Art - The Importance of Art in Games

     Since the near beginning of game creation, art has been a significant factor, of course, some games are text based; most games require a graphical interface. All graphical games have backgrounds and characters. Without sketches, the games of today would be non-existent.
     I'm not here to talk about text-based games, I'm here to talk about games with graphical interfaces. From the original Frogger on Atari, to Halo on the xbox 360, we know that graphics are as significant as the game-play and storyline. Though the graphics of Frogger have long since been passed by games like Gears of War and Call of Duty, for it's time it was something amazing. Graphics are constantly getting better; vast landscaping and character stylizing has revolutionized gaming. For many years I'd fought the gaming graphic transition; I was stuck with my love of 2d gaming, but find I am now succumbing to the transition.
     Without extensive backgrounds and character skins, games would be nothing but dialog. We've been able to see the graphical change in games over the past 20 or so years. From the basic graphics of pong, to the intense graphics contained in Halo. We can see that backgrounds have more significance than before. Landscapes make up a good majority in games these days, especially with how we interact with the surroundings. The designs have gone from black and white to a vast array of colors. Graphics have gone from the flat 1d and 2d landscapes to landscapes in 3d. Though we still have a long way to go, we can see that gaming will eventually reach full 3d realism. Games like World of Warcraft have shown us that we desire more options, clothing, weapons and landscapes, it's what keeps us entertained.
     Without the the artists and design teams creating the conceptual drawings for the new games, we wouldn't have them. I've always been a fan of art, from comics to the latest in games. I feel that the conceptual artists behind the creation of games don't get nearly enough credit for the many long hours they put into the creation of landscapes and character designs. I doubt most of the people playing the hot new games care, or even take the time to think for a second, how much work goes into the design of those games. Even many of my friends feel that the designers are lazy, but they seem to forget how much work goes into the creation of games. I once recall watching something about the conceptual designs that went into Megaman, also widely known as Rockman. Without the first sketches for Megaman, he wouldn't look as he does, and wouldn't play the same either. Even the design teams for standalone games, should be recognized for their efforts, even if their games weren't so successful.
     Without the efforts of the design teams, I wouldn't have played as many games as I have. I'm thankful for all of you amazing artists out there who took the time of your lives to create games, regardless of how well they've sold. Keep up the good work guys and gals!