Mobile art trends on the example of top-grossing games
A place in the top ten grossing is almost the ultimate dream of every developer. What can an artist do to promote the game in this direction? First, you need to look at those who are already in the top, study and draw conclusions, catch general trends, development vector - since there is no sense in repeating what has already been done, it is important to be able to create something that will be popular tomorrow.
Having studied the "art of champions" in the AppStore, Google Play and Amazon of the Russian, American, European and Asian markets, we want to share the revealed patterns. We ask you to take these reflections simply as a kind of digest of our day, we do not pretend to serious research, since this requires much more time and a more laborious approach. The material was prepared for one of the May conferences, the top-grossing for March-April was studied. Since that time, the top, of course, has changed, however, in general, all the examples are still relevant and, in our opinion, reflect the general trend.
Is the interface dead? Long live the interface!
If you look at the big picture, you can see quite obvious trends regarding the interface. If you recall the game two or three years ago, you could find arrows and joysticks for control on the touch screen. In order to start the game, it was required to make a lot of clicks and go through many screens, starting with the splash of the game and the main menu. Now the situation tends to the opposite - the interface is an integral part of the game. Now all unnecessary movements are removed, the player is immediately sent to the game, and everything you need to select and change is already on the screen. At the same time, the important buttons blink and semaphore with all the lights, it is impossible to miss and not press them.
')
In our opinion, it is appropriate to compare the current interface with the nervous system. The nervous system is a part of the body, permeates its structure, is responsible for the relationship and functioning of all parts and the organism as a whole. Similarly, the modern interface - it is no longer a “superstructure” that serves to control the game, it is integrated into it and - it is important! - is part of it. The interfaces of top-grossing games are also distinguished by aerobatics usability - even in midcore top-grossing projects, it is not difficult to figure out what to do and how. Let's look at examples confirming the hypothesis of the “nervous system”. Subway Surfers and Temple Run: Oz:
And there are no unnecessary screens at all: the main menu is missing, the store and the settings with the help of - drop by windows: Clash of Slans, Real Racing and HayDay:
What is the process of integrating the interface into the game? Obviously, with device capabilities that allow us to do this. And also with the restructuring of the thinking of developers towards the adoption and use of these very possibilities. For example, tap allows you to operate the components of the game directly, without any “crutches”. Accordingly, removing the joysticks, placing everything you need on the game screen and thereby reducing the number of tapes, leveling the screens to a minimum - with the help of this, usability and user involvement in the game process are increased.
Advent 3D - myth or reality?
Once upon a time, when the first smartphones appeared, they began to make 3D games. They received prizes, they were admired, but they did not receive wide distribution. Then came the era that Apple opened in 2007, presenting an iPhone. Then we went tablets, more and more powerful smartphones and hybrids. Already in the top-grossing flashed 3D. It would seem an indicator. What is the situation now?
We conducted a survey in March-April of this year using iTunes and the Appannie service. It should be emphasized that the conversation is about pure 3D, the use of renders is not taken into account.
A run through the Apple Appstore showed that Subway Surfers, Real Racing, Injustice are regular participants of the top-10 cash applications in Russia, replacing Infinity Blade that has gone down. Total share in the first 10-ke - 30%. Injustice was the only one to resist in the USA in 10-ke. In Europe, interestingly, there were practically no 3D games in the tops in March-April. The Asian world charts seem to be a parallel world for a European player; nevertheless, the share of 3D games in the 10-ke of grossing is also very small, and only Injustice managed to get there from 3D projects.
On Google Play in Russia, 3D applications were not among the top ten cash registers during the review period, but they were closely approached: Subway Surfers and Real Racing took 11 and 12 positions, respectively. The top 10 cash registers of the US GooglePlay and Europe didn’t enter 3D applications at all during the review period and didn’t approach it. The only exception is the first place on Amazon at Temple Run Oz, but here it’s rather the policy of the story itself.
If you expand the boundaries and watch the top-30's top-grossing, then in the USA and Europe, some of the projects mentioned above appear in the USA and Europe, plus Minecraft and Infinity Blade. Quite an interesting picture, isn't it? What thoughts suggest? First, I think, the era of the heyday of 3D has not yet come. Just because most developers are still easier to make high-quality 2D-project. 3D projects have potential: their advantages in certain genres and their own audience. The key word here, as it seems to us, is “genre”. And this potential will be revealed more and more precisely there (races, arcades "from the first person").
Why are we, in the sense of Russia, ahead of the rest of the world on top-grossing 3D? The question is very interesting. Offhand it is difficult to say, but a good answer requires good research. It is possible to dissolve the philosophy that these are all genres of action - and with a stroke write off to the mysterious Russian soul, loving speed and give a good wave of fists. But is everything so simple?
