is pixel art not worth it in game development?

[newguylearning]

I am not sure can I post here, but is pixel art not worth it in game development?

[Demetrius_Dixon]

Pixel art, like any creative medium, is worth it.

Simple question. Simple answer.

Welcome to the forum.

[BFranse]

I’m wondering what made you ask this question! Pixel art, as @Demetrius_Dixon said is worth it, but I’m curious about the underlying reasoning to ask this question. Perhaps we can help there

[Toxe]

Care to elaborate a bit more what you mean?

[nines]

A better question to ask is “what are you after?”

There are plenty of games out there that use Pixel Arts and got cult followings and positive feedbacks.

[jesusemora]

as a developer, pixel art takes a lot of work, and the “market” is very saturated with the pixel art aesthetic. Still, games are successful, but players get tired of it from time to time.
it continues to survive, but unless you are very good at it, or have people who can’t do other style, I would look somewhere else.
There are many styles that are less common and would look more unique, just look at cuphead.
Other styles: comic book, claymation (doom), collage, plain shaded pre-rendered (donkey kong), non-pbr pre-rendered (stronghold crusader), old school cell-shaded, old cartoon (pick an era), etc.
don’t die on the pixel art hill, be creative.

[pauldrewett]

@jesusemora
I think you hit the point he meant. “Is it worth it” as in it is difficult to make look good and only a subset of players (that grows and shrinks) appreciate it whereas another subset of players (which also grows and shrinks) thinks it is cheap, old school and a bit dated.

However, as @Demetrius_Dixon first pointed out, it is an artistic style choice. It’s a bit like asking if you should paint in pastels, oils or watercolours. It started out because that was the level of graphic capability at the time, but now it is seen as so much more than that. It is certainly something I tried, but it is so difficult because of the limitations. It is a very difficult art form, especially since the bar for it has been set so high by some very talented artists and animators.

So, there is not a yes or no answer. It’s an impossible question. As @nines said, It depends on you and want you want to achieve. Are you chasing whatever the currently popular trend is? Are you an aficionado of the style? Does it scratch that creative itch? There are many ways to be creative, this is just one avenue, a wide well-trodden avenue to be sure, but a major thoroughfare still.

As @Toxe said, It seems we all want to know what you mean when you say ‘worth it’. But if you do mean in terms of reach, sales, immediate monetary prospects, player interest, well that depends on so much more than your immediate art style choices. When I first saw Minecraft I could not get over the blocky world for a long time. I just thought “why?”. Then of course I built my first ‘castle’ (it really wasn’t much) and I suddenly go it. And what a diamond that art style choice turned into.

So come on, tell us more. Explain what you are working on, what your choices are, what you are thinking about, what concerns you have. It’s like a mystery question! We all want to know more! Don’t leave us hanging!

[newguylearning]

Thank you.
But I read some reviews about pixel art so hard to market, and very hard to make a stunning pixel art for game.

[newguylearning]

@jesusemora

as a developer, pixel art takes a lot of work, and the “market” is very saturated with the pixel art aesthetic. Still, games are successful, but players get tired of it from time to time.
it continues to survive, but unless you are very good at it, or have people who can’t do other style, I would look somewhere else.
There are many styles that are less common and would look more unique, just look at cuphead.
Other styles: comic book, claymation (doom), collage, plain shaded pre-rendered (donkey kong), non-pbr pre-rendered (stronghold crusader), old school cell-shaded, old cartoon (pick an era), etc.
don’t die on the pixel art hill, be creative.

Agree, I personally more learn the anime / manga skill.

[newguylearning]

because I am a new guy, just learn to make indie game, but to make sure game able to sell, the art will be the first block.
while I am learning Godot engine, some YouTube channel - game developer compare the art style tier list, say pixel art require a lot, too hard to standout. I mean if something can’t standout, to me will be not worth it, because I don’t enough money to make AD. beside if other art style better to get customer, I don’t I should spend time to learn pixel art.

[Demetrius_Dixon]

@newguylearning

But I read some reviews about pixel art so hard to market, and very hard to make a stunning pixel art for game.

It’s very hard to make stunning art in EVERY genre. I certainly can’t do it. I’m a game designer, not an artist.

I think you’re overthinking this. Just start, you’ll know what to do next after the fact.

Also, forget about making money. Game development is an art, and it takes a really long time to mature for both the game itself and the people making them.

You gotta be in it for the love of the process, of iteration, of trying again and again. Because that’s what you’re going to be doing 99.99999999% of the time.

