The Impact of Art Style on Video Games

University of Central Florida University of Central Florida

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Honors Undergraduate Theses UCF Theses and Dissertations

2021

The Impact of Art Style on Video Games The Impact of Art Style on Video Games

Eric Sarver

University of Central Florida

Part of the Game Design Commons

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Recommended Citation Recommended Citation

Sarver, Eric, "The Impact of Art Style on Video Games" (2021).

Honors Undergraduate Theses

. 875.

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/875

THE IMPACT OF ART STYLE ON VIDEO GAMES

ERIC CHRISTIAN SARVER

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the Honors in the Major Program in Games and Interactive Media

in the College of the Sciences

and in the Burnett Honors College

at the University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

Spring Term

2021

ABSTRACT

The focus of this thesis is to explore the impact of art styles on video-games. This was

done so that I could contribute something more to the digital media industry regarding this topic,

and show people unique data sets that may help guide them in the right direction if they are

looking for answers to questions they may have about art styles and their impact on the success

of games. This was done through a study that was conducted via an online survey, where results

were taken from student participants over the age of 18 in the GAIM program at UCF. I found

that there was a correlation between the familiarity that people had with a game and how well

they thought a particular art style was fitting for a game. This study is useful because it can help

describe what people thought about various popular genres for video-games. This deep dive into

the subject of art styles found in video-games is important as it shows that popular games have

what players consider good art style. Research in games is a growing category in the world of

digital media. This study collected data specifically from students in that field and helps give a

new perspective on what that demographic thinks about art styles in the games they are familiar

with and will hopefully impact the games they will make in the future.

iii

DEDICATION

I personally dedicate this thesis to the members involved in this project including my

thesis chair, department chair, members of my committee and the individuals at Honors

Research. My family and friends I have made along the way are also some people I would like to

dedicate this to as I’ve found them very supportive of me. For a further look at some of the key

individuals that are credited for their contributions, please see the Acknowledgments page.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank several people for all the contributions they have given to this

research project. One way or another, the people listed here have made some valuable

contribution to this project and helped it continue. This is why I believe it is important to thank

those individuals for their assistance which helped make this paper what it is today. I would like

to thank:

Dr. Smith, Ph.D.

Dr. Underberg-Goode, Ph.D.

Dr. Lohmeyer, Ph.D.

Dr. Stanfill, Ph.D.

Mr. Howard, M.A.

Dr. Waldron, Ph.D.

Amanda Ammirati

Without these people, this research project may not have been possible to complete.

v 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii 
DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iii 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv 
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v 
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii 
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. x 
LIST OF MEDIA/ABBREVIATIONS/NOMENCLATURE/ACRONYMS .................... xi 
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 12 
Purpose .......................................................................................................................... 12 
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................... 14 
Defining Art Style ......................................................................................................... 14 
The Importance of Art Style on Video Games ............................................................. 15 
The Impact of Art Style on Player Demographics ........................................................ 22 
The Impact of Art Style on Genre Expectations ........................................................... 26 
The Impact of Art Style on Enjoyment ......................................................................... 32 
Novel Art Styles in Games ........................................................................................... 37 
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 44 
Participants .................................................................................................................... 44 
Materials ....................................................................................................................... 45 
Informed Consent...................................................................................................... 45 
Art Style Survey ........................................................................................................ 45 

vi 
 
Demographics Survey ............................................................................................... 46 
Post Exposure Information ....................................................................................... 47 
Procedure ...................................................................................................................... 47 
Timeline ........................................................................................................................ 48 
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS................................................................................................. 50 
Demographic Results .................................................................................................... 50 
The Relationship Between Familiarity and Art Style ................................................... 54 
Specific Examples of Interesting Findings ................................................................... 61 
Sea of Thieves ........................................................................................................... 62 
Remnant: From the Ashes ......................................................................................... 66 
Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die .................................................................. 71 
Borderlands 3 ............................................................................................................ 76 
Treasure of Abyss ..................................................................................................... 81 
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................... 88 
Discussion ..................................................................................................................... 88 
Limitation of Current Study .......................................................................................... 91 
Future Work .................................................................................................................. 94 
Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 95 
APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL .................................................................................... 97 
APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT ...................................................................... 99 
Informed Consent............................................................................................................ 100 
Demographics ................................................................................................................. 101 

vii

Demographics ................................................................................................................. 106

Logo Testing ................................................................................................................... 108

LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 115

viii 
 
LIST OF FIGURES 
Figure 1: Gender Demographics ....................................................................................... 51 
Figure 2: What Personality Do You Most Identify With? ................................................ 52 
Figure 3: Do you like Video Games? ............................................................................... 52 
Figure 4: How often do you play video games? ............................................................... 53 
Figure 5: What Media Are You Interested In? ................................................................. 54 
Figure 6: Familiarity with Sea of Thieves ........................................................................ 63 
Figure 7: How Well Does the Art Style Fit Sea of Thieves .............................................. 64 
Figure 8: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the 
Art Style Fits for Sea of Thieves ................................................................................................... 66 
Figure 9: Familiarity with Remnant: From the Ashes ...................................................... 67 
Figure 10: How well does the art style fit Remnant: From the Ashes .............................. 68 
Figure 11: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the 
Art Style Fits for Remnant: From the Ashes ................................................................................ 70 
Figure 12: Familiarity with Sam & Max........................................................................... 72 
Figure 13: How well does the art style fit Sam & Max .................................................... 73 
Figure 14: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the 
Art Style Fits for Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die.......................................................... 75 
Figure 15: Familiarity with Borderlands 3........................................................................ 76 
Figure 16: How well does the art style fit Borderlands 3 ................................................. 78 
Figure 17: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the 
Art Style Fits for Borderlands 3 .................................................................................................... 80 
Figure 18: Familiarity with Treasure of Abyss ................................................................. 82 
Figure 19: How well does the art style fit Treasure of Abyss .......................................... 84 

Figure 20: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the

Art Style Fits for Treasure of Abyss ............................................................................................. 86

x 
 
LIST OF TABLES 
Table 1: Familiarity v. Art Style Action ........................................................................... 56 
Table 2: Familiarity v. Art Style Adventure ..................................................................... 57 
Table 3: Familiarity v. Art Style Casual ........................................................................... 58 
Table 4: Familiarity v. Art Style RPG .............................................................................. 59 
Table 5: Familiarity v. Art Style Simulation .................................................................... 60 
Table 6: Familiarity v. Art Style Summary Table ............................................................ 61 
Table 7: Familiarity with Sea of Thieves .......................................................................... 64 
Table 8: How well does the art style fit Sea of Thieves ................................................... 65 
Table 9: Familiarity v. Art Style Sea of Thieves .............................................................. 65 
Table 10: Familiarity with Remnant: From the Ashes...................................................... 68 
Table 11: How well does the art style fit Remnant: From the Ashes ............................... 69 
Table 12: Familiarity v. Art Style Remnant: From the Ashes .......................................... 70 
Table 13: Familiarity with Sam & Max ............................................................................ 72 
Table 14: How well does the art style fit Sam & Max...................................................... 74 
Table 15: Familiarity v. Art Style Sam & Max ................................................................ 74 
Table 16: Familiarity with Borderlands 3 ......................................................................... 77 
Table 17: How well does the art style fit Borderlands 3 ................................................... 79 
Table 18:Familiarity v. Art Style Borderlands 3 .............................................................. 79 
Table 19: Familiarity with Treasure of Abyss .................................................................. 83 
Table 20: How well does the art style fit Treasure of Abyss ............................................ 85 
Table 21: Familiarity v. Art Style Treasure of Abyss ....................................................... 85 

LIST OF MEDIA/ABBREVIATIONS/NOMENCLATURE/ACRONYMS

FPS First Person Shooter

GAIM Games and Interactive Media

GES Game Experience Survey

IRB Institutional Review Board

JRPG Japanese Role Playing Game

MDA Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics

NEA National Endowment for the Arts

RPG Role Playing Game

SS Statistically Significant

UCF University of Central Florida

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Some people believe they can find success in video games by mimicking the styles used

for successful video games and that by staying in line with the art styles of successful games they

will have similar success. This paper aims to explore the appropriateness of art styles in both

successful and less successful games across multiple genres. To accomplish this, this project will

seek to explore different art styles and general aesthetics found within games and explain why

some art styles are successful (found in higher selling games) while others are not.

The project aims to answer the question of stylistic appropriateness through the

exploration of various source materials and will use sound research practice to back up the

claims made as to why specific styles may or may not have succeeded with certain audiences.

Specifically, the project will use a series of surveys and research with game audiences that

explores the reception of certain styles applied to various game genres.

The information this paper seeks to find is not as mainstream as could be expected. The

goal of this paper is to expand the research in this area. Beyond adding more research, this paper

also aims to inform those that are interested in learning about video games and their

development. It explains how people can develop their games and make a more informed

decision on an art style that goes beyond mimicry of the last popular game’s art, while helping

them avoid common pitfalls.

Purpose

There are a plethora of games out there and they all vary in the way they apply art style to

a given genre or theme. The overall purpose of this project is to explore the impact of art style

and aesthetics on the expectations of players. This information is often overlooked but crucial to

the success of games and should interest all gaming audiences whether they are academic,

hobbyist developers or professionals. Regardless of role, the reader should be able to take away

something beneficial for themselves in relation to art styles and visuals of video games. The

discussion provides details of common visual tropes and techniques used in games, and the data

analysis will eventually outline statistics to apply to game designs. The ultimate intent of this

paper is to answer questions about art styles and apply statistics to help determine the best art

style for a given game design. This paper seeks to help inform the artist on the expectations of

their audience, and how to avoid pitfalls.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

Contained in this area are numerous categories that provide information on art styles

found throughout video games. In Defining Art Style, definitions for Art Style can be found

which help frame the overall understanding of the following categories after that one. The

Importance of Art Style on Video Games allows for people to understand the key role it plays

with those. The Impact of Art Style on Player Demographics helps show who exactly is affected

by Art Style. The Impact of Art Style on Genre Expectations provides insight on how audiences

perceive certain classifications for games when it comes to different approaches. The Impact of

Art Style on Enjoyment brings about knowledge of amusement people have for games. Novel

Art Styles in Games showcases newfound and cutting-edge crafting methods. Overall, these can

be taken as ways to help decompose some of the main aspects for art styles in video games to

achieve a greater understanding of them.

Defining Art Style

To understand the role of art and aesthetics in video games it is best to start with a review

of the Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics (MDA) model “The MDA framework is a formal

approach to understanding games, and it provides a useful model for us to grasp how

gamification works” [1]. It is said by Bohyun Kim that “The MDA (mechanics, dynamics, and

aesthetics) model breaks down a player’s consumption process of games into three parts: rules,

system, and fun” [1]. These categories are further developed later into “three counterparts” [1].

● “Mechanics refers to the various actions, behaviors, and control mechanisms afforded to

the player within a game context” [1].

● “Dynamics appear to game players as the system that creates the desirable game

experience, while game designers see them as design principles for the interaction

between game mechanics and players” [1].

● “Lastly, aesthetics are the goal of gameplay itself for game players” [1]. “But to game

designers, they are the ultimate emotional responses or states that they want to generate

in people through the use of game dynamics and game mechanics” [1].

For “The MDA model”, this explanation was shown “because it allows us to consider the

perspectives of a game designer and a game player at the same time” [1]. It is necessary to know

this to fully comprehend the inner workings of video games.

Many consider the art of video games frivolous; however, many artists are working in

this field today. Both the art of game design and the art one finds in games are truly art. In

regard to “video games”, one can take the “art” of them seriously because, “The US National

Endowment for the Arts (NEA) now considers video games eligible for artistic funding, meaning

they are legally recognized as an art form” [2].

The Importance of Art Style on Video Games

Art styles in video games are important because if a style is not executed properly, it

could lead to the game’s overall detriment in some way. Sometimes if they are not shown in the

proper fashion, it could leave the game to contradict itself visually or leave the player confused.

For example, a realistic art style may not be best suited for a game that is predominantly cartoon-

like in its gameplay, such as a game like Super Mario Bros. and how Super Mario can eat a

Mushroom and gain abilities from it. It is always something that will be looked at and examined

in one way or another, whether it is used in the box art, or if it is shown through other

promotional materials. If a person is going to purchase a game based on the art style shown in

promotions, it is vital that the developer makes sure that the art style is as strong as it can be.

Sometimes a promotional material may make a player think a game will be like it is shown in

that specific material and then the actual game turns out to be completely different. On the

whole, that is why it is very important that developers clearly know the direction they need to

take an art style in for it to go hand in hand with the game being developed.

