Managing Software Projects

Dr. Dana Halabi

[email protected]

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Game Development - Module 3
- Game’s visual style and
theming

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Recap
• 6 Ws: We worked on defining our game through
answering the 6 Ws of game development, and define
our core plan.
• Pitch Document: Using our answer from the above,
we created a pitch for the game, defining the project’s
pillars, scope and other important information.

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Visual style and theming
• The “visual style & theming could be considered as a mandatory
Appendix for the pitch document

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What are the game’s visual style and theming?
• The visual style of a game is the overall look and feel
of the game world, including the art style, graphics,
color palette, and lighting.
• Theming is the underlying message of the game.

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Why are the game’s visual style and theming
important?
1. Set the tone and atmosphere of the game. The visual
style can create a sense of wonder, excitement, fear, or
any other emotion that the game is trying to evoke.
Theming can also help to set the tone and atmosphere,
by providing a context for the events of the game.
2. Create a sense of immersion. A well-designed visual
style can help players feel like they are in the game
world. This can be important for games that are trying
to tell a story or create a sense of realism.
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Why are the game’s visual style and theming
important?
3. Help players to understand the game. The visual style
can be used to communicate information to players,
such as the location of objects or the actions that can be
taken. Theming can also help players to understand the
game's story or message.
4. Make the game more memorable. A unique and
memorable visual style can help players remember a
game long after playing it. This can be important for
games that are trying to build a following or create a
sense of nostalgia.
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Visual style and theming
Visuals (Graphics) are:
Your game’s 1st judgment metric

“You only get one chance to make a first impression”

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”

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Visual style and theming

Your art doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to fit the game.

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Visual style and theming

Five questions to help define

the game’s visual style and theming

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Five questions to help define the
“game’s visual style and theming”
1. What is the tone of the game?
2. What’s the narrative theme of the game?
3. Should the game be 2D or 3D?
4. Should the game be stylized or realistic?
5. If stylized, how should it be stylized?

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Q1: What is the tone of the game?
1. Is it serious, lighthearted, dark, comedic, etc.? The tone will help
determine the overall look and feel of the game.
2. Think about how the visuals can effectively convey this tone. For
example, a serious game might have a more muted color palette
and realistic graphics, while a lighthearted game might have
brighter colors and more cartoony graphics.

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Q1: What is the tone of the game?
Examples
Foldit (serious game) PeaceMaker (serious game)

Darfur is Dying (serious game)

Foldit is a game that uses protein folding

simulations to help scientists find new PeaceMaker is a game that simulates the
ways to fight diseases. Israeli-Palestinian conflict and allows players to
explore different solutions.

Darfur is Dying is a game that uses

interactive storytelling to raise
awareness of the genocide in Darfur.

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Q1: What is the tone of the game?
Examples
Animal Crossing: New Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Horizons (lighthearted game) (lighthearted game)

Minecraft (lighthearted game)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a life Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is a

simulation game where players can multiplayer party game where players
create their own island and live with compete in a series of obstacle courses.
anthropomorphic animals.
Minecraft is a sandbox game where
players can build anything they can
imagine out of blocks.

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Q2: What’s the narrative theme of the game?
1. What is the game about? What are the main messages or story
that the game is trying to convey? The narrative theme can also
influence the visual style.
2. For example, a game about environmentalism might have a more
natural and earthy look, while a game about war might have a
more militaristic and industrial look.

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Q2: What’s the narrative theme of the game?
Examples
Eco (environmentalism) Call of Duty (war)

Eco is a city-building game where players must balance Call of Duty is a first-person shooter series that has
the needs of their citizens with the needs of the been around since 2003. The games in the series
environment. The game features a dynamic ecosystem typically focus on historical conflicts, such as World War
that reacts to the player's actions, and players must II and the Vietnam War.
make difficult choices about how to develop their city
without destroying the environment

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Q2: What’s the narrative theme of the game?

Use your game’s theme as a starting point for the art

style. You can define shapes, color schemes, and much
more just from there.

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Q3: Should the game be 2D or 3D?
• This is a big decision that will have a major impact on the visual
style of the game.
• 2D games are typically simpler and more stylized.
• 3D games can be more realistic.

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Q3: Should the game be 2D or 3D?
Examples
Stardew Valley (2D) Super Mario 64 (3D)

Stardew Valley is a 2D farming simulator Super Mario 64 is a platform game

video game developed by Eric Barone and released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64. The
published by Chucklefish. game is considered to be one of the first
3D platformers, and it helped to
popularize the genre.

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Should my game be 2D or 3D?

2D and 3D both have technical and design

ramifications. Keep that in mind when selecting.

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Q4: Should the game be stylized or realistic?
• This is an important decision that will affect the look of the
game.
• Stylized games are often more colorful and imaginative.
• Realistic games strive to look as close to real life as
possible.

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Q4: Should the game be stylized or realistic?
Examples
Hat in Time Red Dead Redemption 2
(Stylized game) (Realistic game)

Hat in Time is a cute-as-heck 3D Red Dead Redemption 2 is an action-adventure

platformer featuring a little girl who game developed and published by Rockstar Games.
stitches hats for wicked powers! Freely The game is set in the Wild West and follows the
explore giant worlds and recover Time story of Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der
Pieces to travel to new heights! Linde gang. The game is known for its realistic
graphics, detailed world, and immersive gameplay.
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Q5: If stylized, how should it be stylized?
• There are many different ways to stylize a game. Some
popular styles include cel-shaded, cartoony, anime, and
retro.
• The specific style that you choose will depend on the tone,
theme, and genre of your game.

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Q5: If stylized, how should it be stylized?
Examples
Okami (cel-shaded) Banjo-Kazooie (cartoony)

Okami is an action-adventure game developed and Banjo-Kazooie is a platform game developed by

published by Capcom. The game is set in Japan and Rare and published by Nintendo. The game is set in
follows the story of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, a world of cartoon animals and follows the story of
as she restores the land to its former glory. The Banjo and Kazooie, a bear and bird duo who must
game features cel-shaded graphics that are stop the evil witch Gruntilda.
inspired by Japanese watercolor paintings.

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Q5: If stylized, how should it be stylized?
Examples
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (anime) The Legend of Zelda (1986) (retro)

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is an action role-playing The Legend of Zelda (1986) is an action-adventure
game developed by CyberConnect2 and published game developed and published by Nintendo. The
by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is game is played by a young boy named Link who
based on the Dragon Ball Z anime series and must save Princess Zelda from the evil Ganondorf.
follows the story of Goku and his friends as they The game is considered to be one of the greatest
defend Earth from evil threats. video games of all time, and it helped to popularize
the action-adventure genre.

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Conclusion
• The visual style and theming of your game are an important part of
the overall experience. By taking the time to define them carefully,
you can create a game that is visually appealing and memorable.

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