In the past decade, we’ve observed independent game art development grow from a niche to the biggest empire all across the world. We’ve seen retail releases dwindle in favor of digital downloads. Gaming demographics have shifted wildly to include almost everyone we know. In this article, we will highlight the main trends of the game industry in 2022, and find out what exactly transforms games from entertaining products to pieces of art.
The history of computer games began in the 1940s and 1950s when simple games and simulations were developed in an academic environment. Game art was not popular for a long time, and only in the 1970s and 1980s, when arcade machines, game consoles, and home computers became available to the public, computer game art started to be a part of pop culture. For example, in the 80s everyone loved Pacman or one of the first isometric games of the 2000s, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura. It’s the same nowadays.
From 2001 to 2022, the fast and affordable Internet changed everything. For example, digital distribution has practically displaced traditional retail. Thanks to Steam and Origin, it is no longer necessary to go to a store or ask a friend for a CD. In addition, there are fewer differences between consoles and PC – most projects are multiplatform and support multiplayer. Many former console exclusives are available in the libraries of distribution services.
Another significant gaming art platform of the era is the smartphone. If the “mobile” nineties – early “naughtiest” could entertain except for “Snake”, the current devices on Android and iOS issue a picture that once would have envied top computers. The phones are used to play not only hyper casual projects but also MMORPGs. And now let’s have a look at what are the main trends in 2022.
Every game starts with the idea and game art design. They come up with the engine and other basic parts of the development process like characters. We have selected for you the top 3 most fictitious trends in the gaming industry for 2022.
New game formats appear each year. But AAA gaming doesn’t lose its relevance. So, let’s talk about it in detail.
AAA is the highest grade given to games like GTA 5, Witcher 3, Far Cry 5, and others. Because the quality of the games is at the highest level. If you evaluate them in terms of already received income, you can also find and track all the progress of the game. In addition, AAA gaming art helps:
Technology has expanded the canvas upon which artists can tell their stories. The only game art form that has existed in the digital space, video games are a collision of art and science. They include many forms of traditional artistic expression — sculpture in the form of 3D modeling, illustration, narrative arcs, and dynamic music. All of these things combine to create something that goes beyond everything. Each art form has an integral role in society and has its history. Just like modern games, we can confidently say that they are the new art form of 2022.
Video games are also the only type of media that allows for personalizing the artistic experience while still retaining the artist’s authority. We find three distinct voices in video games: the creator, the game, and the player. Those who play a game are following the author’s story, being bound by the constructs of the rules. But based on the choices they make, the experience can be totally new and unique.
At a time when games used to be written mostly by console manufacturers, such a concept as cross-platform games simply did not exist. Of course, the main game art monsters of those times like Super Mario and Mortal Kombat came straight to players from arcade slot machines. Otherwise, even the idea that you can play the same game on different consoles seemed weird. After all, that was the era of the famous “console wars”, which gave the world a lot of fantastic games, powerful consoles, and funny memes.
In simple terms, cross-platform games are applications that allow you to act simultaneously on devices with different platforms. For example, PC and Xbox One or PlayStation 4 and PS Vita users can recreate on the same servers. In this way, the game art community becomes more diverse, and this can have a serious impact on the development of the industry as a whole.
In 2022, most newly-released multiplatform games support cross-play, allowing users to play with their friends no matter their system. Even better, game developers have added this feature to older games. As a consequence, for those who are looking for high-quality multiplayer games to enjoy with their friends, they are having a huge selection to choose from.
The most important reason games are not usually seen as art is that games are created as a form of entertainment. In other words, their creators never claim to be creating works of art. Another explanation is that we are still not used to the fact that art can be presented in the form of a story with a nonlinear plot that requires an active role of the player.
Can art be entertainment? Typically, art and entertainment are viewed as different forms of human activity. What is created to entertain the mass public is rarely the subject of close attention by art historians and critics.
Are video games art? In this sense, modern video games are the focus of close attention. They fully reflect the current metamorphosis of the viewer into the author, the blending of the artistic experience and the entertaining. Modern virtual entertainment actualizes its duality: Video games find opportunities to overcome utilitarian entertainment as part of mass culture and popular art.
The best products of the industry and authorial video games (art games) reflect the important and valuable part of modern players, what in some sense can be designated as the “new sublime”. As games become works of art, like any art form, they have their own audience. And as it turns out, the gaming society is one of the most widespread in the world.
Society has always had pretty big power, so let’s take a look at the game art community. Based on Newzoo’s statistics, the gaming society consisted of roughly 2.69 billion people in 2020. And the percentage of this community is increasing by 5.6% each year. We can state that it’s almost the biggest one in the world.
Today, game developers want to get closer to their customers, so they use forums and audience surveys. For example, they can propose several characters, and the game art community will already choose the more authentic and interesting one.
Also, developers should communicate with their potential players, offer them lots of variations, and find out what the audience would like to see and what mistakes they often notice in other games. This user-centered approach helps create a product gamers will fall in love with. Moreover, every player from the community will notice their impact on the game.
Unique game characters become iconic. Here are two basic tips that will help you create stunning characters for a game:
Technology has improved game art to the point where many games blur the line between reality and fantasy. Games are now used not only for entertainment, but also for educational purposes. At the same time, mobile game technology is considered one of the main factors in the development of the industry. But what technology is coming to the world of gaming today?
So, new technology is really driving the art gaming industry forward, without stopping for a minute. Who knows what this industry will be tomorrow, but one thing is certain – it will continually evolve to provide players with the best that progress has achieved.
Do you have an idea for your dream video game? If you need to explain complex concepts, or your project requires a creative team, Wow-How Studio is here to help! Our experts will find a perfect style for your product and accompany you from scratch to the release of your future game.
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