Quantity vs content quality - what will a million bring?
Of course, the question is incorrect. To announce a confrontation, which in fact is not, but if it is tough and uncompromising to choose - the number wins. The winner is the one who offers the user more options, because while there is something to strive for and as long as progress is possible, as long as the person has something to do in your game, he is yours. Accordingly, the winner is the one who gives more heroes, more buildings, more bonuses.
Not to be unfounded, we look at the shops, if not to say supermarkets, of the following games:
Hay day
King of empire
Natives
SubwaySurfers
Sex sells? How the most ancient principle works within the limits of stor
Why did the question come up: how about whom, and we often have to deal with the situation when marketing comes to art and says: “We’d like to play (or for promo) young ladies prettier and sexier”. And then he adds: “But for the censorship to be missed! But - more delicious. But - to miss. "
It is no secret that the principle of sex sells is very widely used in advertising, in video games, in the film industry - with varying degrees of permissibility. Apple Appstore, GooglePlay and Amazon, the largest representatives of the market, prohibit in their guidelines all that relates to outright erotica. Yes, the Playboy app has been released, but with fully dressed young ladies. It would seem that the principle was, but left? And no. In our century, for some reason, they forget that the terms “erotica” and “sexuality” include not only the lack of clothes. You can even express the opinion that sexuality is not very connected with the degree of nakedness. We understand! And for the purity of the experiment, we will focus on the promo of top-grossing games, in order to somehow define the boundaries in which we will look and compare. So:
1. Pretty women
Although such classic attributes of femininity as expressive poses, cleavage and loose hair (optionally long legs) are still an essential attribute of beauty, all this is presented in a rather restrained form. More decorating the screen with the presence of the character, rather than seducing.
2. Handsome
Here there are all signs of masculinity again: muscles, power, brutality, aggression. Classics of the genre, except that violence and blood are not shown directly. True, they are not difficult to imagine looking at these thugs.
3. A small interesting step to the side under the conditional name "East is a delicate matter." Since the market was viewed as a whole, why not compare it here for the sake of comparison. And why there was an interest: once, a year and a half or two ago, Koreans asked us for permission to redesign the icon of one of our games, where the main character is the pig. Say, available is not suitable for their market. Okay. But when we saw the result, all the faces of the people became like that emoticon: o_0. The Koreans chose a piggy sprite with a smile that was almost the entire width of the pig, placed it on a brown background, stuck a couple of flowers in there, and all this in a golden frame. The general background of the icon turned out so dull yellow-brown. We are at a loss, Koreans are delighted. Conclusion: there is a big difference between us. We now return to this topic.
This is really a different world and worldview, here the wrapper is given more importance than the content, and the abundance of information that can be placed on the local promotional screenshots explodes the brain, used to restrained and content-oriented style. But, of course, it is very interesting to look at all this and compare it with what is customary here. It is worth noting that the sexually expressed content is manifested here more clearly than is customary in the "West." More than us, emotionality, which also plays a role.
So what do we see? Sex is really sells, but far less aggressive than the situation in the same jave, if anyone remembers those times.
Art top-grossing: if we drop envy and look objectively.
First, as we see, the popular bright and casual: HayDay, Candy Crush Saga, The Simpsons, Subway Surfers, Natives, Puzzle and Dragons. Everything is bright, juicy, nice to the eye.
On the other hand, we see a departure from casualness, these are midcore projects and their style is close to hardcore games - colors are muffled, even realistic graphics are possible, the interface in style is very similar to the PC-shny. This is Clash of Clans, Kingdoms of Camelot, King's Empire, Rage of Bahamut, Blood Brothers.
Further, if we look closely. The graphics of many top-box games are quite average. For example, tearing all and all Candy Crush Saga and Blood Brothers:
- objectively: no super-special effects, no mega-art, everything was done soundly, but without any claims to stardom. Yes, you can say anything, but people play and it's great for them! And why? Mention is not relevant to this topic, but which is the main thing in the game - the gameplay. And what else is important? Design. Not in the sense of how it looks, but in the sense of how everything works. And it works great: top-grossing is distinguished, as a rule, by very well-designed, convenient interfaces and game details.
Summing up. Cult game art and art, which everyone is beginning to imitate, is simply a group supporting a good game design and is born as follows. It turns out the game with a balanced gameplay, usable, with social chips, it is very well pushed and supported - and lo! She has a cloud of players, and position on top of the top. And the graphics of this game can be starting from the level of “medium”, “incomparable” according to the schedule of games in the top cash registers. However, calling art “just a support group” can be a mistake. Far from "just." You should always remember about the importance of first impression and emotional impact. And for this, anyway, responsible graphics and artists.
