Minimalism in game design: examples, tips and ideas. Part one
Sometimes brevity can be more eloquent than verbosity.
It all depends on what thought you want to convey, what communication methods you have and target audience. For the developer, his game is the message. Accordingly, minimalism is a manifestation of brevity in game design: it allows the designer, who prefers simplicity, rather than complexity, to more effectively attract the attention of the audience.
But do not confuse the lack of difficulty with the lack of depth or interesting statement of the problem. The success of many games proves that minimalism goes well with most traditional game design practices, be it the geometric simplicity of Terry Kavana’s Super Hexagon rhythmic game or the epic scale of the deep and soulful Fumito Ueda Shadow of the Colossus.
It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about minimalism in the literal or figurative sense of the word, simplicity of graphic design or bias towards narrative design - this article will help you to effectively apply the aesthetics of minimalism in any projects, once again proving that everything that is ingenious is simple.
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Minimalism as a flow of art was born in the 60s of the last century under the influence of the philosophy of modernism. Modernists rejected the old ways of thinking, and this influenced the possibilities of their artistic expression.
Image created with Piet Mondrian Generator; by Robson # on Flickr
Previous art trends were based on abstractions and subjective metaphors, while minimalism focused on an objective and literal understanding of things. The first generations of followers worked with a limited number of colors and geometric shapes, avoiding any details. These ideas are still relevant today, but, ironically, minimalism in modern game design is a much more complex phenomenon.
The main purpose of minimalism in game design is to pay attention to certain elements of the game, limiting the degree of detail of the rest. This can be compared with a blindfold worn to exacerbate tactile sensations.
The whole game or some of its components can be minimalistic. Decoration, sound, gameplay, narrative - all this can be created based on the principles of minimalism.
For the developer, the best way to understand minimalism is to play interesting minimalistic games. In essence, you can write a whole book about the history of this trend in video games. No matter what you play - on the console, PC, PDA, or mobile devices - you have undoubtedly met the game, at least partially borrowing similar principles.
Below is a small selection of games with a variety of minimal design elements. Some of them will change your idea of ​​minimalism and allow you to take a different look at game design.
Super Hexagon
Terry Kavana, the author of Super Hexagon, calls her project a minimalist action-game. Its interface consists of a central hexagon surrounded by rhythmically moving forms and a small triangle controlled by the user. This triangle needs to be moved left or right in order to avoid collisions with impending forms and hold on as long as possible.
The design of the game and the mechanics of the gameplay are made in the spirit of minimalism in order to maximally focus attention on the goals of the game, and the rhythmic soundtrack and pulsating animation practically put you in a hypnotic state. Super Hexagon is an excellent example of a game that uses minimalism as a key design philosophy while maintaining a fairly high level of complexity.
Dwarf fortress
The Dwarf Fortress game from the Tarn brothers and Zack Adams is made in the God Simulator genre with elements of roguelike and is widely known for its complexity. The only minimalistic feature of this game is its design: the objects are not represented using drawn sprites, but in the form of ASCII characters.
The minimalistic design of the game is used to make players feel nostalgic for those times when only imagination saved them from low computer graphics.
Mirror's edge
Mirror's Edge is a first-person action park simulator developed by EA DICE. The game skillfully combines minimalism and futuristic architecture. The city in which the action takes place is full of light and angular geometric figures, while buildings in the distance rise against the blue sky, like white monoliths.
In order not to clutter the screen with unnecessary indicators, the direction of movement and the way to the control points is indicated by a series of red objects. Such minimalism justifies itself twice: on the one hand, this is very clear, and on the other, it is intuitive.
Passage
In 2007, Jason Rohrer released the minimalist art game Passage. It occupies a window of only 100x16 pixels in size, and it can be completed in 5 minutes. Raising themes of loss, morality and human existence, this game, despite all its limitations, is capable of making a strong impression. And given the fact that it cannot be won in the traditional sense, it is doubtful whether it is a game at all.
This kind of minimalism is used to induce the player to reflection and convey an important thought through metaphors, forcing him to ask himself the fundamental question: “Why?”.
Metal Gear Solid 3
I bet you didn't expect to see Metal Gear Solid on this list. Hideo Kojima, the creator of the cult franchise, is known for being inspired by many trends in art, history and pop culture. There is a scene in the game where the main character has to climb an incredibly long staircase: after passing a long windy tunnel, he reaches a dead end and climbs upstairs for 2 minutes. As it progresses, the a capella version of the game’s soundtrack begins to play. The words “I give my life. Not for honor, but for you ”, echoing from the walls of the tunnel, bump into the memory and do not go out of my head long after the game is over.
This is an example of using minimalism to create an important and heartfelt moment that can evoke complex and mixed feelings.
Thomas Was Alone
Mike Bitella's Thomas Was Alone game can hardly be understood by looking at the screenshots. At first glance, this is a typical platformer with puzzle elements and simple rectangular characters without a hint of personality. But behind this lies a deep and exciting gaming experience.
Such a combination of artistic minimalism and intriguing narrative design is perfect for developers with insufficiently strong artistic skills.
