Styles of graphic art in computer games

Different games can have different art styles, and different game genres may tend to go towards a particular art style for their games. For example, adventure games usually go for a more photorealism look, and games for children go towards a more cell shaded art style.

Photorealism

Photorealism is an art style in which the graphics look more realistic, as they attempt to make them look like they are from a photograph or film. Photorealism is mainly used in adventure games or FPS', as this is where being in a realistic environment is more suitable for thgameplay and will allow you to 'immerse' yourself into the game easier. However, one problem with this art style is that people can become too 'used' to this, which makes them believe that there is no difference between real life and the game, which can have disastrous effects.

Resident Evil 6

Cel shading

Cel shaded graphics are graphics that are intended to look cartoon like. Cel shaded graphics are not as widely used as photorealistic graphics, as there is more of a demand for photorealism. Cel shaded graphics may also be combined with 
photorealism graphics, to create a more colourful interpretation on realistic graphics.

The image below is from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. This game was the first game to use cel shading which appealed to a wide audience of players.The graphics were met with controversy, as many thought that the graphics were childish and some Zelda fans refused to purchase the game due to this. However, after release, the game became a fan favourite and is considered better than the photorealistic Zelda game which came out next due to the backlash of the Cel shaded graphics.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

Abstraction
Abstraction games use an abstract art style, which can be described as the artists interpretation. For example, when comparing a drawing of a tree to a drawing of an abstract tree, on the abstract drawing, you will be able to see what the artist saw and their vision whilst drawing it, as they may include features that were not there already or have been emphasised. A popular example of an abstract video game is Katamari game series, in which you play as the character 'Prince'. The object of the game is to collect enough materials as needed to 'rebuild the stars'.

Katamari Damacy

Exaggeration

Exaggeration video games use a art style which exaggerates certain features to make them more prominent, such as muscles or breasts. Exaggerated video games are often associated with the anime and mange genre, as this is where most of the ideas come from. However, not all anime and mange use such an art style. Some of the games may also fall under the Cel shaded art style, as manga and cartoons have many similarities in their art style. Using this trailer, we can see that is has taken aspects from the Cel shading style, and uses exaggeration towards the end where the characters are showing their 'special moves'.

Bleach: Shattered Blade