Background Graphics And Print Media In Game Creation

Background Graphics

Background graphics are the art present in 2D games, such as sidescrolling platformer games and 2D fighters, that cover a mass of the screen in the background in one image. This image will usually scroll as the player moves along the level or change to match the environment that the level is trying to portray in any given part of a level.

A specific example of background graphics in video games are the earlier versions of the street fighter games, up until Street Fighter 4, which were sprite based 2D fighting games. The background graphics of these games were meant to provide the environment and mood for each level and set the stage for each fight. This, combined with the floor tiles, interactive background sprites and background music, are all brought together to give a sense of character to each individual stage.

The graphics used for in game interface are called the Graphical User Interface (GUI). This includes menu's such as the inventory screen and the pause/options menus, as well as text boxes and images that show information relevant to the player at the time. In the example of a menu in a game, the priority is to show as much information to the player in a short amount of time. A menu also ensures that a player will subconsciously prioritise certain elements over others. A good example of a good GUI are the menus from Morrowind (shown right). This screen shows your character details, the map and your inventory whilst managing to not waste any screen real estate.

In most 1st and 3rd person games, there is usually information relevant to the player at all times in the corners/edges of the screen. This is usually referred to as the Heads Up Display (HUD). These will usually show things such as health and resources, which need to be immediately accessible to the player to make rapid decisions whilst in game play. Far Cry 2 - An example of a HUD that is non-intrusive whilst still providing all relevant information.

Print Media Art

Print media is usually promotional material for the game i. e. game cover art and posters for the game. Promotional material for the game needs to be eye-catching and visually appealing in order to market the game well. Furthermore, it needs to be targeted towards the demographic that your game is catered towards e. g. gritty browns and greens on a Call of Duty box art (shown right). A notable exception to this would be if your game is being deliberately subversive of the audiences expectations. In this case, the game would be marketed very differently to how it ended up playing like. A recent example of this would be Doki Doki Literature Club - A psychological horror game.

The other type of print media for video games would be informative media such as the game manual and the back of the games box. This is usually printed to inform the player of the basics of the game i. e. controls. However video game box art and manuals are a dying trend in video games lately due to downloads being the preferred method of acquiring video games in a current market.