Having studied the "art of champions" in the AppStore, Google Play and Amazon of the Russian, American, European and Asian markets, we want to share the revealed patterns. We ask you to take these reflections simply as a kind of digest of our day, we do not pretend to serious research, since this requires much more time and a more laborious approach. The material was prepared for one of the May conferences, the top-grossing for March-April was studied. Since that time, the top, of course, has changed, however, in general, all the examples are still relevant and, in our opinion, reflect the general trend.
Is the interface dead? Long live the interface!
If you look at the big picture, you can see quite obvious trends regarding the interface. If you recall the game two or three years ago, you could find arrows and joysticks for control on the touch screen. In order to start the game, it was required to make a lot of clicks and go through many screens, starting with the splash of the game and the main menu. Now the situation tends to the opposite - the interface is an integral part of the game. Now all unnecessary movements are removed, the player is immediately sent to the game, and everything you need to select and change is already on the screen. At the same time, the important buttons blink and semaphore with all the lights, it is impossible to miss and not press them.
')
In our opinion, it is appropriate to compare the current interface with the nervous system. The nervous system is a part of the body, permeates its structure, is responsible for the relationship and functioning of all parts and the organism as a whole. Similarly, the modern interface - it is no longer a “superstructure” that serves to control the game, it is integrated into it and - it is important! - is part of it. The interfaces of top-grossing games are also distinguished by aerobatics usability - even in midcore top-grossing projects, it is not difficult to figure out what to do and how. Let's look at examples confirming the hypothesis of the “nervous system”. Subway Surfers and Temple Run: Oz:
And there are no unnecessary screens at all: the main menu is missing, the store and the settings with the help of - drop by windows: Clash of Slans, Real Racing and HayDay:
What is the process of integrating the interface into the game? Obviously, with device capabilities that allow us to do this. And also with the restructuring of the thinking of developers towards the adoption and use of these very possibilities. For example, tap allows you to operate the components of the game directly, without any “crutches”. Accordingly, removing the joysticks, placing everything you need on the game screen and thereby reducing the number of tapes, leveling the screens to a minimum - with the help of this, usability and user involvement in the game process are increased.
Advent 3D - myth or reality?
Once upon a time, when the first smartphones appeared, they began to make 3D games. They received prizes, they were admired, but they did not receive wide distribution. Then came the era that Apple opened in 2007, presenting an iPhone. Then we went tablets, more and more powerful smartphones and hybrids. Already in the top-grossing flashed 3D. It would seem an indicator. What is the situation now?
We conducted a survey in March-April of this year using iTunes and the Appannie service. It should be emphasized that the conversation is about pure 3D, the use of renders is not taken into account.
A run through the Apple Appstore showed that Subway Surfers, Real Racing, Injustice are regular participants of the top-10 cash applications in Russia, replacing Infinity Blade that has gone down. Total share in the first 10-ke - 30%. Injustice was the only one to resist in the USA in 10-ke. In Europe, interestingly, there were practically no 3D games in the tops in March-April. The Asian world charts seem to be a parallel world for a European player; nevertheless, the share of 3D games in the 10-ke of grossing is also very small, and only Injustice managed to get there from 3D projects.
On Google Play in Russia, 3D applications were not among the top ten cash registers during the review period, but they were closely approached: Subway Surfers and Real Racing took 11 and 12 positions, respectively. The top 10 cash registers of the US GooglePlay and Europe didn’t enter 3D applications at all during the review period and didn’t approach it. The only exception is the first place on Amazon at Temple Run Oz, but here it’s rather the policy of the story itself.
If you expand the boundaries and watch the top-30's top-grossing, then in the USA and Europe, some of the projects mentioned above appear in the USA and Europe, plus Minecraft and Infinity Blade. Quite an interesting picture, isn't it? What thoughts suggest? First, I think, the era of the heyday of 3D has not yet come. Just because most developers are still easier to make high-quality 2D-project. 3D projects have potential: their advantages in certain genres and their own audience. The key word here, as it seems to us, is “genre”. And this potential will be revealed more and more precisely there (races, arcades "from the first person").
Why are we, in the sense of Russia, ahead of the rest of the world on top-grossing 3D? The question is very interesting. Offhand it is difficult to say, but a good answer requires good research. It is possible to dissolve the philosophy that these are all genres of action - and with a stroke write off to the mysterious Russian soul, loving speed and give a good wave of fists. But is everything so simple?
Quantity vs content quality - what will a million bring?