Nintendo Wii / Wii Sports
The console itself Nintendo Wii was created in the spirit of minimalism. In an effort to reach a wider audience, Nintendo has developed a new controller with simplified input devices and an emphasis on motion control. With the release of Wii Sports, the company managed to create perhaps the most successful minimalist game of all time. By removing all unnecessary and focusing on simple and clear gameplay, Nintendo has proven that minimalism can be very popular.
Journey
In the award-winning and loudly successful adventure game Jorney from Thatgamecompany, minimalism is used in a slightly different way. As in the game Flower of this developer, Jorney definitely feels understated. The user lacks descriptions and explanations to understand exactly what is happening. Without protracted tutorials and screen prompts, players are forced to independently explore and explore the world around them.
Simplified game mechanics help research, but the real power of minimalism is revealed here while playing in multiplayer mode. Players just get into a joint session without any notification and the ability to communicate with each other except with the help of simple emotions. The connection between the two strangers shows how impressive the interaction can be even in the absence of standard mechanics inherent in multiplayer games.
Shadow of the Colossus
This adventure game, created by Fumito Ueda together with Team Ico, amazes with its epic scope. The player can wield a sword, archery and ride. He must save his beloved, and for this you need to overcome several huge bosses. But, unlike most adventure games, there are no small opponents in Shadow of the Colossus, which are usually found in large quantities in dungeons and everywhere outside of them.
There are 16 enemies in the game, and all of them are giant bosses. In the intervals between battles with them, the player can relax and peacefully explore the world around them. Such a unique combination of elements of the game creates an incomparable mood. This is what famous minimalist projects from Fumito Ueda are.
Ludum Dare 26: Minimalism
If you are looking for more sources of inspiration, this resource presents more than two thousand other examples of minimalism in game design.
Speaking about the history of minimalist games, it is important to understand the difference between constraint and design. For example, in terms of modern standards, Pong is an example of minimalism in computer graphics, sound, mechanics, and control capabilities. But all this was due not to a special plan, but to the hardware limitations of the time.
In the first generations of the Game Boy, a palette of just four colors was used, and in the Game Boy model there were already 32,768 colors. But nowadays there are a lot of gamejams to create games with a limited palette of colors in the spirit of the original Game Boy. What is it: an example of minimalism or just nostalgia for retro games?
The growing popularity of devices on iOS and Android has caused a new boom of minimalist games. Features of the touch screen and the very nature of mobile gaming create an environment in which more attention goes to simple and fast games. But it will become much more difficult if you try to draw the line between minimalism and casual gaming. However, this topic is worth a separate discussion.
It all depends on what thought you want to convey, what communication methods you have and target audience. For the developer, his game is the message. Accordingly, minimalism is a manifestation of brevity in game design: it allows the designer, who prefers simplicity, rather than complexity, to more effectively attract the attention of the audience.
But do not confuse the lack of difficulty with the lack of depth or interesting statement of the problem. The success of many games proves that minimalism goes well with most traditional game design practices, be it the geometric simplicity of Terry Kavana’s Super Hexagon rhythmic game or the epic scale of the deep and soulful Fumito Ueda Shadow of the Colossus.
It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about minimalism in the literal or figurative sense of the word, simplicity of graphic design or bias towards narrative design - this article will help you to effectively apply the aesthetics of minimalism in any projects, once again proving that everything that is ingenious is simple.
')
What is minimalism?
Short story
Minimalism as a flow of art was born in the 60s of the last century under the influence of the philosophy of modernism. Modernists rejected the old ways of thinking, and this influenced the possibilities of their artistic expression.
Image created with Piet Mondrian Generator; by Robson # on Flickr
Previous art trends were based on abstractions and subjective metaphors, while minimalism focused on an objective and literal understanding of things. The first generations of followers worked with a limited number of colors and geometric shapes, avoiding any details. These ideas are still relevant today, but, ironically, minimalism in modern game design is a much more complex phenomenon.
General information
The main purpose of minimalism in game design is to pay attention to certain elements of the game, limiting the degree of detail of the rest. This can be compared with a blindfold worn to exacerbate tactile sensations.
The whole game or some of its components can be minimalistic. Decoration, sound, gameplay, narrative - all this can be created based on the principles of minimalism.
Examples of popular minimalist games
For the developer, the best way to understand minimalism is to play interesting minimalistic games. In essence, you can write a whole book about the history of this trend in video games. No matter what you play - on the console, PC, PDA, or mobile devices - you have undoubtedly met the game, at least partially borrowing similar principles.
Below is a small selection of games with a variety of minimal design elements. Some of them will change your idea of ​​minimalism and allow you to take a different look at game design.
Super Hexagon
Terry Kavana, the author of Super Hexagon, calls her project a minimalist action-game. Its interface consists of a central hexagon surrounded by rhythmically moving forms and a small triangle controlled by the user. This triangle needs to be moved left or right in order to avoid collisions with impending forms and hold on as long as possible.
The design of the game and the mechanics of the gameplay are made in the spirit of minimalism in order to maximally focus attention on the goals of the game, and the rhythmic soundtrack and pulsating animation practically put you in a hypnotic state. Super Hexagon is an excellent example of a game that uses minimalism as a key design philosophy while maintaining a fairly high level of complexity.
