Cutesy vs Gritty

Mephs · 2006-07-24T05:30:45

Hey all, Inspired by my other thread on removing resources from RTS game, an idea I had in it caused me to consider the implications of game style. I have to say a lot of games I've traditionally played have been gritty and full of atmosphere, but lately I have also started playing many more games that are cutesy or neutral in style and I find that they also have a lot of appeal, more than I ever gave them credit for in the past. I am caught up in a constant battle of indecision when thinking about what style to use in my games, I feel that cutesy game possibly open up a wider audience because many casual gamers in my opinion, are likely put off by games tha take themselves too seriously. I know my girlfriend wouldn't even entertain a game of Oblivion or Doom 3 or anything in any way gritty, but she would definitely have a go at something like Super Monkey Ball or Donkey Konga (I think it was called :P). Now I could be wrong in that assumption, but I have a feeling I'm right. On the other hand, I can sometimes find cutesy games can be a little off-putting to some because they are seen to be too childish in nature. I wondered about this because I half considered the idea of a cutesy RTS game, but my instinct tells me it would be original, but probably a failure from the start because cutesy and war don't really mix too well. Again, on the other hand, I think cutesy games have slightly more potential for stylized graphics to stand out from the crowd, and should generally require less graphical resources to produce just as pretty a game, because everything by it's nature is simplified. So, I'm no closer to knowing what is best for my own games, in which case I'd be interested in knowing what styles others prefer, what pro and cons people see. Granted there is no definitive answer, but I'm not really looking to know which is best.... just gather some opinions such as how you think it effects your target market, how it affects the development of your game, peoples outlook on your end product and whether either of the styles could work wih games not traditionally associated with said style. Cheers, Steve

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Mephs July 23, 2006 05:30 PM

10 comments, last by sarahcovenant 18 years, 6 months ago

sarahcovenant

167

July 24, 2006 05:30 AM

maplestory and roseonline are cutesy mmorpgs (and the epitome of grind, try it and see it for yourself) but they draw lots of players. mainly kids, girls and adult wage slaves with little gaming experience.

Cutesy vs Gritty

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Cutesy vs Gritty

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