Video games in general are usually seen as a controversial topic to many [3]. Thankfully,

there is enough research going on today to showcase that video games are not always harmful to

people and can indeed be positive [3]. Ryan Matthew Patton states that “Games, defined in this

study as structured play, provided the foundation for many of the works from 20th century art

movements, such as Dadaism, Surrealism, Situationism, and Fluxus” [3]. He also writes about

some of the negative stances that come bundled with this type of media sometimes, including

ones from those that believe that the youth of the world will be damaged in some way [3]. The

overall premise of the examination on juveniles that Patton made can be summed up in a few

phrases and he reveals the general idea for it, stating that it utilized “game-like methods” for

“game-based artworks” [3]. They also write that these juvenile participants voiced the inside

mechanics of playable software creations and that they knew there were different levels of

complication with these [3].

Patton claims that “From their game making experiences, students gained confidence and

knowledge finding game structures in everyday life and how to make programmable media like

video games” [3]. They state that “This study argues that learning through game-based art

pedagogy, students begin to understand complexity thinking by producing digital media as a

form of artistic expression, and as a form of preparation for future learning in and beyond a 4-

12th grade art curriculum” [3]. Ultimately this accomplished something for game art; it did a

fantastic job showing the possibility that game art can be beneficial to students’ lives [3].

Software like Brain Age and Art Academy have the possibility of being new positive factors to

this research [3]. This also shows another example where game art can be tied to many different

visual representations and it thrives in different genres [3]. What can be gathered is that multiple

forms of expression are better than a single monotonous one [3].

Sometimes, to fully understand something, it must be visualized [4]. João Filho, Liandro

Machado, Natal Junior, Artur Franco, and José Maia provide a nice definition for “Concept Art”

which “is the type of art which the main focus is to represent an idea graphically in order to help

the development of a product” [4]. They say that “Concept Art involves the creation of

characters, environments and stories that help to demonstrate how that idea could be

implemented and integrated to the final product” [4]. Some books like The Art of Death

Stranding even give a glimpse at these types of visuals like “concept art” [4]. Then they say that

the production of multiple concepts usually happens because one successful outcome is usually

what is desired [4]. They come to the conclusion that “it is clear that this task can benefit from

adopting an adequate development process given the enormous effort necessary to accomplish it”

[4]. This is all good at showing the level of work that is required to produce an overall successful

“aesthetic” for a video game [4]. Someone can look at this and use it as a baseline for measuring

what it generally takes to produce “concept art” for video games [4]. Lastly, the writers say that

up-and-coming things creators have as aids to make things justifies more discussion and research

because of the difficulty involved which shows that this is generally a topic that is expected to

change or be written about again in the future [4]. Hopefully when it is, it will be with all new

progress [4].

Modern day software leaves people with a lot and puts them in a state of not wanting

much more [5]. One person named Mary Keo writes this about their work “This thesis examines

the most common graphical styles and visualization methods and how these methods were used

to create content that brought life to the game world while still maintaining the balance between

playability and visuals” [5]. Keo found that “The visual fidelity of a game has been in a critical

role in marketing and selling games for years” [5]. She says that while software continues to

become upgraded, creators of types that are both miniscule and large also emerge and create a

variety of choices [5]. She then goes on to say that when creating such software, anything that is

seen in them are considered very essential things involved [5]. She even instills this more by

telling that people who push titles in advertising claim imagery must be most vital when talking

about the promotion of them [5]. One notable thing this author writes is that “while characters in

realistic games are very detailed and look close to a real human, many people still feel like the

characters are artificial and that there is something missing” [5]. Keo then writes that “Because

the fact that the character looks so much like a human but there is just that minor thing that feels

off; it could be the lifeless eyes, stiff animations or appearance inaccuracies” [5]. This shows that

even though the aesthetics of video games have come very far, there is still room for

improvement [5]. It shows that generally the aesthetics of video games are still something that

are highly critiqued by some [5]. Today’s games like Red Dead Redemption 2 may look

outstanding, but models like this and of a similar nature still have minor giveaways that show

they are still human creations [5]. Even while this is true, creators have the power to show how

their creations are presented to audiences [5].

Complicated renditions in video games usually showcase graphics that are true to life, so

visuals in those games may look like direct copies of visuals found in the tangible world [6]. For

simpler subjects, one author named Hyerim Cho gave insight that they might require a more

specific touch to make it still appear as if they are also drawn from the world we live in [6].

Hyerim Cho wrote about some perceptible methods for video games like “Minimalism” which

they explain as “a style characterized by its lack of decorative content and an overall emphasis

on simple forms and lines” [6]. They write that “In describing video game art, it should refer to

the intentional simplifying of an entity or landscape into basic but recognizable forms, without

being abstract” [6]. It shows that there is still an element of iconicity needed for development

even while delving into more simple subjects [6]. For this, they show the example of the game

“Fox Vs Duck” and claim it utilizes basic designs along with silenced complexions which overall

make for a triumphant creation [6]. One could possibly say that the classic Atari games like

Centipede are also good examples of this type of work [6]. Briefly, this has been about how

elements of “Minimalism” are important for video games [6].

Sometimes particular academic locations only recognize something if it has made an

impact of some sort [7]. Kelli Wood wrote along with David S. Carter that art styles of games

partially helped bring video games to a new location [7]. They claim “The 1962 Decuscope

newsletter elucidates how the proliferation of new formats of information and the need for

libraries to store and circulate that media responded to the co-evolution of computer technology

and early video game development” [7]. They continue that “Over half a century later, video

games have blossomed into one of the most prevalent forms of media in the world and remain at

the forefront of not only technological, but also artistic, innovation” [7]. Then they write “As a

result, university libraries began including video games in their collections to support research

across disciplines as well as for their entertainment value” [7]. This shows that entities like art

styles may be a big part of what caused those locations to be so inviting for these software

programs [7]. If such pieces did not have that kind of avant-garde approach to them, then they

may not have even been admitted to those educational institutes [7]. Perhaps if the software was

bland and uninteresting, it would just blend together with other failures [7]. To conclude, this is

how art styles were important here.

Environments of software may or may not be a definitive part of a title [8]. One article

written by “Matt Barton” takes a look at positions that climate occupies for software [8]. He

claims that “While some progress has been made in certain areas (wind blowing on the grass,

rippling water, rain or storms affecting planes in flight simulators), there is still much room

improvement and challenges for aspiring game developers and graphics artists” [8]. Then he says

that with making believable locations there is an outcome where “even the most realistic games

offer a hodgepodge of realistic and very unrealistic effects; a patch of grass might flow in the

wind, but a character standing in the midst of a terrible rainstorm won’t even get wet” [8]. This is

at least one example where style conflicts are considered bad [8]. This shows that some people

may want art styles to remain consistent throughout a video game [8]. Later he mentions “cloud

rendering” and praises a game saying that “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 not only generates

clouds; it generates three types (cumulus, stratus, and cumulonimbus) and allows players to fly

their planes through them” [8]. It is attention to detail like this that really makes an art style shine

[8]. When creators do not have anything special that sets their game apart from others, then the

style may be considered a failure by some [8]. In short, this shows how styles of meteorology are

important in games [8].

Sometimes people either have feelings towards software titles that are considered good or

bad [9]. This final composition by Jon Robson, Grant Tavinor, and Wesley Cray takes a look at

visuals within software [9]. It starts out by saying that more and more software is being looked at

from a notional level today with more theories being delved into for them [9]. Then it states

“Some scholars will view this development positively, seeing games and videogames as capable

of possessing aesthetic, artistic, and narrative idiosyncrasies meriting philosophical examination

as well as taking them to offer illuminating parallels and contrasts with antecedently legitimized

and well-studied media such as film and the novel” [9]. This showcases an example of how the

“aesthetics” of “games” are being accepted into multiple avenues by respected individuals [9]. It

is also worth noting that in contrast to this, Robson, Tavinor, and Cray claim “Others will view

this development negatively, lamenting that inquiry into games and videogames will ultimately

offer little in terms of new and serious philosophical insight into either the subjects themselves or

the more well-studied media which they might be taken to resemble” [9]. This shows the

unfortunate side of the spectrum regarding what might apply to visuals and software generally

speaking [9]. The authors end the text on an optimistic note by saying that they see the situation

probably getting better with software in regards to analytical material like theories, closing with

the belief that past occurrences like playable software titles have been part of general progress

[9]. Resident Evil 3 could serve as a modern day example of a game that would be considered

something worth deciphering [9]. Authors everywhere should always go for the effect that is

long lasting in the mind [9].

So hopefully now readers see why art styles are important for video games. Different

cases of video games call for different approaches to be taken. That is why it may be considered

in the best practice to take that into account first. This is because once a game is launched, there

may be no turning back. In conclusion, this also brings us to our next topic which consists of art

styles and demographics for video games.

The Impact of Art Style on Player Demographics

Art style impacts demographics in several ways. Sometimes there may have a video game

demographic someone is trying to appeal to, and the only way to do that is to create something

with an art style they have seen before. In some cases, certain demographics may have become

accustomed to a certain art style because of what they previously were exposed to. In that case,

those demographics might not like it when a completely new art style is introduced to them in

titles that they already know and love. Even though some people may want to try new

experiences, that cannot be said about everyone. Some people are faithful to a brand simply

because of the art style that they have known and loved for a long time. People like that may

break their long-term commitment to a franchise if the art style used for it is no longer in line

with the one they first knew. If the art style used is not something that a certain demographic

likes, then it makes it very hard to appeal to that said group. Wrapping up, this is how art style

impacts demographics.

Some might think character design is a complicated thing, but like many educational

drawing materials showcase, characters can often be broken down into simple shapes to make

them easier to draw [10]. Another purpose of breaking down characters into shapes, however, is

to learn about how these shapes are perceived [10]. Chris Solarski claims that “As video game

designers it's important that we appreciate both modern and classical standpoints on aesthetics,

although classical techniques are of more practical benefit to us as artists and designers” [10]. It

states that “Because reality is so visually complex, professional artists conceptually reduce

objects to simple lines, shapes, and volumes, to simplify the task of rendering reality” [10].

Solarski goes on to say that “This abstraction is something that is familiar to 3D digital artists

working in such programs as Maya or 3ds Max, where each object -- whether it's a figure, an

environment, or a prop -- will start its life as a primitive shape” [10].

The three shapes referenced are the “Circle” that represents “innocence, youth, energy,

femininity”, the “Square” that represents “maturity, stability, balance, stubbornness” and the

“Triangle” which shows “aggression, masculinity, force” [10]. They show an image of popular

logos, locations and vehicles and make a statement that “The dynamic curves of Disney's logo,

which references the circle, are echoed in the curved pattern of a beachside promenade --

encouraging us to visually and physically experience the objects in a dynamic way” [10].

Reading further, shows another comparison that translates to the art of video games, that the

popular character Kirby from Nintendo is indeed also explained through a visual representation

as a “Circle” [10]. Keeping with the theme of Nintendo, the popular character Bowser is also

shown and represented as a “Triangle” [10]. It is also important to note that the author of this

creation implores the reader that “The shape spectrum of emotions should NOT be used as a

design formula -- but as a conceptual tool to assess artwork and identify problem areas” [10].

This all goes to show that characters in the art of video games can be categorized by their visual

appearances and it is important to take note of how specific forms are taken by audiences [10]. It

explains how important it is for distinctive personalities to appear through design [10].

A popular work by Scott McCloud talks about an “area” that serves a purpose and

“represents the total pictorial vocabulary of comics or of any of the visual arts” [11].

Specifically, the book he wrote speaks of “comics art” and that it generally can be found “along

the iconic abstraction side where every line has a meaning” [11]. He then states that “if we

incorporate language and other icons into the chart, we can begin to build a comprehensive map”

which he names as “comics” [11]. This new example of this “area” of imagery can be translated

to Solarski’s theories about characters as it shows a possible correlation which may indicate a

possible place where his descriptions may fit in [11].

Many game developers try to capture aspects of real life that people find appealing [12].

Sometimes these ideas can go over very well or not well at all [12]. This work from Jane

Pinckard shows one person’s opinion on how they think aesthetics in video games can be

portrayed in a negative way [12]. She talks about an old game series and says “An example of

failure in the marketing environment around a character was the promotion and release of the

early Tomb Raider series—games which should have been breakthrough girl games” [12].

Initially this person said they haven’t interacted with it before, but enjoyed the overall concept,

however did not like the business strategies associated with it [12]. She said that it made a point

of letting male adolescents know it is not essential to see the female character as someone similar

to themselves, but instead she’s someone to be desired [12]. Pinckard wanted to make sure to let

the viewer know that “It's not the fault of the packaging” and that actually “The hype

surrounding Lara Croft” was the main factor as to why they had the feelings that were expressed

because it “undercut her image as strong smart archeologist and reduced her to a sex kitten” [12].