Dwarf fortress
The Dwarf Fortress game from the Tarn brothers and Zack Adams is made in the God Simulator genre with elements of roguelike and is widely known for its complexity. The only minimalistic feature of this game is its design: the objects are not represented using drawn sprites, but in the form of ASCII characters.
The minimalistic design of the game is used to make players feel nostalgic for those times when only imagination saved them from low computer graphics.
Mirror's edge
Mirror's Edge is a first-person action park simulator developed by EA DICE. The game skillfully combines minimalism and futuristic architecture. The city in which the action takes place is full of light and angular geometric figures, while buildings in the distance rise against the blue sky, like white monoliths.
In order not to clutter the screen with unnecessary indicators, the direction of movement and the way to the control points is indicated by a series of red objects. Such minimalism justifies itself twice: on the one hand, this is very clear, and on the other, it is intuitive.
Passage
In 2007, Jason Rohrer released the minimalist art game Passage. It occupies a window of only 100x16 pixels in size, and it can be completed in 5 minutes. Raising themes of loss, morality and human existence, this game, despite all its limitations, is capable of making a strong impression. And given the fact that it cannot be won in the traditional sense, it is doubtful whether it is a game at all.
This kind of minimalism is used to induce the player to reflection and convey an important thought through metaphors, forcing him to ask himself the fundamental question: “Why?”.
Metal Gear Solid 3
I bet you didn't expect to see Metal Gear Solid on this list. Hideo Kojima, the creator of the cult franchise, is known for being inspired by many trends in art, history and pop culture. There is a scene in the game where the main character has to climb an incredibly long staircase: after passing a long windy tunnel, he reaches a dead end and climbs upstairs for 2 minutes. As it progresses, the a capella version of the game’s soundtrack begins to play. The words “I give my life. Not for honor, but for you ”, echoing from the walls of the tunnel, bump into the memory and do not go out of my head long after the game is over.
This is an example of using minimalism to create an important and heartfelt moment that can evoke complex and mixed feelings.
Thomas Was Alone
Mike Bitella's Thomas Was Alone game can hardly be understood by looking at the screenshots. At first glance, this is a typical platformer with puzzle elements and simple rectangular characters without a hint of personality. But behind this lies a deep and exciting gaming experience.
Such a combination of artistic minimalism and intriguing narrative design is perfect for developers with insufficiently strong artistic skills.
Nintendo Wii / Wii Sports
The console itself Nintendo Wii was created in the spirit of minimalism. In an effort to reach a wider audience, Nintendo has developed a new controller with simplified input devices and an emphasis on motion control. With the release of Wii Sports, the company managed to create perhaps the most successful minimalist game of all time. By removing all unnecessary and focusing on simple and clear gameplay, Nintendo has proven that minimalism can be very popular.
Journey
In the award-winning and loudly successful adventure game Jorney from Thatgamecompany, minimalism is used in a slightly different way. As in the game Flower of this developer, Jorney definitely feels understated. The user lacks descriptions and explanations to understand exactly what is happening. Without protracted tutorials and screen prompts, players are forced to independently explore and explore the world around them.
Simplified game mechanics help research, but the real power of minimalism is revealed here while playing in multiplayer mode. Players just get into a joint session without any notification and the ability to communicate with each other except with the help of simple emotions. The connection between the two strangers shows how impressive the interaction can be even in the absence of standard mechanics inherent in multiplayer games.
Shadow of the Colossus
This adventure game, created by Fumito Ueda together with Team Ico, amazes with its epic scope. The player can wield a sword, archery and ride. He must save his beloved, and for this you need to overcome several huge bosses. But, unlike most adventure games, there are no small opponents in Shadow of the Colossus, which are usually found in large quantities in dungeons and everywhere outside of them.
There are 16 enemies in the game, and all of them are giant bosses. In the intervals between battles with them, the player can relax and peacefully explore the world around them. Such a unique combination of elements of the game creates an incomparable mood. This is what famous minimalist projects from Fumito Ueda are.
Ludum Dare 26: Minimalism
If you are looking for more sources of inspiration, this resource presents more than two thousand other examples of minimalism in game design.
Restriction vs. Idea
Speaking about the history of minimalist games, it is important to understand the difference between constraint and design. For example, in terms of modern standards, Pong is an example of minimalism in computer graphics, sound, mechanics, and control capabilities. But all this was due not to a special plan, but to the hardware limitations of the time.
In the first generations of the Game Boy, a palette of just four colors was used, and in the Game Boy model there were already 32,768 colors. But nowadays there are a lot of gamejams to create games with a limited palette of colors in the spirit of the original Game Boy. What is it: an example of minimalism or just nostalgia for retro games?
The growing popularity of devices on iOS and Android has caused a new boom of minimalist games. Features of the touch screen and the very nature of mobile gaming create an environment in which more attention goes to simple and fast games. But it will become much more difficult if you try to draw the line between minimalism and casual gaming. However, this topic is worth a separate discussion.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/321786/
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