Actually, I asked the same type of question as this back when I was still unsure of my path forward:

Should I REALLY use Godot 4 to create a small, multiplayer, third-person, arena shooter in 3D? (Serious Question)

Background So, I’ve been developing my project for a few months, it’s a third-person arena shooter about inventing your own weapons. I’m not a new developer or new to the Godot Engine (You’ve probably seen me on this forum), but I’m also not a professional and I intend to work independently on my own whims. However, about 30 minutes ago as of posting this topic, I was in a VC in the Godot Café discord to network and improve my socialization skills. When I told them about my project and the ve…

I’m still working on the prototype of my project, Monkanics, but I’ve grown a lot over time. I know for a fact that I’ll have it done one day.

Point is, I’m trying to tell you to start doing something. That’s the only way to know what works and what doesn’t for you.

[wowgpi]

@newguylearning

Agree, I personally more learn the anime / manga skill.

Then you should probably make you’re game in a anime / manga style, but as @Demetrius_Dixon said, you should probably just start making your game (a prototype version) and then see what art medium you should include in your game. As the game loop is more important than the art style.

[Toxe]

@Demetrius_Dixon

It’s very hard to make stunning art in EVERY genre.

This, indeed. Every style takes a lot of work to make it beautiful.

But really, you don’t have to compete with the most beautiful games, just make something that is “good enough”.

[jesusemora]

@newguylearning

Agree, I personally more learn the anime / manga skill.

that is another style that is overused. the difference is, pixel art is more limited, but anime can be much more.
there are many different styles of anime than the generic one everyone thinks of.
it has changed through the decades, from the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, the 2000s, and more modern ones, and each artist had their own unique style, more or less serious, more or less realistic, etc.
the shading can also vary, you can go with completely flat shading, or smooth, or no shading at all, with or without borders, more smooth or stiff, more or less deformation, it can change styles depending on the situation, etc.

@newguylearning

while I am learning Godot engine, some YouTube channel - game developer compare the art style tier list, say pixel art require a lot, too hard to standout. I mean if something can’t standout, to me will be not worth it, because I don’t enough money to make AD. beside if other art style better to get customer, I don’t I should spend time to learn pixel art.

You should not listen to Tier lists, it’s just a game, an opinion, not backed by research or even logic.

@Demetrius_Dixon

It’s very hard to make stunning art in EVERY genre. I certainly can’t do it. I’m a game designer, not an artist.

there are styles that are easier than others. as a rule of thumb, the simplest the style, the easiest it is to produce, but it might require more thinking, like what colors to use and how, or if it fits the kind of game you are making, etc.

@Demetrius_Dixon

I think you’re overthinking this. Just start, you’ll know what to do next after the fact.

Also, forget about making money. Game development is an art, and it takes a really long time to mature for both the game itself and the people making them.

You gotta be in it for the love of the process, of iteration, of trying again and again. Because that’s what you’re going to be doing 99.99999999% of the time.

very much this

[paintsimmon]

pixel art and manga / anime style are not mutually exclusive

[pauldrewett]

@newguylearning

to make sure game able to sell

I too worried about this at the beginning. I thought “If I am going to make a game I definitely want it to sell”. But I was wrong. Let me explain a bit.

If you are making a game for ‘the money’ there are probably much easier ways to make money. It is a tough, brutal and overcrowded market with no guarantees. You should do something else for money. Buy a burger van, start a sign making company. Nobody in their right mind would make a game for money as a solo dev just learning game development.

So why was I wrong? What I really meant was that I want to make a game that people actually play. I want players, I want my work to mean something to other people too.

So like you, at first I watched all those top tier videos, how to sell your game videos, which game types sell videos etc etc. But I was wrong. The right thing is to make a game you love, that you want to play, that you enjoy. If you make that, I can guarantee there will be others out there that will like it too.

So now it doesn’t matter what the art style is. Don’t pick one, just do your art. It doesn’t matter as long as you like it. Someone else can label what style it is for you later. Why should you care what they label it as.

It doesn’t matter what the genre is (just another label). It doesn’t matter if its ‘beautiful’ or not. Do you want to play it? It can be black and white squares and circles. Is it fun. Do you like playing it. That’s the only thing you need to concern yourself with. (In my humble opinion of course).

Good luck with whatever you make, it will be a roller coaster of a ride whatever you build! Put the labels to one side and as someone said on here once (can’t recall who) - just do you.