This shows an example of how the aesthetics themselves of characters in video games can not be

a problem to some, but can contribute to what some people would call a problem if they are

framed in a certain fashion from external sources [12]. It shows an example of how aesthetics

should be decided upon very carefully and thought through depending on what the overall goal

that is trying to be achieved is [12]. Modern day iterations like Shadow of the Tomb Raider are

met with much different values than their predecessors with toned down aesthetics [12].

Sometimes it is about finding the right way to express certain aesthetics [12].

These are some more examples of how art styles impact demographics. Knowing who the

demographic of an art style is could be considered a very important part of the game

development process. Creating an art style for someone who does not like it could be considered

a huge risk that many developers may not be willing to take. They may not even have that kind

of breathing room to be able to risk a possible failure. Research on a specific demographic

should typically be done first when trying to appeal to them. Game genres also play a huge part

of game development which is chronicled in the next section. All in all, this is how art styles

impact demographics.

The Impact of Art Style on Genre Expectations

Genre is impacted by art style when means of tradition are wanting to be kept. Typically

when a developer is aiming to make a game in a certain genre, they utilize an art style for it that

is familiar to that category. For example, a racing game, whether it be a racing simulator or kart

racer usually have similar aesthetics drawn from the real world like checkerboard patterns for

finish line flags and huge banners for the actual finish lines themselves. For a realistic racing

simulator, it would be considered straying from the norm if they used user interface art elements

done in a cartoon-like style. On the flipside, it would also be viewed as out of the ordinary if a

cartoon-like kart racer had very realistic user interface art assets. This all goes to show that even

though there may not be a wrong answer here, these things are typically not seen in video games

which shows that with a particular genre or subgenre, a specific art style is usually adopted. In

brief, there are many different genres which have all come to have different art styles.

Categories can be especially useful for sorting to make them easier to identify [13].

Author Aki Järvinen explores “the concept of audiovisual style” which divides “games into three

styles” [13]. These “are called photorealism, caricaturism, and abstractionism” [13]. The main

message given about these is that “Naming and analysing different styles and elements helps us

to understand both what kind of audiovisual techniques persist and what has changed in the

developing field of computer and video games” [13]. He states “there are games where one sees

characters, houses and other objects from above, from a tilted angle, but in such a way, that the

horizon is not visible and the lines of perspective do not converge” [13]. Järvinen next states

“This kind of view is called isometric” and share that “Well-known examples of games

representing/simulating objects from isometric perspective include the popular Sim-games, many

role-playing games (such as the Baldur’s Gate series) and the strategy game series Command &

Conquer” [13]. This shows that there can be more than one game in a genre categorized by the

type of visuals seen [13]. Then they go on to say that just before the 2000s hit, software creation

shifted in the direction of 3D technology [13]. The case this makes is that visuals for video

games vary a lot and aren’t included in just one genre [13]. More modern games like Fallout 4

even allow the player to alter the camera view, breaking traditional boundaries [13]. Titles like

these bring a whole lot more creativity to the table than the ones that don’t strive for progressive

qualities [13].

Some people find it hard to accept electronic software as an everyday part of life, while

others do not [14]. Technology has definitely made a lot more options regarding that over the

years [14]. Next is a work written by Jef Folkerts who views “videogames as a common part of

culture, that can be looked at as a signification system, just like other common cultural products

like magazines, art, tv-shows, newspapers, films, books, ads, fashion, design, et cetera” [14]. He

claims to “have examined the artistic and aesthetic nature of games” [14]. Folkerts says that

“Video Games are entertainment, and not intended as art” [14]. He goes on to say that it is

unusual for connections to be made between software and topics of statesmanship and things that

are similar, ultimately claiming that software falls more along the lines of crafts [14]. Then they

ask the question “are they really?” [14]. This all shows that the aesthetics of video games are a

questioned topic [14]. This author decided looks alone don’t dictate levels of artistry in things

like playable software [14]. Games like Journey and Flower remain in a category that people will

always view and question whether or not these are something more than just simple creations

done on a computer or something much more [14]. This shows one opinion on how aesthetics

play a role in video games [14]. If such things are examined, then that is a big reason why

uniqueness should be prioritized [14].

Creators can never have enough instruments at their disposal [15]. Katharine Neil says

that “The game industry has no shortage of software-based tools” [15]. She then says that “Game

artists, game programmers, level designers, quality assurance testers and project managers all use

specific software – sometimes developed ‘in-house’ for the purposes of a single game project –

tailored for doing their job” [15]. Then she goes on to say that “In an industry that has a strong

tradition of developing bespoke tools, one has to wonder why software tools to support game

design tasks are not built and widely used” [15]. Neil asserts the position that “It could be argued

that for certain elements of a game – narrative, character design, high-level concepts, for

example – descriptive prose and illustrations (storyboarding, for instance) may be serviceable”

[15]. According to her, the same principles do not apply to the main factors in creation [15]. She

says that actually, those can only be characterized through a full on examination of individual

entities [15]. Such things are described when they say that “Salen and Zimmerman offer three

sets of schema that can be used to frame games: rules, play and culture” [15]. This all provides a

case that aesthetics alone are not enough to explain and define components of game design [15].

Regardless of devices used, the intent to create something out of the ordinary should remain [15].

Since there are many games in existence, similarities are bound to arise for one reason or

another [16]. Evan Killham tells about some “video game box art clichés” found in the video

games industry [16]. He begins by stating that “It shouldn’t surprise you that video game box art

has its own recurring visual motifs, and I’ve collected 11 of them here” [16]. The first category

on this list as the “Notable offender” is for “two people staring each other down” and notes

“Developer/Publisher Rockstar’s Bully: Scholarship Edition” as one of the candidates, but says

their piece “mixes up the formula with a difference in height” [16]. A new example of “box art

clichés“ shows “House of the Dead: Overkill’s Extended Cut” and calls it out for having a

character extending weapons in the air and shows similar examples found in other games [16].

Another one of the categories in question are the games with “monochromatic” color schemes

and the author of this section questions how a homogenous palette is needed for “Electronic

Arts’ Fight Night: Champion” [16]. Another example takes a look at yelling and the author

writes that passable creations show feeling, where they add that body language like shouting can

accomplish this fast [16]. Killham shares that “Dead Space: Extraction’s screaming heroine was

so memorable that gaming blog Joystiq devoted an entire day to sneaking her into every image

they posted on its site” [16]. These instances show that “video game box art” works are

sometimes compared to each other if notable similarities are found [16]. Another example of dim

artworks for games is Dementium: The Ward [16]. This shows that even in a portable title, it still

follows pitch black trends that were also seen in more powerful console games [16]. It also

clearly tells the story that aspects that are considered repetitive do not go over well with critics

[16].

Some games are created even if the developers have certain limitations [17]. Samneang

Peo details “Visual Novels” [17]. In some cases, these are born because of such issues [17]. The

text says that “The visual novel is a video game genre that originated in Japan” [17]. This tells

about some key “features” of this “game genre” which “are text-based storytelling and

interactive gameplay, often accompanied by static images of characters in the background” [17].

It claims this avenue for games is different than most because of its heavy reliance on storylines

and figures rather than playability [17]. The text provides information that tells about the

composition of a “visual novel” and says that “The general design of a visual novel consists of a

text box in the foreground, character sprites in the mid ground, and a background” [17]. Adding

more to this, Peo says that with these, words serve as a primary form of connection to notable

figures [17]. Works such as Clannad have become very popular examples of this type of

software [17]. These act as deconstructions for the “visual novel” category and provide ideas for

how someone could construct the visuals for a game relating to this [17]. Even with software

limitations, something productive can still be created [17].

Authenticity of artistic renditions is something that can vary depending on where it is

applied, such as in paintings or video games [18]. Péter Kristóf Makai gives new insight on

things that are anticipated by operators of video games, writing that “The historical recreations of

the Assassin’s Creed series strive for verisimilitude, but in order to make the experience

playable, they are never fully accurate” [18]. They claim that this title contains contents

“designed to accommodate the main mechanics of the game” [18]. They strengthen this by

stating “In addition, level designers have strayed from full historical accuracy in order to fit with

existing player expectations, such as including the by-then destroyed Bastille in the game, as

well as adding the famous spires to the Notre Dame, that were not yet built at the time of Unity”

[18]. While a game could have been made that was completely authentic and precise, they claim

this was the better decision to align with what game participants may have anticipated [18]. This

shows an example of how being creative with game development for divisions like art in a video

game can possibly make for better gameplay than something that goes for complete realism [18].

Video games with spells and magic like Diablo III would have far less playability if the magic

were removed to give a completely realistic approach as well [18]. To summarize, staying true to

life for art in a game genre is not always seen as a good thing [18].

Testing can often help us find out knowledge about games that we did not know before,

and sometimes this can also work for visuals of them [19]. Rosa Mikeal Martey looked at some

of the visual aspects of software for learning [19]. She conducted a “study” that “investigates the

effects of art style and narrative complexity on training outcomes of a game designed to help

players mitigate three cognitive biases” [19]. She writes that “The training was effective and was

retained eight weeks later, although differences in art style and narrative complexity did not

affect overall learning” [19]. Ultimately she found that “Results from the experiment also

suggest that art style and narrative complexity differences did not influence training

effectiveness” [19]. They wrap up by saying that ”The fact that training was not affected by

game factors such as art style and narrative suggests that the quality of training can trump

aesthetic factors” [19]. All of this indicates that sometimes in this particular genre, specific

visuals may not determine comprehension [19]. Take these two games for example, Sesame

Street Elmo’s Letter Adventure and Star Wars: Droid Works [19]. Both of these titles are

educational games, yet they have very different art styles [19]. Despite this, they each have

objectives which can be understood by players, so one could say that these are games where the

art style did not determine gameplay decisions and the genre as a whole does not necessarily

only have one expected style [19].

When most people think of a particular genre, they almost always associate a particular

art style with it. If a game genre is older, then it most likely has had many titles under it over the

years. This gives people time to see how the majority of games related to that genre are typically

released and with what type of art style. When an art style for a game is created it has the chance

of instantly making people recognize it as part of a genre or not. This is why it is important that

developers make sure they know how their art style will affect how people view the game

overall. Association sometimes could be the key to success or failure. Altogether, this is how art

style impacts genre.

The Impact of Art Style on Enjoyment

Art style impacts enjoyment in various ways. People may or may not enjoy a particular

art style which in turn could affect their enjoyment for the video game that it is seen in. If an art

style used is different from what the viewer was expecting, it could turn them off from playing

the game. They may have wanted the game to have a different art style than what was used in it.

If an art style for a game is used that the player knows and loves, then the game has a huge

possibility of being enjoyed greatly by them. Sometimes an entirely new style different than

what they are used to may be used for the game and it surprises or even shocks the audience.

Surprise or shock tactics like these can either make the player enjoy what they see, or turn them

off completely. To summarize, these are some ways art style impacts enjoyment.

Art styles can be tied heavily to the amusement of players [20]. Bryan Carr looks at one

game example called “Lollipop Chainsaw” and says “a character that is aesthetically pleasing to

the game's target audience is more likely to encourage enjoyment of the game” [20]. He says this

regarding one character, “Juliet Starling's curvaceous appearance and limited amount of clothing

were engineered to attract the attention of a certain demographic” [20]. Further Carr states that

“While it is presumptuous to suggest that all Lollipop Chainsaw players would react the same

way to the aesthetic design of Juliet, it is likely that her appearance and personality appeal to

some segments of the audience” [20]. Then they write that “Even if the main character does not

have agency to change her role in the storyline, the player at least has agency in deciding

whether they wish to project onto this character and to what end” [20]. Everything Carr suggests

here shows that there is more to art styles than just the preferences of creators [20]. Based on his

words, it appears that companies are motivated sometimes to use a certain style because of how

it will be received [20]. If a style does not appeal to anyone, then developers may not be

motivated to use those styles [20]. Even older adult games like Playboy: The Mansion and

Bubble Bath Babes took advantage of sex appeal when graphics were nowhere near as advanced

as what today’s technology can support [20]. As a rule, it is important for developers to know the

art style that will succeed with their intended players, whatever that may be, so they can settle on

which one to use [20].

Emotions channeled through game visuals can be a big part of happiness with software

titles [21]. Phillip D. Deen shares part of his perspective on software and says that “Art can and

does express anger” [21]. He states “The God of War games present a protagonist fueled by pure

rage and it is possible to enjoy it on that level alone” [21]. Then right after he says despite this,

captivating narratives along with intuitive playability bring something to the table that is

considered innovative [21]. He essentially ends this when he says “In playing the role of Kratos,

there is a virtual embodiment of anger, a muscular quality that is immersive and satisfying” [21].

His shared opinions show that the way the models in the game portrayed expression caused him

to have an experience that was considered amusing [21]. Without this design method

implemented, his experience may have been completely different [21]. Accordingly, this goes to

show just how much these game decisions can impact player comfort [21].

