What is Game Art?

It is a specialized form of computer art employing games as an artistic
medium
● Game art includes :

○ Concept Art
○ Character Design
○ Environment Design
○ Animation
○ Visual effects
○ Sound
○ UI Design

Game art is basically everything you see and hear in a game

Why Do We Need to Understand Art Styles?

Game art is a complex multi component task including development,
art, marketing etc
Sometimes there is a dead end when it comes to choosing an art style
Avoid to fall in the trap of plagiarism
Every game must have a unique identity

Different Type of Game Art Styles :

We basically have two major categories of different game art styles.

Realistic

Realistic style can be further classified into two sub categories

● Realism
● Fantasy Realism (Semi Realistic)

Stylized

● Low Poly
● Hand Painted
● Cartoon

Stylized Art :

In a stylized game, the appearance of characters, objects, and the environment takes inspiration from cartoons, comics, and caricatures

Game elements, features are generally exaggerated

Stylized games are also not limited to realistic movement

Stylized is the most flexible and expressive game art style

Artists generally go beyond geometric forms

It is a sound alternative to realism if game companies want their audience to feel a specific mood and ambiance.

Realism:

To bring graphics to the look of our reality as close as possible

Almost all triple-A projects come out in this style

Completely immerses the player in the settings without a doubt about the reality of what is happening around.

It is commonly found in simulators, for example racing. Realism is also often found in horror, survival and sports games like Fifa, Last of US, Tombraider etc

Fantasy Realistic (Semi Realistic)

Realistic-looking elements set in a fantastical world are a sub-genre of the realistic game art style

Conclusion

Working with game art requires not only professional artistic skills, but also a huge amount of knowledge about styles, their combinations, and the appropriateness of their application in a particular project. Hopefully this article would have helped  you understand different game art styles and become an overall good game artist.