I realized that my learning/research style is very visual and that when I need inspiration I look for images. After doing some extensive research for further images of inspiration, I chose the following pictures which inspired me. These images have colours and themes as well as styles which struck a bone of interest within me. I soon realized how all these images have a few things in common and the main thing that comes in common here is that they are all very atmospheric and have very vivid and imaginative uses of color. A lot of these images have very strong contrast between light and dark as well, these are things which I really value within art and within a story or concept.
The image above has a beautiful combination of vivid colour and contrasting darkness. The silhouette of the person really brings the concept of atmosphere and awe as the person looks over the horizon into the depths of the deep purple sky.
This is another image of clouds in the sky, this theme somehow resonates with me and gets me really inspired. I feel it is something special, it brings a sense of lightness and calm. When I look at an image like this is really gets me inspired to try and give this similar feeling to the user.
After realizing that I was inspired by clouds, I thought about a game concept that the famous Jenova Chen created which was conveniently named 'Cloud'
Cloud Case Study
After coming to this realization I decided to give the game a go and see what Jenova Chen and his team managed to achieve with this game and if it correlated with what kind of experience I would have liked to give the user within my game.
Just like any 'thatgamecompany' game, they are often not the usual type of game and usually very hard to define or put a finger on, this game is no different. The artwork above is a piece of concept art which was done by Jenova Chen the main designer of the game. The concept art in this game actually plays a large role within the game and guides the narrative along very nicely.
After downloading the game from Chenova Chen's website, you are presented with the fact that over 500,000 people have downloaded and played the game and you start to wonder what it has to offer to intrigue so many people.
As soon as you boot up the game, you are presented with the menu screen which is really simple and appropriately presents you with 3 simple game options, one of them being exit. Then once you jump into the game you soon realize how the emphasis of this game lies within the emotional appeal as the music is full of emotion and the story is very slow and touching. When you actually play the game, you soon realize that the gameplay is very subtle and really calming just as I imagined. The game requires the main character to float around into the sky collecting clouds and releasing them. There are only 4 levels within the game, although each level can be played for an extensive amount of time. The levels within the game are called 'Dreams' and in the later dreams, you are presented with a mission of turning dark clouds into light ones to save the environment from the coming pollution.
Again, lets do a mechanics and aesthetics breakdown to see what appeal this game has and how we can focus on what really brings the impact and professionalism to the table.
Mechanics: The mechanics of this game are very different from the normal game and hard to put a finger on. The main aspect of this game that brings a sense of joy is the theme of exploration The character gets to freely roam around and explore the clouds and environment as well as effect the environment. The game mechanic that is focal here is the use of flying around in the sky and collecting clouds. Although just like Rayman Jungle Run, the game mechanic progressively develops as you play the game and within each dream you are given a new task and a new mechanic.
Jenova Chen created a pdf to show users how to play the game which comes in handy as it's not the easiest game to fully understand from the get go. The general controls of the game are rather simple and just include you using your mouse pointer to move the character around, then you are able to slow down with the space key.
The first level you are presented with your flying character and clouds, the fun within this level is getting the feel of the soft and wispy flying of your character as he explores and the function of delicately trying to collect the cloud essences. This gives a very subtle feeling of satisfaction.
In the first dream, you go around and you attract clouds, within the second dream you are able to collect and store clouds and release them throughout the level which gives the game a further dimension and another new discovery for the user.
In the third level you are presented with bigger clouds which are stronger and your clouds can fight against them which in turns created a response of rain and lightning. One of the strongest themes of mechanic display is when the game is really responsive and this aspect within this game really drives that home.
Within the final dream the main mechanic is to gather your clouds and to bring a storm to the threat of the big city, you again use your mouse to do this. As you can see, the mechanics always constantly change which make this game very fresh for the user. The feeling of flying around is often desired by many and this game captures it well.
Aesthetics: The aesthetic appeal of this game is really focused and strong in it's direction of creating a game which is more than a game but a piece of expressive art within itself. When you first start playing this game you instantly get a nostalgic yet cute feel of what Jenova Chen tried to express. You instantly feel that this game is not just trying to sell yous something, but that this game is expressing Jenova Chen's thoughts and life, this is why it has quite a meaningful connection within the game as the creator put some of his own mind and own life into the game which makes it far more profound.
The graphics themselves are very simple 3D graphics with little detail. They are very simple graphics although the harmony of the character and the simple cute environment fit very well and create a very encapturing experience and express a lot of dream like ambition and rekindle a lot of nostalgia for many dreamers.
The game seems so simple yet manages to keep the users attention and create a feeling of deep and calming emotion. It is evident after playing this game that Jenova Chen really researched the feeling of Flow to the depth of really understanding it and then applying it within his games and this i why they are such big hits.
Further Inspiration
After some more searching for visual stimulation which is the best way that I personally get inspired and take in information by seeing things rather then reading or hearing things, imagery really inspires me.
The above image of a sparkler creates a large image of action and responsiveness for me and that is what I want the game that I create to have. I want it to really have a mood and theme of atmosphere and behind that a really responsive amount of gameplay.
The imagery of sparks are a really bright and obvious indicator that something is happening and that the game is being interactive and it can be mind numbing and addictive in many games. A great examlple is from the sparks and glowing effects of Geometry Wars which I really got addicted to.
Geometry Wars was one of the first games to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade. It was a great hit for me because the end goal was really simple and the mechanic of shooting enemies and dodging is such an adrenaline pumping activity. The graphics of the enemies exploding was such a satisfying feeling as well.
I found this image quite interesting as it merges two of the most innovative and ground breaking games into one image. Those games are 'We Love Katamari' and 'The Shadow of the Colossus' which are very different in genre although both strive for innovation of experience The theme they both have in common which I would like to experiment with is the theme of David and Goliath and the small vs the impossibly big.
Here is another piece of concept art which aptly expresses my interest in this theme. To have a smaller character fairing against a gigantic enemy with such small odds yet is able to overcome the challenge. This concept really inspired me for the future project and I would like to incorporate feelings of challenge and mustering the strength to overcome.
After the inspiration I had found, i mocked up these ideas which emphasises my inspiration for both concepts of the clouds and sky and the theme of over coming a strong force. On the left is the concept of a game called 'Block Parry' which will be about a small protagonist which will be fighting against many strong enemies and you only have one button to press to defeat them, which is the 'parry' button. The game on the right is a game which will solely focus on the jump mechanic and really glorify the beauty of a simple game and how simple is sometimes better. The emphasis of this game will very much be within the effects around the jump and the coding and physics of the interaction.