One of the best parts about designing games in the modern age is that there are tons of

different styles that can be adopted or utilized in development [22]. This work from JH Lee, A

Perti, and H Cho details many of the popular art styles found within video games such as ones

shown as Cel-Shaded, Comic book (Anime/Manga), Handicraft, Pixel art, Realistic and

Watercolor [22]. The Cel-Shaded art style is described as being executed through “a technique of

rendering light and shadow to enhance the illusion of a 3D surface, giving the modeled entity a

cartoon-like appearance due to the effect of rounding the edges and eliminating gradations of

color” [22]. The video game Ni No Kuni: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a very notable

example of this [22]. This game implements this style and captures the essence of what makes a

Studio Ghibli film [22]. The Comic book (Anime/Manga) approach is generally found as “A

visual style replicating common artistic elements found in mass-market comic books, such as

accentuated character features and broad line strokes” [22]. Atlus’s Persona 5 is a modern hit

that retains these similar elements, but strives to see those techniques through a new 3D medium

[22].

As far as Handicraft is concerned, “It includes a strong emphasis on specific textures and

surfaces” and “Examples include paper, yarn, and clay” [22]. The Super Nintendo classic

ClayFighter essentially paved the way for future games like these [22]. Game series’ like Paper

Mario also created the blueprint for similar games, and the first and last entries in that series

keep the same general aesthetic [22]. Some consoles in the past wouldn’t be able to truly handle

aesthetics like “yarn” for games or see them with realistic enough features, but current

generation gaming consoles like the Nintendo Switch allow for the level of realism needed to

create games like Yoshi’s Woolly World [22]. Pixel art is defined here as “The use of pixelated,

typically sprite-based visuals found in early 8 and 16-bit games, and in modern games intending

to replicate it” [22]. Games like EarthBound and Donkey Kong Country are examples of two

games with very different, but effective pixel art styles [22]. Even though EarthBound didn’t use

any 3D technology in its sprites like Donkey Kong Country, it still managed to express characters

and environments through the game’s style much like Donkey Kong Country did with its 3D

methods [22]. This goes to show that 2D or 3D technology can still be expressive when it comes

to pixel art [22].

The Realistic art style is “A style portraying characters and environments by attempting

to achieve visual parity with real-world references” [22]. Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain is a game

that is one of the most notable modern examples of this, which not only tried to capture this in its

art style, but also its gameplay [22]. The last notable example is Watercolor which is “A visual

style where characters and environments are presented as though they are painted in water color”

[22]. Capcom’s Ōkami is a very early example of this shown and more recent games like Candle

also showcase this [22]. These are all very different styles listed, but they are used in very

popular video games like LittleBigPlanet and NBA 2K20 through various techniques and

methods [22]. The fact that this work exists shows that it is generally enjoyed when there are

many unique types of works to pick from [22].

Computers are constantly bundled with the idea that they overall never stay the same

[23]. Hae Young Lee, Jung Yoon Kim, and Won Hyung Lee talk about “Interactive Digital Art

using Sensor Technology” [23]. They claim that “The goal for this paper is to survey and analyze

about the Interactive art works that includes based on cutting edge trend sensor technology and

the production technology” [23]. They vocalize that “Interactive Digital Art is a art performance

in many art fields such as sculpture, painting and installation art through digital media” [23].

Then Lee, Kim and Lee state that with the advancements made for computers came new

simplistic methods for creators [23]. They make known that “The baggiest feature of Digital Art

is to make audiences participate to the art works” [23]. Next, it is said that areas where creations

collide with spectators are highly elevated [23]. The hit LittleBigPlanet is a prime example

where it stresses players to adapt to the included menus and use them at their disposal [23]. The

entire thing is centered around ease of use [23]. It even set a trend where similar subjects like

ModNation Racers would follow in alike ways [23]. This all sheds light on an entirely different

aspect of “digital art”; it shows that it can be used in conjunction with interactivity [23]. If people

have means of creating something with extra special properties, then they should try to bring the

best ones possible [23].

Enjoyment for video games may even be considered one of the most important factors for

a player’s experience. If a player does not enjoy a game, then that does not give them a lot of

incentive to play other titles in the same series. This is perhaps one reason why a creator may

want to take into account how the art style for their game is at least going to affect enjoyment.

Art style is a sensitive thing that may be able to directly showcase possible enjoyment that a

player can experience too. There seems to be a common trend with art styles, and that is that they

aim to capture emotion which makes the viewer able to relate to them at times, thus enjoying

them. There are sometimes many art styles that dare to try something new, which are sometimes

enjoyed by people as well. This is also what the next topic is about. In short, this is how art style

impacts enjoyment.

Novel Art Styles in Games

A new or novel art style usually impacts games in a positive way. This is not always the

case though if someone does not like the new art style used. Game developers have always been

trying to create new and original experiences. When a creator comes up with a brand new never

before seen art style, audiences usually praise such work. New art styles give the chance of

bringing something original to the table that people may have never experienced before. These

novel art styles in games can also make the player think of a type of game as an entirely new

experience all because of the changed aesthetics. Generally speaking, new or novel art styles

always impact games heavily regardless if it is in a positive or negative light.

Art branches of software titles are only possible if there is technology that can handle

them [24]. One group talks about technology that especially pertains to different visual

approaches for video games [24]. They write “In this paper, we demonstrate that when guidance

provide good localization and when style exemplar contains stochastic texture, textural

coherence becomes less important as the local characteristics of the guide implicitly encourage

coherent solutions and the stochastic nature enables visual masking that suppresses visible

seams” [24]. Then they continue by saying “In this setting, we demonstrate that expensive

optimization can be replaced by a set of simple and fast pixel-level operations that gain

significant performance speed-up” [24]. They then write that “On a single core modern CPU we

can stylize a one-megapixel image at 10 frames per second while on a common GPU we can

achieve more than 100 frames per second at a 4K UHD resolution” [24]. Wrapping this up, they

say even though their latest formula is uncomplicated, superior outcomes are still obtained with

this, and in conjunction with many forms in sight [24]. This is an indication of something

incredibly useful for video game art branches and is a great example of a new set of technology

specifications developed with these in mind [24]. They stated that what they created was

perfectly acceptable to use in playable software [24]. This brings light to that area as a whole and

shows that people out there are attempting to cater to creators [24]. Altogether, this kind of

dedication shown to creators is something that is seen in the world of gaming [24].

Andrew Hutchison wrote about a few classic games in one of his works, and writes about

one that “In Myst, fusions of architectural styles and technology dot unpopulated island

locations, surrounded by empty seas” [25]. This shows that it did not just use one way of making

creations which one might call innovative [25]. Then further he talks about that and another title

and said that “If the technology of 1993 had been no limitation, both Myst and Doom would have

had sensational cinema style, photo-real graphics and audio, with the additional feature of

interactivity” [25]. This claim is then further explained when Hutchison says “The cause of the

difference between the audio-visual aesthetic of Myst and Doom is a pragmatic one, imposed by

a limitation in technology” [25]. He argues that “Doom did not have cartoon style characters due

to a lack of imagination or technical skill on the part of the designers at id Software” [25]. Then

he says “Myst did not have still images because Cyan’s designers were limited in their vision and

ambition” [25]. This shows that in the game development world, sometimes companies strive to

make revolutionary productions, but they can’t always do so because of the resources they have

[25]. Another case of style restrictions is Final Fantasy VII, where the original game only had

more realistic models in sequences like the battles [25]. In Final Fantasy VII Remake though, it

features realistic models in the whole game, and even places where more exaggerated models

existed in the original game [25]. Briefly, computer science is usually a big factor in how much

developers can achieve [25].

Video game visuals have always made up some of the parts that seem to create wonder

and awe in people [26]. As long as different developers exist, multiple methods of making them

will exist too [26]. In the piece, Videogame Aesthetics: The Future! [26], David Hayward notes

that “aesthetics are clearly important to us” arguing that “As a phenomenon, aesthetics have

manifested in every culture and sub-culture throughout history, and furthermore survived the

demise of each” [26]. He also talks about a new level of image authenticity that multiple parties

relating to the playable software field find very significant [26]. He states that “The photo-real

push is almost as established a part of game culture as shooting or driving” [26]. The writing

shows one example of aesthetics for the game called “Beyond Good and Evil” [26]. He admits

that it has a “fairly typical aesthetic somewhere between photo-real and cartoony” [26]. Hayward

also writes that some of the methods for adding impactful technological assets to the game were

modified for the purpose of creating unconventional gameplay experiences [26]. This shows an

example of how the aesthetics of videogames were becoming more realistic because of utilized

“effects” [26]. In today’s day and age, Kingdom Hearts III serves as a modern day title that

preserves a similar mixture of styles even though some of the aesthetics are different [26]. It is a

game that strives to be realistic enough that the characters and environments look tangible, but

whimsical enough to keep it interesting, or different from our own reality [26]. One notable thing

they write is that “Aesthetics pervade all media, and games are no exception” [26]. What can be

gathered from this, is that aesthetics are something with a heavy focus placed on them when

video games are concerned [26]. Here we can even see that practical creations seem to be praised

more than repetitive ones [26].

Marque Sondergaard presents some of the more common trends that can be seen in the

art of game development, such as “making game art more and more realistic” [27]. He claims

that “for the first several decades, computer and video games had to settle for a cartoony and

very unrealistic look” [27]. This changed, however, with “Rambo: First Blood 2” that “came

back in 1986” [27]. This featured a fantastic “loading screen” which was packed with dazzling

visuals definitely fit to compete with the film industry in some areas [27]. Its definitive quality

was that it was composed of “10 different colors” and an increased resolution, which allowed the

viewer to discern new anatomical details relating to humans and objects alike [27]. The playable

experience was completely different though and was of a much lower quality than the other

segments [27]. This early example shows a standard that is now in the digital media industry,

where many software developers continue to strive for art that can maintain or surpass the

quality of the actual gameplay itself [27]. A modern day example of a game where the

promotional artwork for the game is about the same quality as the in-game artwork is BlazBlue

RR [27]. In this game, one can see the characters in the promotional art have a very similar look,

with both retaining important characteristics like the same anatomical proportions [27]. A case

like this shows that games that break boundaries are met with high esteem [27].

Sometimes interacting with one thing triggers something completely different that’s

worth checking out [28]. Joost van Dreunen found that “describing the visual vocabulary of

video games is not merely an exposé of contemporary aesthetics, but is an investigation into the

underlying patterns of social interaction” [28]. Later they state that one can find the true place of

“video games” in our world by first digging deeper and examining them closer [28]. Taking a

look at this work’s point of “Contemporary Media”, it says that “Reading requires mastery of the

alphabet” and that “Similarly, video games deploy predominantly (moving) imagery, requiring

an understanding of its particular visual syntax, grammar and vocabulary” [28]. Games like

Horizon Zero Dawn are prime examples of this, and it is only after the player utilizes specific

images in the game that they are able to understand how other images generally work [28]. This

shows some recognition that visuals in video games share visual aspects with some other non-

related items [28]. It explains that there is a certain type of precision and focus required to

understand the aesthetics of video games [28]. The previous examples are just some of the many

examples for the visuals of digital media that can be found and explained [28]. Even popular

games with sights that are alike to others have some kind of originality involved [28].

One thing about computers is that people constantly find new ways of approaching how

to use them [29]. Another author named Dan Townsend offers some more information and

another perspective on “2D games” [29]. He says that “When the major game franchises moved

from 2D to 3D (e.g. Grand Theft Auto 3) it seemed like 2D games might be dead” [29]. He then

writes that because of an increase in software by smaller developers seen with more portable

titles, they have returned [29]. He explains “Pixel Art” and shares that it is something that has the

ability to stay alive [29]. He also tells the reader that despite it first being used because it was

needed for specific hardware, it was adopted by those who did not have a need like that [29].

Townsend offers a new perspective on some art styles like “Flat” which “doesn’t use any 3D

elements” and “Each sprite looks like a paper cutout” [29]. Next he urges that “Nidhogg is a

good example of this aesthetic” [29]. Other samples like Frobisher Says! can be seen as a

derivative of the style keeping the majority of its art along these lines [29]. In the case of that

specific piece of software, it does have some variation in its art, however, with minor things that

set it apart like minimalistic highlights or shadows on occasion [29]. Townsend wraps this up by

talking about the “Geometric” categorization and says that “The aesthetic uses primitive shapes -

squares, rectangles, lines etc, often in acid / neon colours on a black background” [29]. Chime

could also be considered another contribution to this avenue which utilizes many of the same

factors, but in a different genre [29]. These are some more visual styles used in video games and

shows how some of them are thought about by people [29]. Regardless of the type of art, out of

the ordinary designs essentially are looked at as better than those that are not, and these should

not change because of the style [29].