Of course, the question is incorrect. To announce a confrontation, which in fact is not, but if it is tough and uncompromising to choose - the number wins. The winner is the one who offers the user more options, because while there is something to strive for and as long as progress is possible, as long as the person has something to do in your game, he is yours. Accordingly, the winner is the one who gives more heroes, more buildings, more bonuses.
Not to be unfounded, we look at the shops, if not to say supermarkets, of the following games:
Hay day
King of empire
Natives
SubwaySurfers
Sex sells? How the most ancient principle works within the limits of stor
Why did the question come up: how about whom, and we often have to deal with the situation when marketing comes to art and says: “We’d like to play (or for promo) young ladies prettier and sexier”. And then he adds: “But for the censorship to be missed! But - more delicious. But - to miss. "
It is no secret that the principle of sex sells is very widely used in advertising, in video games, in the film industry - with varying degrees of permissibility. Apple Appstore, GooglePlay and Amazon, the largest representatives of the market, prohibit in their guidelines all that relates to outright erotica. Yes, the Playboy app has been released, but with fully dressed young ladies. It would seem that the principle was, but left? And no. In our century, for some reason, they forget that the terms “erotica” and “sexuality” include not only the lack of clothes. You can even express the opinion that sexuality is not very connected with the degree of nakedness. We understand! And for the purity of the experiment, we will focus on the promo of top-grossing games, in order to somehow define the boundaries in which we will look and compare. So:
1. Pretty women
Although such classic attributes of femininity as expressive poses, cleavage and loose hair (optionally long legs) are still an essential attribute of beauty, all this is presented in a rather restrained form. More decorating the screen with the presence of the character, rather than seducing.
2. Handsome
Here there are all signs of masculinity again: muscles, power, brutality, aggression. Classics of the genre, except that violence and blood are not shown directly. True, they are not difficult to imagine looking at these thugs.
3. A small interesting step to the side under the conditional name "East is a delicate matter." Since the market was viewed as a whole, why not compare it here for the sake of comparison. And why there was an interest: once, a year and a half or two ago, Koreans asked us for permission to redesign the icon of one of our games, where the main character is the pig. Say, available is not suitable for their market. Okay. But when we saw the result, all the faces of the people became like that emoticon: o_0. The Koreans chose a piggy sprite with a smile that was almost the entire width of the pig, placed it on a brown background, stuck a couple of flowers in there, and all this in a golden frame. The general background of the icon turned out so dull yellow-brown. We are at a loss, Koreans are delighted. Conclusion: there is a big difference between us. We now return to this topic.
This is really a different world and worldview, here the wrapper is given more importance than the content, and the abundance of information that can be placed on the local promotional screenshots explodes the brain, used to restrained and content-oriented style. But, of course, it is very interesting to look at all this and compare it with what is customary here. It is worth noting that the sexually expressed content is manifested here more clearly than is customary in the "West." More than us, emotionality, which also plays a role.
So what do we see? Sex is really sells, but far less aggressive than the situation in the same jave, if anyone remembers those times.
Art top-grossing: if we drop envy and look objectively.
First, as we see, the popular bright and casual: HayDay, Candy Crush Saga, The Simpsons, Subway Surfers, Natives, Puzzle and Dragons. Everything is bright, juicy, nice to the eye.
On the other hand, we see a departure from casualness, these are midcore projects and their style is close to hardcore games - colors are muffled, even realistic graphics are possible, the interface in style is very similar to the PC-shny. This is Clash of Clans, Kingdoms of Camelot, King's Empire, Rage of Bahamut, Blood Brothers.
Further, if we look closely. The graphics of many top-box games are quite average. For example, tearing all and all Candy Crush Saga and Blood Brothers:
- objectively: no super-special effects, no mega-art, everything was done soundly, but without any claims to stardom. Yes, you can say anything, but people play and it's great for them! And why? Mention is not relevant to this topic, but which is the main thing in the game - the gameplay. And what else is important? Design. Not in the sense of how it looks, but in the sense of how everything works. And it works great: top-grossing is distinguished, as a rule, by very well-designed, convenient interfaces and game details.
Summing up. Cult game art and art, which everyone is beginning to imitate, is simply a group supporting a good game design and is born as follows. It turns out the game with a balanced gameplay, usable, with social chips, it is very well pushed and supported - and lo! She has a cloud of players, and position on top of the top. And the graphics of this game can be starting from the level of “medium”, “incomparable” according to the schedule of games in the top cash registers. However, calling art “just a support group” can be a mistake. Far from "just." You should always remember about the importance of first impression and emotional impact. And for this, anyway, responsible graphics and artists.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/181502/
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