One of the most important aspects of a video game in the world in which players spend their time in. These worlds can range from tight condensed corridors where players wait to snipe their opponents or massive open worlds where players discover ancient dungeons and slay dragons. This is the reason the world and environmental design are critical components on whether or not a game will be successful and resonate with players.
Environmental Art Builds Great Game Worlds
A recent trend taking the video game industry by storm is the open-world genre, and it’s easy to see why. These games feature massive sprawling landscapes, entire worlds where players can go anywhere and do anything. If you see an interesting landmark off in the distance you can often ignore what you’ve been doing and head directly there. These kinds of games give players a sense of freedom and exploration that lets them explore the vast and detailed worlds at their own pace, letting their adventures be truly their own. Other kinds of games like first-person shooters go the opposite direction and instead create more contained environments with navigatable spaces often far more realistic with compelling level designs and assets that are rich in detail.
Of course, none of this would be possible if the worlds of the games themselves aren’t designed well. 3D Environment art plays a large role in this, making it so that wherever players go, they will be looking at something unique and interesting that captures their attention. Realistic environments and playable areas contribute heavily to a player’s immersion and the way they interact with the game world. This isn't just limited to level design, but also includes assets, props, and object design as well. Good environmental art is what sets a game apart from others as the world, landscapes, and items they come across are often what they remember the most when they think of a game since these are aspects unique to each game itself. For example, two games in the Legend of Zelda series, Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess have similar gameplay styles, characters, and locations with the same names, and are set in the same land, Hyrule. However, no fan would ever mistake one for the other since their world and art design are so radically different. The design of each location in these games are completely unique to each other and offer completely distinct takes on the world as a result. The environmental design in these games is used to tell a story of their own, depicting the world as a fantasy medieval style adventure in one game or convey a darker and more epic tone in another.
Environmental art in a video game is often taken into consideration in every step of the development process since gameplay, story, and even music all have to feel like they naturally belong within the world that is presented to players. Since these environments are getting more rich and detailed as time goes on, players will be even more immersed in their favorite games.