Casual and hardcore videogames may have different types of visuals and levels of

intensity but they have some factors in common [30]. One report by Frank E. Hernandez and

Francisco R. Ortega talks about “modeling a 2D game” [30]. It says that “In this section we

describe the requirements for a game modeling language, which was distilled after several

discussions from domain experts and five years of game development experience of one of the

authors” [30]. They write that the creation needs to have an uncomplicated nature [30]. This can

be taken from a sense that applies to the aesthetics of a game [30]. Casual videogames like Hill

Climb Racing and hardcore ones like Azure Striker Gunvolt may have different aesthetics, but

they both have an easy to follow formula [30]. Delving deeper into the aesthetics, in the next

section they say that “Sprite sheets contain multiple consecutive smaller sprites that can be used

by the game developer to create the illusion like movement or explosions, among other illusions”

[30]. Hernandez and Ortega say that “A 2D game” not utilizing sprites has the possibility of

being uninteresting and the same goes for not using other effects [30]. This is a fair argument

because games like Hill Climb Racing or Azure Striker Gunvolt would not feel the same without

their artworks [30]. With this information, one could argue that visuals in games are a delicate

thing and if not created in the correct fashion, then they can have negative reviews [30]. It goes

to show that they’re definitely important enough to make sure they’re original [30].

Hopefully this shows how new art styles impact games. New art styles can be created for

many genres which all range in tone. The one thing that usually remains true is that new styles

typically do not go unnoticed. If they do ever go unnoticed, then that says that change probably

wasn’t that huge. Sometimes it takes a big change in order for something to actually get noticed.

Developers may want to make big changes to something like an art style if they wish to gain

attention or sales. For the most part, this is how new or novel art styles impact games.

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

Through this study, various art styles will be explored in conjunction with user

expectations for gameplay. The research will be conducted on faculty and students at the

University of Central Florida (UCF). The participants will be shown various types of image data

and surveyed on their expectations. Games will be selected carefully to provide examples that

follow tropes and others that go contrary to trends. The results will be compared to the success of

the game the image provided is from. The data that is collected will seek to answer the question

regarding if creativity is better than uniformity or if meeting expectations is better. Various

surveys will explore demographics, game experience, and expectations for art will be applied.

The purpose is providing a detailed review of how expectations for art impact the success of a

game design.

Qualtrics will be used to obtain data for the surveys. This will all be done through the

Qualtrics Research Suite. This will be done online through UCF’s tools and participants can use

any computer for the surveys that has a valid internet connection. After all surveys are submitted

by participants, data will be deciphered. This said deciphered data will be implemented into the

Final Paper. All participants will be notified in the agreement that Qualtrics will be used. They

will also be given links to the official Qualtrics website as well as how they get support if

needed.

Participants

Participants are selected from UCF’s campuses, including the Main Campus and

Downtown campus. It is open to any UCF faculty and students over the age of eighteen found on

the campuses. The only requirement is that they must have the proper tools to be able to

participate in this study (access to the internet and qualtrics). Specifically, students from the

Game Dev Knights, Gaming Knights and some other clubs at UCF will be invited to participate.

A specific recruitment message will also be sent to some game faculty in hopes they will recruit

in their courses. Some non-game related clubs will also be recruited to increase the mixture of

the participant pool, but a game experience survey will be provided to determine if game

development experience has an impact on the results.

Materials

The materials used will be broken up into 4 categories, Informed Consent, Demographics

Surveys, Art Style Survey, Post Exposure Information. All forms will be delivered and stored in

Qualtrics.

Informed Consent

A Qualtrics survey will be used to gain the feedback from the study participants.

Participants will also need sufficient content to observe about what they are being questioned

about. Participants will need to be able to view images and participate in the survey. The survey

will be made up of publicly available images provided by publishers with permission. Qualtrics

will be used for the survey instrument.

Art Style Survey

There are a number of rules that must be followed when selecting a game to be used in

the survey. Steam will be the platform of choice to select games from, and the top seller list for

each genre of 5 genres on Steam (Action, Adventure, Casual, RPG, Simulation) will also be used

for that. Five games will be chosen from the top twenty games in each particular genre that is

included in the survey. Popular genres will be selected for these as well as out of form examples

when it is possible to do so. Five games will also be chosen from the bottom twenty games for

each genre included as well. Unpopular examples and ones that are out of form will be chosen

here. Emphasis will be placed on currently popular art styles that exist for video games.

There will be a variety of formats for the questions. The goals of a game refers to the

objectives and/or what the player can do in a specific title. The goals of each game or what the

player can do will be explained in a short introduction. The questions will be formed by showing

a screenshot from a game and then asking these specific questions:

● Do you like the art style of the game? (Multiple Choice)

● How familiar are you with this game? (Likert Scale 0-5)

● What is the Genre? (Genre List From Steam)

● What is the Target Audience? (Age Ranges)

● How well does the art style fit the goals of the game? (Likert Scale 0-5)

Demographics Survey

For the demographics, questions of age ranges, genders, marital status, income and game

experience levels will be posed to the participants for them to answer. As for the psychographics,

questions of personality, opinions, lifestyles, interests and values will be asked. Five minutes will

be dedicated to questions related to demographics. Five minutes will be committed to questions

regarding psychographics. Five minutes will be devoted to their game experience using the

Game Experience Survey (GES).

Post Exposure Information

At the end of the experiment participants will be thanked and then they will be given

links to an external form so that we will not know any email addresses of the participants that

correspond with the survey responses.

Procedure

The surveys will be conducted with people at UCF’s campuses through qualtrics.

Recruitment will be done through messages sent to specific game related classes, posts in game

related club discord and Facebook groups, and direct email.

Participants will be given the ability to read over a general information sheet prior to

answering any questions which explains everything they need to know about the surveys. These

information sheets explain everything that is involved in the process of obtaining information

from them and can read about the rights they have as survey participants. This is done so that

survey participants are not left confused after they are done with their contributions and

everything is clear to them. For this study the participants first come in and give their informed

consent to the people in charge of the study, admit that they are over eighteen years of age and

understand the terms and conditions.

Participants will be asked to answer all questions honestly and will be informed that any

specific answers they give will be kept strictly confidential and not shared with anyone with

them tied to their names. However, feedback will possibly be channeled into results that may or

may not be released to the public. Participants must agree to answer them honestly beforehand or

they cannot participate.

For the demographics, questions of age ranges, genders, marital status, income and game

experience levels will be posed to the participants for them to answer. As for the psychographics,

questions of personality, opinions, lifestyles, interests and values will be asked. Five minutes will

be dedicated to questions related to demographics. Five minutes will be committed to questions

regarding psychographics. Five minutes will be devoted to their game experience.

They then will be asked a series of survey questions related to art styles. This will include

as many art styles as possible while keeping the total time down to approximately one hour per

participant. Thirty to forty minutes will be set aside for a survey containing questions for fifty

games. There will be five genres total for this (Action, Adventure, Strategy, Role Playing Game,

Simulation/Sports/Racing) and ten games will be selected from each genre. In these questions,

screenshots will be shown for each game. Beyond this, Likert scales will be used to measure

familiarity participants may or may not have for the game in question. The Likert scales will also

be used to determine how well the participant thinks the art fits the play style. The participants

will also be asked what genre they think a game is based on the visual data given (shown through

images), and they must choose one from the list of five included genres given.

Five minutes at the end of the survey will be used to thank the participants for

participating in the survey and to inform them on how they can obtain the information for the

results of the study and/or for their contributions. After they participate in surveys, they will be

given links to the external form.

Timeline

Summer 2020: Setup all surveys in Qualtrics

Fall 2020: IRB Submitted for Approval & Begin Data Collection

Spring 2021: Finish Data Collection & Data Analysis

Spring 2021: Final Paper & Defense

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS

This study received IRB approval in February 2021. After we received approval from the

IRB, data was collected between approval and the end of March. The approximate duration of

the survey that was used for the study was about one hour. It was a quantitative study which

consisted of multiple-choice questions, Likert scale (0-10) questions, game genre questions,

demographic questions, and post exposure information. There were no time limits for the survey,

and it was completely up to the participants how long they wanted to take to answer each

question. Approximations for the survey questions and information include 20 minutes for

multiple-choice questions, 15 minutes for Likert scale questions, 10 minutes for game genre

questions, 10 minutes for the demographic questions, and 5 minutes for post exposure

information. Participants that were the main target audience for this study were ones who were

students over the age of 18 years old in the Games and Interactive Media program found at the

University of Central Florida at the time they took the survey.

Demographic Results

Data collection occurred in a typical Game and Interactive Media course. Demographics

were collected to provide context to the data analysis. General Demographics included categories

like gender, and personality information as seen in Figure 1 and 2 below.

Figure 1: Gender Demographics

The gender demographics match what one might expect in a Games & Interactive Media

course. There were slightly more males than females, the actual demographics of the course

trend more towards males as well. In figure 1, 11 participants were male and 9 were female.

Figure 2: What Personality Do You Most Identify With?

The personality profiles, seen in figure 2, also track with what might be expect among

Game Design students. There is a larger concentration of introverts, and only 2 somewhat

extroverted participants. The study was performed to explore the impacts of art style in game

design students, and this is what was expected.

Figure 3: Do you like Video Games?

Participants were also asked if they like video games. Figure 3 shows that 19 out of 20

responded that they do like video games, while only 1 responded somewhat. 0 participants did

not like video games. Again, this tracks with what might be expected in a typical game design

course.

Figure 4: How often do you play video games?

As seen in figure 4, when asked this question, 10 said they constantly play video-games,

8 said they usually play video games and 2 said they moderately play video-games.

Figure 5: What Media Are You Interested In?

In figure 5 observers can see that video-games are the dominant media form that the

participants were interested in, followed by music and then TV shows. There is a tie for last

place between comics and fine art.

The Relationship Between Familiarity and Art Style

Here we look at some of the found relationships between how familiar participants are

with art styles. The games listed here were all taken from Steam’s top seller list sorted by genre,

with the top and bottom areas across 5 total genres. The genre’s used were: Action, Adventure,

Casual, RPG, and Simulation. Within the top and bottom lists, I selected 5 games for the top and

5 for the bottom of each genre. Games may have been misplaced sometimes in a particular genre

for some unknown reason, for example how Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die! appears to

have been wrongfully listed in the action category, when it is clearly more along the lines of

adventure, generally like that of point and click adventure games such as classic games from

Lucas Arts, and Sierra Online. The case of games being mislabeled are also strengthened more

by results I found. Steam provided various genres that I did not choose to put in the survey

though because I did not feel as if the other genres would be popular enough among my chosen

demographic of people, game design students. Some of the genres on Steam are not typically

genres game players would hear elsewhere such as funny or atmospheric, so it felt as if genres

like those would not have boosted the confidence of participants as they tried to categorize

games. The wording of some of the genres listed there felt just a bit odd compared to what some

genres could be listed as. For example, comedy may have been a more recognized term for a

game genre than funny, as it specifies more what the point of the game is.

Participants were asked, what their familiarity was with the game, then they were asked a

series of questions about the game, like “What is the genre?” and “What is the age

demographics?” and finally a free form response of “What is the name of the game?” and

throughout the study these questions resulted in 2 types of responses. The first was no significant

relationship between familiarity and the question, or a positive correlation. In all of these cases

the questions only served to reinforce that when participants said they were familiar with the

game, they actually were familiar.

The question that did result in interesting findings was the question that asked

participants to rate how well they felt the art style fit the game. This was an opinion question,

and could have been answered from 0 (does not fit at all) to 10 (art style fits the game perfectly).

Tables 1-5 below show the results for the top and bottom 5 games in each of the 5 genres used in

this research.

Table 1: Familiarity v. Art Style Action

Question

Number

Name of Game

Genre

T/B

Best

Fit

Line

Slope

P-Value

16-21

Monster Hunter

World: Iceborne

Action

TOP

pos

0.714

23-28

Sea of Thieves

Action

TOP

pos

0.00291

30-35

CARRION

Action

TOP

pos

0.037

37-42

Remnant: From the

Ashes

Action

TOP

0.311

44-49

Monster Hunter:

World

Action

TOP

pos

0.0106

51-56

零界战线

Action

BOTTOM

0.522

58-63

Sam & Max 104: Abe

Lincoln Must Die!

Action

BOTTOM

pos

0.0330

65-70

Floating Point

Action

BOTTOM

0.497

72-77

Cat Burglar: A Tail of

Purrsuit

Action

BOTTOM

0.686

79-84

Super Star

Action

BOTTOM

0.294

Table 1 shows the 10 games in the action genre presented in this study. The P-Value

shows the relationship between familiarity and a belief that the art style is a good fit. 3 of the top

5 showed a statistically significant relationship between familiarity and art style. 4 of the top 5

showed a best fit line with a positive slope showing a possible positive correlation between

familiarity with a game and participants believing the art style fit the game. In the bottom 5 only

1 game had a significant relationship. This one bottom 5 game with a significant relationship was

“Sam & Max” a relatively well-known adventure game. The game is probably considered a good

adventure game but has been miscategorized by Steam as an action game. This game will be

explored in more detail in a later section. No other bottom 5 game showed a significant

relationship between familiarity and participant’s belief that the art style was a good fit.

