Us and Them
by FishHead · in General Discussion · 01/30/2003 (1:56 am) · 7 replies
Adults vs Kiddies. Ive noticed this commonality in the threads around here and felt like starting up a thread on this. Why is it that anything that flashes at you in bright colours with funky music has to be labeled "kiddy like"? Doesnt anyone see the problem with (as an example I'll use FPS's) the monotonous droneing of the enemy using bigger better faster and stronger guns as the levels progress? I mean, do the enemies really get harder? Does the ai really improve? And why are these games always so damn dark? The palettes are constantly getting darker and darker! Are the video game artists depressed? Cant we have a fps where you play as a little cartoon bubble and get to run around with something funner than a rocket launcher, chain gun, plasma super mega electricity rifle? Designers need to step out of the box and stop trying to cash in on old ideas.
Okay Im lost, Im not really sure where I was going with this but its hard to be articulate at two in the morning.
Oh yeah, I wanna 'be a kid' forever. I want games to be flashy and bright and FUN. Not deep, dark and serious. I get enough of that at work. Being in this environment all day and then coming home to it is such a mentality burn. Is there anything wrong with this? Why do I have to feel ostrasized (sp?) because I enjoy playing 'kiddy' games?
I was playing this game at work once called Lemonade Stand. Simple enough, sell lemonade (its a strategy game). When my boss saw this game he laughed at me because the concept of selling lemonade is something we associate with 'little kids'. I mean, he totally missed the point that I was having fun and thinking about the best way to sell lemonade.
Anyways, thats enough ranting from me.
Okay Im lost, Im not really sure where I was going with this but its hard to be articulate at two in the morning.
Oh yeah, I wanna 'be a kid' forever. I want games to be flashy and bright and FUN. Not deep, dark and serious. I get enough of that at work. Being in this environment all day and then coming home to it is such a mentality burn. Is there anything wrong with this? Why do I have to feel ostrasized (sp?) because I enjoy playing 'kiddy' games?
I was playing this game at work once called Lemonade Stand. Simple enough, sell lemonade (its a strategy game). When my boss saw this game he laughed at me because the concept of selling lemonade is something we associate with 'little kids'. I mean, he totally missed the point that I was having fun and thinking about the best way to sell lemonade.
Anyways, thats enough ranting from me.
#2
01/30/2003 (9:39 am)
Geiger themed art for games is a tradition of the fps genre. Sinc most games involve combat and battlefields the scenery is going to obviously be much dirtier and fragged in general. I dont mind a childish looking game, but i really enjoy immersive ultra-violent photo-realistic adult R rated blood and gore games.
#3
01/30/2003 (9:41 am)
The only three PS2 games I own are "GTA: Vice City," "Ratchet and Clank," and "Kingdom Hearts." The former is more adult themed, while the other two would probably scare off adults because of their 'kiddish' look. In reality, all three are great games to play; I recommend them to everyone.
#4
01/31/2003 (7:51 am)
I don't complain about "Kiddy Games", but I certainly think cel-shading has ruined Zelda. Not as far as gameplay, just in terms of mood and emotion. I mean, it only took nearly 2 decades for zelda to evolve into a darker, more serious game as it was on the N64. What a pity....what a pity.... I'm still buying it though.
#5
It's funny you should say that. My game "True-Vol" is just what you're looking for.
Here's a screen!
http://www.dailydining.com/screenshot027.jpg
02/03/2003 (6:22 pm)
Quote:
Cant we have a fps where you play as a little cartoon bubble and get to run around with something funner than a rocket launcher, chain gun, plasma super mega electricity rifle? Designers need to step out of the box and stop trying to cash in on old ideas.
It's funny you should say that. My game "True-Vol" is just what you're looking for.
Here's a screen!
http://www.dailydining.com/screenshot027.jpg
#6
Bright and sunny art is harder to pull off. If you have saturated colors in your work, it's very easy to veer into rainbow-of-fruity-color territory. It's harder to manage the harmony of bright colors.
When I was at the Indy Games Con in Eugene, I got a chance to play BraveTree's ThinkTank game. Its palette really impressed me. The colors were really bright and pleasant, but it didn't read like a kid's game. I think it was their use of secondary colors (oranges and greens) rather than primary colors (red, blue, yellow) that made this work.
If you play CounterStrike it's interesting to see what levels people vote to play in light (no pun intended) of this discussion. Dust, Cobble, Militia, are all very popular levels and all are very sunlit. Players seem to avoid the gloomy blue-gray levels. Of course level design is a big factor, but I think color can't be discounted. It's no fun squinting at a gloomy gray screen.
-Spencer
02/04/2003 (2:12 pm)
One reason there's so much dark and gloomy game art comes is simply that it's easier to get an emotional reaction with doom and gloom. Just on a formal level, if your palette is all out of whack and disharmonious, or you've been working on a drawing too long and it's gotten all dark and sooty, you can just take it a little further and call it moody. Bright and sunny art is harder to pull off. If you have saturated colors in your work, it's very easy to veer into rainbow-of-fruity-color territory. It's harder to manage the harmony of bright colors.
When I was at the Indy Games Con in Eugene, I got a chance to play BraveTree's ThinkTank game. Its palette really impressed me. The colors were really bright and pleasant, but it didn't read like a kid's game. I think it was their use of secondary colors (oranges and greens) rather than primary colors (red, blue, yellow) that made this work.
If you play CounterStrike it's interesting to see what levels people vote to play in light (no pun intended) of this discussion. Dust, Cobble, Militia, are all very popular levels and all are very sunlit. Players seem to avoid the gloomy blue-gray levels. Of course level design is a big factor, but I think color can't be discounted. It's no fun squinting at a gloomy gray screen.
-Spencer
#7
02/24/2003 (9:39 pm)
I've released "True-Vol" for free! FishHead I hope this is what you were looking for in a FPS. Please go to www.dailydining.com for more information! 
Torque Owner Simon Windmill
But I also like my Animal Crossing and my Super Monkey Ball and my Orbz and my Mario and my Bomberman with the simple game ideas that I can play for hours and hours.
People who complain about "kiddie games" are the same people who say the cel-shading has ruined Zelda.