does style and genre influence video games?

In video game development, understanding style and genre is fundamental to defining the project. Style sets the visual standards of the game, that is, it is the aesthetic decisions that bring the game to life. For example, Shovel Knight and Kingdom Come: Deliverance may share a genre -medieval-, but their styles are completely different: one adopting a 'cartoon' aesthetic while the other seeks realism.

To imagine how the two concepts are related, let's think of a tool called "Reachfinder" or "Range". This allows you to identify and compare different aesthetic and stylistic directions. For example, if a game is dark and dangerous, it might want to be contrasted with something lively and radiant. Decisions like these guide the setting and the player's emotional experience.

How do you decide between cinematic or video game style?

Often, the question arises as to whether a video game should lean more towards a cinematic-inspired representation or adhere to the pure video game style. Take Batman for example: the approach could be towards the movies or towards the game series such as "Arkham Asylum". This decision affects the design of the entire game and its narrative, as significantly different paths can be taken depending on the visual direction chosen.

What role does stylization play in artistic development?

Stylization is a visual representation that can change and evolve with hardware limitations and advancements. For example, in Uncharted, Nathan Drake tries to look realistically human. However, the limitations of the consoles of the time affected the graphical representation. Over time, and with technological advancement, the character has been refined, showing features such as sweat or dust, adding that layer of realism originally sought.

The question lies in how we perform this stylization, which can be exaggerated or minimalist. Sometimes games adopt an extremely cartoonish style deliberately, or choose a more simplified representation to fit a certain aesthetic or desired emotion.

How do we select the right genre for a video game?

The genre in a video game brings together elements that provide a predefined structure. Some of the characteristics that define the genre include player objectives, story type, levels, and camera perspective. For example, "Persona" mixes genres such as classic JRPG with elements of dungeon crawling and visual novel, creating a unique experience.

To determine the best genre for a project, it is vital to consider what type of experience you want to give the player, how they will move through the game, and what expectations they may have given the game's classification.

In short, understanding and effectively applying the concepts of style and genre is crucial to any art or video game project. These elements determine the visual and thematic direction that will shape the entire user experience, creating more engaging and coherent narratives and environments.