Art in games ( not games as art)

 
 
  Hey everyone, 
 
 I'm a concept artist for a company I won't name. I've been following GB and other sites to keep in "in touch" with the trends and news of the industry while working off site. Needless to say, I like GB the best, so I have a personal question I'd like to make to the community.  
 
 Before that, a little explanation on what I do. I design the look of monsters, weapons and other things in pre-production or during production itself. Just sketches and drawings with matching schematics for the 30 Artists to do their thing as well as color compositions and designs for some environments.
 
 As for the question, I'd like to know if you feel any of this is of any importance to you. Do you like things to make sense, Do you like everything to fit into the immersion of the game world of your choice, Do you find it significant in any way, Do you like things to mean something? 
 
 Or do you just want to shoot things in the face and consider all that other stuff to be just too self serious and pointless.  
 
 Thank you for your time, I hope you can be honest about this.

"Do you like things to make sense "

" Do you like everything to fit into the immersion of the game world of your choice "

" Do you find it significant in any way "

" Do you like things to mean something? "

I think you're underestimating the general video-gaming audience or at least the community of Giant Bomb.

In that case, yes definitely. I suppose I don't doubt that the wider audience (e.g. the guy that only buys Madden and Call of Duty every year) has any real issue with the art in games symbolising, signifying or aiding in the games immersion. But, there is the "hardcore" niche audience that appreciates the aspects of art in games that you've mentioned. I believe Giant Bomb as a community fits into the latter.

I definitely do. Fallout 3 comes to mind as going through that game it became glaringly clear that they injected meaning into a whole lot of little bits and pieces. I can't remember an example off-hand as it's been awhile since I've played but I do remember appreciating the attention to detail. Add even a bit more meaning to a piece and you add more depth, which is always fun when you look at something and realize maybe the person who created it had something to communicate to you, however minuscule it might be.

The answer must be a resounding yes, otherwise things wouldn't make sense in terms of stories which games tell.  Can you detail how and why you think the industry underestimates us?

Yes to all of your questions. It would be even better if you could combine all of that with shooting someone in the face.

Shit man, you're the most important link in the chain, how can you be doubting your self-worth?
 
I don't even understand the argument you're trying to make. Games could not be made without you guys. Or at least games of any quality, we'd be stuck back in the SNES days at most.

YES!, and games like Bioshock, Fallout 3, even smaller indie games like Braid, And yet It moves, Aquaria are great examples of that.  
When you enter some room in Fallout and look around and it tells a whole story, usually a long story of survival and suffering just through item and furniture placement and lighting and atmosphere, its amazing. Just like Bioshocks level design tells a lot of small stories. 
Things you speak of jump to me even more in small indie games that rely on that heavily, like the ones mentioned above. 
Also Call of Chathulu comes to mind.  
And speaking of immersion I think the UI plays a major part in it too. When quality art direction and design is met with quality UI and is revolving around a decent story, I play it in a heartbeat. I know that's a game I'll enjoy. 

Well in my case it depends on the type of game you're making as some fit into one mold and some not. If it's serious fiction, I like for things to make sense. But in cases where it's a vastly bizarre and imaginative world, I don't mind if monster design is a bit far out. 
For example, Fallout 3 falls into the former, FF13 falls into the latter. 
I hope I've understood and answered your questions correctly :/

" @Matiaz_Tapia said:

"Do you like things to make sense "

Yes.
 
@Matiaz_Tapia said:

" Do you like everything to fit into the immersion of the game world of your choice "

Yes.
 
@Matiaz_Tapia said:

" Do you find it significant in any way "

Yes.
 
@Matiaz_Tapia said:

" Do you like things to mean something? "

Yes. "

Things should have an internal logic, but not necessarily one that is immediately apparent to everyone. 
 
 
My favorite world in terms of setting and character design is Silent Hill.  Nothing in those games is readily apparent, but everything works with a hidden, internal logic.

Whilst I enjoy continuity as much as the next person, i'm not going to lose sleep if the weapon i'm using is from the wrong time period or anything trivial like that. 
 
Having said that, I do appreciate all the little touches that make games worth exploring. Like the Mona Lisa in Dead Rising 2, which could be used to batter a zombie to death. Now that's classy.

Do I care about how the game looks? What the fuck- yes. That's like half the point.