GAME GRAPHICS

The viewer's perspective: If it is true that a picture is worth 1,000 words, does the picture make one wonder what the 1,000 words are?  Are any hints revealed in the next frame?  Does one scene lead to another?  Do the images actually tell a story, or are they just nicely aligned?

The production perspective: No Web site is complete without graphics.  Granted, many business web pages stop at a white background and simple art, so as not to detract from the main message. Many of the objects on the page with which the user will interact are splashes of color, if not iconic. Visual interaction is faster than reading, and is a key point for Web designers and game developers. The visual continuum ranges from theme colors and fonts, to links and frames, to icons, photographs, and art, to interactive animation, games and downloadables, and aftermarket products.

Demonstrations of how to make a product are the next best thing to actually creating one. The processes demonstrated in this portfolio are simple, and they combine to create an effect. My primary tools include Photoshop,  Illustrator, and Camtasia. <3>GAME GENRES

Have you ever wondered about the difference between video games?  The following is an industry standard that indicates "what's in the box".

BEHIND THE SCENES

There are two sides to videogame development: theoretical and practical. 

• Theoretically, it is good practice to start with a well-known story, possibly in the public domain. User appeal is based on familiarity and curiosity. Then, create a draft storyboard that can be presented to stakeholders. They would make suggestions for inclusion or improvement, and the next edition is a publicly-available product.
  
  
• In practice, the screenplay (script) and art assets are provided. Assets usually include text, sounds, and art. Developer(s) then create programming scripts that interact with the game engine to tell the story by moving objects on the screen.
   
• In reality,  assets are created by teams that are dedicated to the project.  This creates a full-immersion environment in which team members do not create product that is not part of the project and is not owned by the studio. This allows the game to use higher-quality art and animation.

ADVENTURE GAMES 

Adventure games allow the user to move around on the screen and manipulate objects, but the primary mode of interaction is text (or audio) that tells a story.  A one-level, one-room adventure game can showcase videogame development skills.  "Real" 2D games are more complex, in the same way that a 12-episode television show is more complex than one 30-minute episode.

Game action can be point and click, or it can rely on keyboard (WASD) game controls. Right-mouse clicks change the mouse cursor to different types of interaction, and left-mouse clicks move the character on the screen.

CASUAL GAMES 

Are casual games worth the time and money? is there a story line, and if so, is it age-appropriate? Regardless of your answers, do you play the game anyway? If you have considered authoring or animating videogames, you may want to start with low-pressure games and work your way up to 3D first-person games.

ONLINE GAME EXCERPTS

Back in the day, I had my favorite casual games, and I decided to take photographs of one of them. Although some games allow the user to take photographs inside the game, to share with other online players, many of them do not allow images to leave the game. However, any artist with the time, skills, and tools can circumvent that. This CastleVille Poster is an example of the game that was played, and Making Believable Graphics is about the skills and tools that were associated with the process.