Table 2: Familiarity v. Art Style Adventure

Question

Number

Name of Game

Genre

T/B

Best

Fit

Line

Slope

P-Value

86-91

Destroy All

Humans!

Adventure

TOP

pos

0.0000318

93-98

Red Dead

Redemption 2

Adventure

TOP

pos

0.0695

100-105

Destiny 2

Adventure

TOP

pos

0.000807

107-112

The Elder Scrolls®

Online

Adventure

TOP

pos

0.0000501

114-119

Shadow of the Tomb

Raider: Definitive

Edition

Adventure

TOP

pos

0.00241

121-126

crazy maze

Adventure

BOTTOM

0.349

128-133

Godus

Adventure

BOTTOM

0.765

135-140

X Rebirth

Adventure

BOTTOM

0.397

142-147

Chantelise - A Tale

of Two Sisters

Adventure

BOTTOM

flat

149-154

Braveland

Adventure

BOTTOM

0.0483

In Table 2, 10 games from the adventure genre are shown. In the top 5 here, 4 are

statistically significant. All of the top 5 had a slope in the positive direction for this example of

familiarity and art style and even had a best fit line. Regarding the bottom 5 games, only

Braveland had a statistically significant correlation here. Again, this title was a favorable game

possibly falling victim to Steam’s method of placing some games on the bottom. In further

review the game has very positive reviews and many awards. Only 1 game in the bottom had a

best fit line. This game was Chantelise – A Tale of Two Sisters. In this case the best fit line was

flat, showing no significant relationship, and a random result.

Table 3: Familiarity v. Art Style Casual

Question

Number

Name of Game

Genre

T/B

Best

Fit

Line

Slope

P-Value

156-161

The Sims™ 4

Casual

TOP

pos

0.0128

163-168

UNO

Casual

TOP

0.151

170-176

The Jackbox Party

Pack 6

Casual

TOP

0.00773

177-182

Pummel Party

Casual

TOP

neg

0.587

184-189

Geneshift

Casual

BOTTOM

0.661

191-196

Bad North: Jotunn

Edition

Casual

BOTTOM

0.0833

198-203

Moncage

Casual

BOTTOM

0.529

205-210

ER Pandemic

Simulator

Casual

BOTTOM

0.507

212-217

Origin

Casual

BOTTOM

0.855

Here in this data showcase for Table 3, games in the casual genre have been selected. N

is decreasing gradually as the questions go on. Since most of the participants play games often,

the familiarity for the casual genre is considerably low, possibly due to the types of game genres

they are used to. One of the top 5 games have been omitted from this category due to it possibly

being too easy for participants to select what the game was (because of a name giveaway written

on the image), so that is why there are only 4 listed in this area. For the top 4 games here, 2

showed an SS relationship. Only 2 also had a best fit line, and 1 of which showed a positive

slope. The other with a negative slope may show a tendency to think the art style doesn’t fit well

the more familiar the participants are with the game. None of the games with a negative fit line

were SS. This type of game will be explored in further detail below. With the bottom 5 games,

none of them had a statistically significant relationship. None of the bottom games here had a

best fit line either.

Table 4: Familiarity v. Art Style RPG

Question

Number

Name of Game

Genre

T/B

Best

Fit

Line

Slope

P-Value

219-224

Pillars of Eternity II:

Deadfire

RPG

TOP

neg

0.832

226-231

FINAL FANTASY

XIV Online

RPG

TOP

0.573

233-238

Borderlands 3

RPG

TOP

neg

0.695

240-245

The Elder Scrolls V:

Skyrim Special

Edition

RPG

TOP

0.0172

247-252

Fallout 76

RPG

TOP

pos

0.000209

254-259

阿比斯的宝藏 -

Treasure of abyss

RPG

BOTTOM

neg

0.16

261-266

Finding Fido: The

Journey

RPG

BOTTOM

0.788

268-273

Obsidian Conflict

RPG

BOTTOM

pos

0.0804

275-280

Pipeline Of Emperor

RPG

BOTTOM

0.0558

282-287

Paraiso Island Disaster

Relief

RPG

BOTTOM

0.217

The RPG genre is one more popular within the set of participants that were part of this

study. By this point in the question list, N has dropped quite a bit and observers here are no

longer seeing that significant of data. The games The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and

Fallout 76 are both in the SS category, and even though Pipeline Of Emperor Yu is very close to

being statistically significant, it fell short of making it by just a bit. In the top 5 here, 2 of them

were statistically significant. There are no best fit lines for the first and last games previously

mentioned though and only the middle game of that list has one. Borderlands 3 and

阿比斯的宝

藏

- Treasure of abyss both had a negative slope. In the bottom 5 games, despite The Pipeline of

Emperor Yu coming close, none of them had a statistically significant relationship. 2 of these

games had a best fit line.

Table 5: Familiarity v. Art Style Simulation

Question

Number

Name of Game

Genre

T/B

Best

Fit

Line

Slope

P-Value

289-294

F1® 2020

Simulation

TOP

0.179

296-301

American Truck

Simulator

Simulation

TOP

0.255

303-308

Cities: Skylines

Simulation

TOP

pos

0.00597

310-315

Farming Simulator 19

Simulation

TOP

pos

0.00187

317-322

Car Mechanic

Simulator 2018

Simulation

TOP

neg

0.35

324-329

Kolb Antarctica

Experience

Simulation

BOTTOM

0.671

331-336

Marble Run 2D

Simulation

BOTTOM

0.838

338-343

AX:EL - Air

XenoDawn

Simulation

BOTTOM

0.654

345-350

Tetris Secret

Simulation

BOTTOM

flat

352-357

The Archotek Project

Simulation

BOTTOM

0.519

As for this table, it examines the simulation genre and games from it. In the top 5 games,

2 are SS, 2 have a positive slope, and 1 has a negative one. 3 games here have a best fit line, and

2 of which are in the SS category. There is no statistically significant game in the bottom 5

games. N has dropped a lot at this point, with the highest number here being 2 full numbers

lower than the highest number in the RPG category. Here Cities: Skylines and Farming

Simulator 19 are statistically significant, and The Archotek Project was closest out of the bottom

games to being SS but ultimately still had a long way to go before hitting that mark. The

Archotek Project is the only game out of those 3 listed that does not have a best fit line.

Table 6: Familiarity v. Art Style Summary Table

Action

Adventure

Casual

RPG

Simulation

Top 5: Positive Slope

BFL

Top 5: No Best Fit Line

Top 5: Negative Slope

BFL

Top 5: With

Significance

Bottom 5: Pos Slope

BFL

Bottom 5: No Best Fit

Line

Bottom 5: Neg Slope

BFL

Bottom 5: With

Significance

Table 6 is showing a collection of best fit lines and their significance. 12 of the games in

the top 5 were ones that had significance. 17 out of 25 games had a best fit line counting both

positive and negative results. With the bottom 5 results, there was only 1 total game that was

significant. 22 did not have a best fit line at all. Given this, popular games show that the art style

is fitting according to people. When people are not familiar with a game they do not know if an

art style fits. In games related to significance in the top list, adventure had the highest familiarity

result. Then, in the bottom for significance, action had the highest by default since the rest of the

genres were all found as 0.

Specific Examples of Interesting Findings

This section explores specific examples of games that had results that could be

considered as either representative of standard results or specific edge cases standing out from

the rest. Here the games examined are Sea of Thieves, Remnant: From the Ashes, Sam & Max

104: Abe Lincoln Must Die, Borderlands 3 and Treasure of Abyss.

Sea of Thieves

Here shown below are findings related to the game Sea of Thieves. It is a top game in the

action category. It is an important game to look at because of its popularity. This is the first

example of a statistically significant game which will be the model game for a top 5 game that

also has a positive trend line. 13 of the 25 top half games also have positive trend lines for the

slope. The game is one in the action category. It is a game with multiplayer elements to it with

exploration elements as well. Sea of Thieves is a popular pirate game with open world elements.

The screen shot provided showed a ship shooting cannons.

Figure 6: Familiarity with Sea of Thieves

Below in Table 7, the familiarity results are given for Sea of Thieves. This is important

because it is one of the more well known games provided to participants to look at. Here, this

one had a mostly even distribution. There was an even mix where the number of participants

who were familiar and unfamiliar with the game was the same. The numbers were evenly

distributed throughout that can be seen in the figure. This is typical for the game that were well

known and showed SS results, that is was Sea of Thieves is a good example.

Table 7: Familiarity with Sea of Thieves

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std Dev

Variance

Sample

Size

How

familiar are

you with

this game?

4.75

3.74

13.99

The mean is a 4.75 out of 10 and 20 people responded. There was a minimum of 0,

standard deviation of 3.74, and a variance of 13.99. All participants answered this question, due

to the fact of how early it was in the survey (the second game).

Figure 7: How Well Does the Art Style Fit Sea of Thieves

In figure 7 above, all of the participants answered the question about the art style. 12 out

of 20 people said that the art style was a 7 or above for its ranking on a scale of 10 of being

fitting or not. The general consensus that over half of participants thought this shows that the art

style went over pretty well amongst viewers. There was not a single person who rated the art

style as being less than a 5 for the fitting scale. The odd person out who was the only person who

gave an answer that nobody else agreed with was the participant who reported an 8.

Table 8: How well does the art style fit Sea of Thieves

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How well

does the

art style fit

the goals

of the

game?

7.85

1.85

3.43

Here in Table 8, there was a minimum of 5, maximum of 10, mean of 7.85, standard

deviation of 1.85, variance of 3.43, and a count of 20.

Table 9: Familiarity v. Art Style Sea of Thieves

P-Value

Effect Size

(Pearson’s r)

Confidence

Interval

Sample Size

Correlation

0.00291

0.630

0.260 to 0.839

As seen in Table 2 and here in Table 9, “How familiar are you with this game?” is

strongly positively correlated with “How well does the art style fit the goals of the game?”. The

P-Value of 0.00291 shows that the relationship is statistically significant.

Figure 8: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the Art

Style Fits for Sea of Thieves

The results were statistically significant. The best fit line seen in figure 2 slopes in a

positive direction showing that familiarity is positively correlated believing the art style is a good

fit for the game. As the familiarity goes up, the ratings also do too. There is a strong area of

frequency highlighted in dark blue in the area dedicated to the rating of 10 and the highest

familiarity numbers.

Remnant: From the Ashes

Remnant: From the Ashes is an example of a bottom 5 game that is not SS. This example

is similar to 22 out of 25 games in the bottom category. The game casts the player a one of the

last remnants of a society that has been attacked by an ancient evil from another dimension. The

screen shot used looks like a team attacking a tree-based tentacle monster. Gameplay is similar to

a 3

person tactical shooter.

Figure 9: Familiarity with Remnant: From the Ashes

In Figure 9, the familiarity shows a lot. Most people who answered the question, a total

of 13, said that they were not familiar with this game at all rating their familiarity as a 0 on the

scale here. Only 2 out of 20 people were very familiar with the game. These results are similar to

other games in the bottom 5.

Table 10: Familiarity with Remnant: From the Ashes

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How

familiar are

you with

this game?

1.65

3.04

9.23

In Table 10, the mean was 1.65 and the standard deviation was 3.04. This shows that

participants were not very familiar with this game at all. Though at least 2 were. All 20

participants also were able to answer the questions for this game.

Figure 10: How well does the art style fit Remnant: From the Ashes

In Figure 10 for the art style being fitting or not, it shows something here too. In the

results given for the fitting properties, participants seemed generally unsure of the answers they

gave in any answer that was 8 or above. 6 people answered 8, 4 people answered 10, and 1

person answered 9, meaning that over half of the participants who answered this question were

split between these three choices. The game does look nice and even has good reviews on steam.

With a general lack of familiarity however, it is difficult for participants to determine if the art

style was a good fit for the game. Thus, the wider distribution of scores as compared to the more

familiar game Sea of Thieves above.

Table 11: How well does the art style fit Remnant: From the Ashes

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How well

does the

art style fit

the goals

of the

game?

7.3

1.95

3.81

In Table 11, there was a mean of 7.3 and standard deviation of 1.95. In comparison to the

SS result above, Sea of Thieves, the Mean and Standard deviation are similar, though this game

has a wider range of answers. There is still a relatively high opinion of how well the art style fits,

especially if compared to familiarity.

Table 12: Familiarity v. Art Style Remnant: From the Ashes

P-Value

Effect Size

(Pearson’s r)

Confidence

Interval

Sample Size

Correlation

0.311

0.239

-.228 to 0.616

When comparing the familiarity and the art style in table 12, it shows that this is not SS

because it sits at far over the 0.05 mark for the p-value. Compared to the SS examples, the

confidence interval is quite large, with one sitting at a negative number (-.228) and the other at a

positive one (0.616).

Figure 11: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the Art

Style Fits for Remnant: From the Ashes

There is no correlation here and no best fit line. This is like most games in the bottom 5

throughout. It is a good example showcasing that people did not have a good idea as to give an

answer for this question.

Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die

Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die is a good example of a game to look at because it

is one of the 2 statistically significant game found in the bottom 5 out of all the categories given.

The reasoning for this may be because it was not categorized by Steam properly, being found in

action rather than adventure. The game plays along the lines of a typical point and click

adventure which is why this placement was a little strange. The screenshot used shows both of

the main characters and any reference to Sam & Max were considered a correct answer for the

name of the game. The game has very positive reviews on steam as well. Oddly, the game has

been delisted from stream at the request of the publisher after being used in this study.

Figure 12: Familiarity with Sam & Max

As for the familiarity in Figure 12, there were participants both familiar and unfamiliar

with this game. There two highest answers given were 0 and 2 with 4 participants answering

each one. For most of the other answers, they were at least 3 or higher. The number of

participants answering a 3 or higher were similar for each number, with 2s or 1s throughout.

Table 13: Familiarity with Sam & Max

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std Dev

Variance

How

familiar are

you with

this game?

3.16

3.1

9.61

The mean was 3.16 and the standard deviation was 3.1 for Table 13 regarding familiarity.

As compared to the other bottom 5 example above familiarity is much higher. The number of

participants has dropped to 19 for this game but is still quite high. Since the average was 3.16,

people were not that familiar with this game.

Figure 13: How well does the art style fit Sam & Max

In the art style chart in Figure 13, 10 out of 19 participants, over half, answered a 5 or 6

for the fitting factor which shows that there is a general consensus of pretty neutral answers.

There were a fair amount of 10’s given by people though with at least 4, so the answers were just

a little divided. There were some pretty large gaps between people who answered a 6, 7 or 8 with

the lowest being 2 who answered 7 and the highest 5 who answered 6.

Table 14: How well does the art style fit Sam & Max

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How well

does the

art style fit

the goals

of the

game?

1.84

3.37

The mean here was 7 and the standard deviation was 1.84. Having a whole number for

the mean is a bit of a statistical oddity, and compared to the 5 interesting games, it is the only one

with a whole number. What is also strange to see when the numbers are written here in this table

are how the mean is a whole number, but the standard deviation is not.

Table 15: Familiarity v. Art Style Sam & Max

P-Value

Effect Size

(Pearson’s r)

Confidence

Interval

Sample Size

Correlation

0.0330

0.490

0.0465 to 0.773

Here in Table 15, The P-Value shows that there is a SS relationship. There was a tight

threshold for the confidence interval. This is due to the correlation being SS.

Figure 14: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the Art

Style Fits for Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die

Figure 14, shows a graph that is very similar to the SS chart found in the Sea of Thieves

example above. In Figure 14, this chart features a best fit line and a positive slope, which shows

that as the familiarity of participants increased, so did their thoughts of thinking the art style was

fitting for the game overall. There was a high concentration area where the people didn’t think

the art style fit shown in dark blue representing frequency. Note that this chart starts at 5 as this

is the lowest number provided by participants for how well the art style fit. This being a bottom 5

game and still being SS leads to the thought that this game may have been miscategorized as an

action game in steam.

Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 is an important game to look at because it is a generally popular game that

participants should be familiar with that had a negative trend line for the correlation between art

style and familiarity. This may show that people who knew the game overall didn’t think the art

style was fitting for one reason or another. The game is listed properly in the RPG category since

it does have a lot of those elements, but it also could be tied to the action genre as well as it

features a mix of both. The screenshot used, is an enemy leaping at the player who is looking

down the barrel of a large weapon in the first person.

Figure 15: Familiarity with Borderlands 3

With the familiarity in the figure above, there was a clear result that more people were

unfamiliar with the game than familiar. A total of 8 people were completely unfamiliar giving it

a 0, while 6 people were at least somewhat familiar, all rating at somewhere over 2. The answers

given over 2 came in pairs, with 2 people answering 2 and 8, and 1 person answering 5 and 6.

This was not expected as the game is very popular. It is possible using a different screen shot

would have helped with familiarity.

Table 16: Familiarity with Borderlands 3

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How

familiar are

you with

this game?

2.21

3.03

9.17

The mean here is 2.21 and the standard deviation is 3.03. 14 participants answered this

one compared to the 20 that started the study. It is probably because this game was closer to the

end of the survey so the people who did not answer it may not have had time for it. Since the

mean was 2.21 out of 10, it shows that most people were unfamiliar with Borderlands 3.

Figure 16: How well does the art style fit Borderlands 3

In the chart above one can see that the data was evenly matched for the most part.

Everyone gave the rating of at least a 5 for the art style being fitting or not. 1 person gave it a 5,

2 people each gave it a 6 and 9, and 3 people each gave it a 7, 8 and 10. That means that the

majority of people answered above a 5.

Table 17: How well does the art style fit Borderlands 3

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How well

does the

art style fit

the goals

of the

game?

7.86

1.55

2.41

In the table above the mean was 7.86 and the Standard Deviation was 1.55. The standard

deviation was average compared to the others in this area, as there were others with 1 as well.

The mean was somewhat high at above a 7. The count was 14 here again so it shows that people

were holding steady when they got to this question and stayed since the beginning of this game’s

questions. In comparison to the 19 that answered in Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die

though, it is definitely less.

Table 18:Familiarity v. Art Style Borderlands 3

P-Value

Effect Size

(Pearson’s r)

Confidence

Interval

Sample Size

Correlation

0.695

-0.115

-0.609 to 0.443

This table doesn’t show anything significant, but it but again this one shows a really wide

confidence interval with -0.609 for the lowest number and 0.443 for the highest number. The N

has become too low to find a meaning for the significance, but possibly it would be easier to find

if there were a larger wave of participants questioned.

Figure 17: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the Art

Style Fits for Borderlands 3

There was best fit line here in Figure 17 and it had a negative slope. In this case, the more

familiar participants did not have as high an opinion of the art style’s fit as those that were

unfamiliar. The dark blue areas for the frequency are at 7 and 10, making them both in the area

of 7 or above for the fitting rank. Borderlands 3 is an RPG series that looks like a First-Person

Shooter. This out of trend art style possibly led to this trend. Because the N was low at this point,

and the results were not SS it would be appropriate to include this example in a future study.

Treasure of Abyss

The last game in this section to discuss is Treasure of Abyss. It is an important game

because it has another best fit line and it shows a negative slope. This one is from the bottom

compared to Borderlands 3 which was in the top games list. Here I am hoping to find if it would

give some clues as to why the Borderlands 3 turned over the data that it did. This game is a

moderately obscure RPG title. The screen shot used looks like a JRPG battle sequence. It is also

important to note that this game does not support English, so the likelihood of familiarity in the

demographic for this study is low.

Figure 18: Familiarity with Treasure of Abyss

Here in Figure 18 the data is shown for the 14 people that answered this question of

familiarity. It appears that everyone was very unfamiliar with the game, with everyone

answering a 2 or below on a scale of 10. 10 people gave a rating of 0 which is over 70% of the

results. 2 people for each rated a 1 and 2 on the scale, which was a lot less than the 10 that

answered 0.

Table 19: Familiarity with Treasure of Abyss

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How

familiar are

you with

this game?

0.43

0.73

0.53

The mean was 0.43 and the standard deviation was 0.73. The mean and standard

deviation were both the lowest of the 5 games in this section. 14 participants answered this one

as well, the same number who answered the last question in Borderlands 3. The variance was

also the lowest number of the 5 games as well. It is also very notable how the mean, standard

deviation and variance are all less than 1.

Figure 19: How well does the art style fit Treasure of Abyss

Here in Figure 19 it appears that the majority of people rated it a 5 or above, and only 1

person gave it a number below 5, which was 3. The highest numbers rated were 5, 7 and 8 by 3

people each, meaning the highest numbers were ones in the 5-8 threshold. The game only

received 1 perfect rating at 10.

Table 20: How well does the art style fit Treasure of Abyss

Field

Minimum

Maximum

Mean

Std

Deviation

Variance

Count

How well

does the

art style fit

the goals

of the

game?

6.93

1.87

3.49

The mean in Table 20 is 6.93 and the standard deviation here was 1.87. The mean was

relatively neutral since it was in the 6 and above range, but it also was not as low as something

like a 2. The count here is still 14 and that number has stayed consistent. The variance was 3.49

which is in the 3 range that most other ones of the 5 games had.

Table 21: Familiarity v. Art Style Treasure of Abyss

P-Value

Effect Size

(Pearson’s r)

Confidence

Interval

Sample Size

Correlation

0.160

-0.397

-0.766 to 0.169

For the familiarity of the art style for Treasure of Abyss, it was not found to be

statistically significant shown by having a p-value of 0.160. There is another wide confidence

interval here ranging from negative to positive again.

Figure 20: Correlation Between How Familiar You are With the Game and How Well the Art

Style Fits for Treasure of Abyss

In Figure 20 here, it shows the best fit line and how the slope goes again in a negative

direction. It shows that as people were less familiar with the game, they thought the art style fit

the gameplay. Most people were unfamiliar with the game which could possibly mean that

without a correlation, the best fit line might not show anything of value. Given this, it appears

that the best thing to do would be to try and dissect the interesting items that I found in a future

study. Sometimes one does not know exactly what will be found for results until one starts

receiving responses from participants, and then after instances like those maybe someone can

realize that certain areas may have been done better a certain way. Even though our survey was

able to capture notable findings, some of them may have been better achieved through different

methods. A new research project might be the perfect way to put any oddities that I could not

solve here to rest.

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS

Discussion

In the study, I found that there likely is a significant relationship between familiarity and

the belief that the art style fits the game. For the most part, I found that the more familiar people

were with the game, that they also thought the art style fit the goals of the game well with a few

possible exceptions. This is shown both on the slope direction of the best fit line graphs and 12

of 25 top 5 games having SS results. There are some cases where the less familiar people were

with the game, that they also thought that the art style was fitting too based on 3 negative slope

best fit lines. These examples need more exploration as none of these cases were SS. In either

case though, the results of the slope of the best fit lines in terms of how fitting they thought the

art style was for the goals of the game were encouraging.

Based on the demographics and the frequency in which participants knew the actual

names of the games it is likely that participants were confident in their answers. The results

suggest that the participants felt strongly that the art styles fit the games when they were games

they were familiar with. The participants were also gamers, who like games, play games, and

based on the course used, make games as well, it is clear they feel confident about their answers.

It is possibly because they know most of the genres they may not have gotten the genre Steam

uses for the games correct, but they did for the most part identify a genre that the developer

would have categorized their own games as belonging to.

The results suggest that the design of mechanics and art style, are linked. Participants

may have assumed how the mechanics of the game worked based on the art style alone, or based

on their familiarity with the game. Regardless of if they were familiar with the game or not, they

often would have relatively positive attitudes towards the art style. This is most likely due to

most of the games having appealing art styles. Someone who chose a neutral result, may have

not been informed on how the game played, or it is possible they felt it was in a genre they did

not care for at all.

The MDA model for game design discussed in the literature review is also an important

part of video games and may help describe the results found here. The model describes that

while developers view the game through the mechanics, players view the game through its

aesthetics. Participants in this study might not be able to define the mechanics though only

seeing the aesthetics, but need to experience the dynamics before successfully assessing the art

style. It also feels as if participants may have been thinking about these three foundations based

on the images given even if they did not know the official terms for these. Since they were

thinking about these, they may have also influenced their opinions to make their educated guess

if they did not know what a game was. Because the demographic of this research would all be

familiar with the MDA they may have tried to apply this lens the screenshots provided, but they

may not have. It might have been better to ask the participants about the mechanics of the game

based on the images provided and see if they could be described based on the screen shot when

players were not familiar with the game.

To dig a bit deep, mechanics of video games, in comparison to this data, participants may

have guessed how the mechanics of a game worked based on the art style they saw. For example,

if they see a character carrying a gun, they may have thought that this game was clearly made for

people who were action fans. Then for the questions about genre, they may have assumed it was

a shooter because they were carrying that item as well. Even the question about for the art style

being fitting or not could be traced back to mechanics as well, because to answer that question,

they would have had to make a guess as to what the mechanics of the game were to determine if

the style was fitting for it. It may be outside of human nature for them to not at least make some

kind of estimate as to what the game played like. The numbers given for those results may be

indicator of their confidence for a given game though. Hence, this is how the mechanics relate to

the given data.

Next, would be how gaming dynamics relate to the data. This study did not ask about

dynamics, but it would have been helpful to know what dynamics the participants imagined from

the image provided. For example, a person may assume who they think the game was made for

based on how they think the game is played, and what the exact demographic may be meant for

those pieces of software. The same could be said about the questions of genre as well. If the

participants were familiar with a game for example only by name, then they might even have

assumptions about how the dynamics are based on the title. This may have been interesting when

the game combines genre’s like Borderland 3. If they have already played one title in a certain

series, then that may be a reason why they think they know how a particular game’s dynamics

work. As a result, these are how dynamics can be tied to the survey answers from participants. If

the participants could have guessed the dynamics from the screen shot it would have provided

more insight into what a good art style would be for those dynamics.

Last is the relations between aesthetics and our data set. When asked about the target

audience of a video-game, they can clearly look at the art style and see the aesthetics in them and

possibly judge it if it looks like the aesthetics match a younger or older demographic. One game

may have very saturated colors and simpler character designs which could be aesthetics meant

for a child demographic for example. On the other hand, a game with a darker color scheme and

very detailed character designs may be intended for a more adult audience. As for genre,

participants may have guessed about what it was based on their assumptions for it from

aesthetics they have seen in the past too. If a participant has played puzzle games in the past,

they may be used to a particular aesthetic such as block-like objects such as the ones found in

Tetris, and therefore they might guess another game is one found in the puzzle genre because it

also has some form of blocks. In brief, this is how aesthetics are connected with the results.

Limitation of Current Study

There were several limitations for this study that unfortunately made some data difficult

to find. One of the biggest limitations for this overall study was the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Next was our survey length. Another was the questions that were not thought of to ask. Lastly

there was the fact that collected data cannot develop a tool for artists. All of these factors

combined made for a work that still has a fair number of unanswered questions, however it still

does answer a lot about what was sought after. Wrapping up, these were the overall limitations of

the current study.

Starting off, with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has affected the educational system in

some places in a way that causes physical meetups to become much scarcer than they used to be.

Since not many people in our current situation are willing to meet face-to-face, this has made

data collection for the study extremely hard. What was initially intended to be something

collected from students and faculty available on campus physically, became a completely virtual

operation. I knew that given the fact that very little to no people were showing up to the campus

in person where I would be collecting data, I would not have the proper volume of collected data

if it was all just collected physically. Therefore, I had to switch the data collection format to a

virtual one, utilizing Qualtrics to my advantage. This helped me gain the necessary accumulation

of data that I needed to provide answers to many of the questions asked in the surveys. To

conclude, COVID-19 made data collection difficult while moving the survey to online, students

showed more reluctance to complete the survey in a timely manner.

Another factor contributing to the difficulty of the situation regarding this study, was the

survey length. The survey was generally long sitting at over 300 questions with a time estimate

of about one hour to complete. People were not always able to sit through the entire survey and

complete the entire thing. Even though the survey questions were placed strategically within it,

they were all important to some degree, and unfortunately some of those questions had to be

placed towards the middle or end of the survey. For the participants who could not complete the

entire survey and dropped off in one of the earlier portions, they were not able to answer the

questions in the later areas. This meant that the data collected for some of the participants was

more limited than others, and there were numerous participants who could not complete the

entire thing. To wrap up, this how the survey’s length acted as another limitation to the survey.

Next talking about some of the more detailed aspects of the study, participants were not

asked what their favorite genres were, and the genres included in the survey may have been

unknown territory for the participants. Since students were not asked what their favorite genres

were, some of the data collected is not exactly clear as to why they gave the responses that they

did. It would have been more effective if students were asked what their favorite genres were

because it would have provided more insight as to why they may have chosen that they thought a

particular art style was fitting for example. Since students may not have known genres included

in the survey, this could have been a reason why they thought an art style was not fitting for a

certain game, which is not quite the kind of true responses that I was hoping for. In the future, it

may be better to get students to respond to genres that they are familiar with in order to avoid

this dilemma. That way it would give me responses that were given by students with complete

confidence. In conclusion, this is how genres limited this study.

Lastly with the information side, there was my limitation of collected data. There are a lot

of additional factors to art styles that could not be covered in this study alone, and that one may

spend a lifetime figuring out. In this study are factors that were chosen that could be considered

as some very essential ones that help pinpoint what makes an art style great but cannot give

creators a tool or ultimate solution for how to develop a good art style. However, several

interesting data segements have been found in this study that may help point someone in the right

direction if they are looking for some of the ways that art styles are perceived by people. While

this study may not have been able to answer everything, it did open a lot of doors for future

studies that could help strengthen the knowledge of some of these areas regarding art styles. I

would be interested in possibly creating a new study in the future that aims to get rid of some of

the limitations that have inhibited this one.

Future Work

If a future study were to be conducted, it would be one that aims to be more concise.

Since It would be a goal to create a new study that magnifies certain areas more to ensure that

they are explored more to gain better results. While it may have worked to target many different

games across various genres, it may be very interesting to target games that specifically had

interesting results here. This information collected in this study helped save time for future ones

since it is now known which areas have interesting results, so they could be explored further now

with ease. In a future work, creating a randomized list for the game order would possibly

generate participation that is more evenly distributed, making for much better results as well.

Combining all of this would ensure for most aspects to be more detailed. Last of all, this is how a

future study could be more concise.

Also, it would be good to look at art styles for a specific genre. Branching off this last

part, choosing one specific genre would certainly be a way to have more concentrated data. This

concentration might be a great set of data for someone looking for a particular genre. While one

may not have time to created more focused studies for every genre in the world, this would be

my way of contributing something to a genre that I personally find interesting.

This study was a quantitative one which involved more Likert scale numbers than if it

was a qualitative one. Since a qualitative study may be a fantastic fit for a future study. This is

because a qualitative study could give me a greater understanding of particular genres and areas

if done in the right way. In this new format for a study, I would like to ask less questions where

the answers given would have to be more descriptive, which would give me a greater

understanding about the genres being examined. These more detailed descriptions that

participants would give would be given in formats such as free form answer boxes rather than the

ones given in this quantitative study which involved formats such as multiple-choice answers,

Likert scales and such.

In future studies, perhaps even some more topics to explore for art styles in video-games

for data collection could be ones related to color, lines, scale, repetition, unity, etc. For example,

an entire section may be dedicated to finding out how people respond to different colors schemes

for video-games. This could include something like asking a person if they like a saturated or

unsaturated version of an image better. Also, the person could identify what they think looks

better, images with high contrast or low contrast. Similar questions would be asked for the other

topics mentioned. The answers would possibly answer even more questions about art styles that

people may have been wondering about. Since there are many subdivisions of art styles, it leaves

much to be explored. In short, these are some more concepts for future works.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, the results of this study will not lead to a tool to help select an art style but

show a strong correlation between being familiar with a game and having an opinion about the

art style. Meaning that understanding all the components of the game are important in

determining if the art style is appropriate. Any well-designed game could have any art style, as

long as it is incorporated into the game correctly. Conversely, a poorly designed game will not be

made good with an art style change.

APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL

APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT

100

Informed Consent

The images were removed from this survey due to copyright, but they are available on

Steam. They are also downloadable from the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15QmAhA6MpbmH3D6BtSJDkV78T4dPbHPy/view?usp=sharin

Welcome to the research study!

Title of Project: The Impact of Art Style on Video Games

Principal Investigator: Eric Sarver

Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Peter Smith

You are being invited to take part in a research study. Your participation is not mandatory.

The overall purpose of this project is to explore the impact of art style and aesthetics on the expectations of

players. To accomplish this, after providing some demographics information, participants will be asked to view

images and fill out a series of surveys about them. This will include Likert Scales and multiple-choice questions. At

the end participants will be linked to an external page where they will be able to see the correct answers and view

the results in the future.

We expect the total time for this study to be less than 60 minutes.

101

Your participation in this study is voluntary. You are free to withdraw your consent and discontinue

participation in this study at any time without prejudice or penalty. Your decision to participate or not participate in

this study will in no way affect your relationship with UCF, including continued enrollment, grades, employment or

your relationship with the individuals who may have an interest in this study.

Your participation in the study is voluntary. You are 18 years of age. You are aware that you may choose to

terminate your participation at any time for any reason.

Study contact for questions about the study or to report a problem: If you have questions, concerns, or

complaints please contact Eric Sarver at [email protected] or 856-693-6983. You can also contact the

Faculty Advisor, Dr. Peter Smith at [email protected]du.

IRB contact about your rights in this study or to report a complaint: If you have questions about your

rights as a research participant, or have concerns about the conduct of this study, please contact Institutional Review

Board (IRB), University of Central Florida, Office of Research, 12201 Research Parkway, Suite 501, Orlando, FL

32826-3246 or by telephone at (407) 823-2901, or email irb@ucf.edu.

•

I consent, begin the study

•

I do not consent, I do not wish to participate

Demographics

What is your gender?

102

•

Male

•

Female

•

Other

What is your age?

•

Under 18

•

18 - 24

•

25 - 34

•

35 - 44

•

45 - 54

•

55 - 64

•

65 - 74

•

75 - 84

•

85 or older

Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?

•

Yes

•

How would you describe yourself? Please select all that apply.

•

White

•

Black or African American

•

American Indian or Alaska Native

•

Asian

•

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

•

Other

What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed?

•

Less than a high school diploma

•

High school degree or equivalent (e.g. GED)

•

Some college, no degree

103

•

Associate degree (e.g. AA, AS)

•

Bachelor's degree (e.g. BA, BS)

104

•

Master's degree (e.g. MA, MS, MEd)

•

Doctorate or professional degree (e.g. MD, DDS, PhD)

What is your marital status?

•

Single (never married)

•

Married, or in a domestic partnership

•

Widowed

•

Divorced

•

Separated

What is your current employment status?

•

Employed full time (40 or more hours per week)

•

Employed part time (up to 39 hours per week)

•

Unemployed and currently looking for work

•

Unemployed not currently looking for work

•

Student

•

Retired

•

Homemaker

•

Self-employed

•

Unable to work

What is your level of income?

•

$0-$20,000 Yearly

•

$20,000-$100,000 Yearly

•

$100,000+ Yearly

What is your level of Game Experience?

•

Constantly play video-games

•

Usually play video-games

•

Moderately play video-games

•

Rarely play video-games

105

•

Never played a video-game

106

Demographics

Which personality suits you the most?

•

Introvert

•

Somewhat Introverted

•

Neutral

•

Somewhat extroverted

•

Extrovert

Do you like video-games?

•

Somewhat

•

Yes

What type of lifestyle suits you the most?

•

Inactive

•

Somewhat Inactive

•

Neutral

•

Somewhat Active

•

Active

What media types interest you? (Select all that apply)

•

Comics

•

Manga

•

Video-Games

•

Books

•

Films

•

TV Shows

•

Music

•

Fine Art

107

What religion do you practice?

108

Logo Testing

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne

Thank you for helping evaluate this art style. The next questions will be about this

image:

How familiar are you with this game?

109

Not at all familiar Extremely familiar

What is the Genre?

110

•

Action

•

Adventure

•

Casual

•

Indie

•

Massively Multiplayer

•

Racing

•

RPG

•

Simulation

•

Sports

•

Strategy

What is the Target Audience?

111

•

1-5

•

5-10

•

10-12

•

12-17

•

18-20

•

20-30

•

30-40

•

40-65

•

65+

How well does the art style fit the goals of the game?

Not at all fitting Extremely fitting

What is the name of this game?

Are you ready for the next question? (Select "Yes" if you wish to continue or "No"

if you do not wish to continue.)

•

Yes

•

The questions then repeated for the following games in the following order.

Sea of Thieves

CARRION

Remnant: From the Ashes

Monster Hunter: World

零界战线 (Zero Front)

Sam & Max 104: Abe Lincoln Must Die!

Floating Point

Cat Burglar: A Tail of Purrsuit

Super Star

Destroy All Humans!

Red Dead Redemption 2

Destiny 2

The Elder Scrolls® Online

113

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

crazy maze

Godus

X Rebirth

Chantelise - A Tale of Two Sisters

Braveland

The Sims™ 4

UNO

The Jackbox Party Pack 6

Pummel Party

Geneshift

Bad North: Jotunn Edition

Moncage

ER Pandemic Simulator

Origin

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

FINAL FANTASY XIV Online

Borderlands 3

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition

114

Fallout 76

阿比斯的宝藏 - Treasure of abyss

Finding Fido: The Journey

Obsidian Conflict

Pipeline Of Emperor Yu

Paraiso Island Disaster Relief

F1® 2020

American Truck Simulator

Cities: Skylines

Farming Simulator 19

Car Mechanic Simulator 2018

Kolb Antarctica Experience

Marble Run 2D

AX:EL - Air XenoDawn

Tetris Secret

The Archotek Project

115

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