Is pixelling as art dead in games?

[AdamTierney]

Pixelling is pretty much dead in gaming outside of mobile and handheld Nintendo systems, and it just seems like so much of that is awful. There's the occasional Boktai, but most handheld games seem really cobbled together in terms of art design; even if the individual aspects look okay (animation, BGs, models, HUD), it's rare to find a pixel game with cohesive art direction, where every piece compliments the rest.

Are we over the hill in terms of great pixelling in games? Will it ever hit the creative height it did in PC games decades ago? Have you seen or played anything with art that really blew you away? Have you seen/played anything recently that surprised you in how awful it looked? And what are your feelings on the subject in general? Wherever possible, try to support your thoughts with examples and images from games below.

- Adam

[.TakaM]

2d console games, really the only one I play currently is street fighter 3rd strike on the xbox
nicely organised site showcasing the graphics: http://www.newwavemugen.com/~zweifuss/index.htm
definetly my favourite fighter, great controls, great backgrounds and I love the sprites
but really thats about it as far as modern(ish) 2d console games go..
but ofcourse Im still showing plenty of love to classic snes games, and while not many of them are absolutely beautiful, like you said each piece seems to compliment the next, perhaps just now-adays developers are making 2d games with 3d versions in mind

2D games are pretty much dead on consoles, but I highly doubt they will ever dissappear completely. sure I'd expect many years to go by with no 2d games on consoles but I'd never rule out the possibility, the niche alone of a 2d game showing up in a generation of 3d games is a pretty attractive prospect and would attract a lot of attention.

edit-
also four swords adventures, even though a lot of it was pre-rendered, everything fit together nicely, and it seems like it wouldve been fun to be a part of the team that made the game

[AlexHW]

I believe part of it has to do with the developer's continuous search for the next wow factor which overlooks any disciplinary efforts towards restricting oneself and focusing upon specifics.
It also has to do with big teams, dividing the work, in hopes to maximize the work flow and put out more stuff. When you have a bunch of people working on seperate things, you tend to get mixed results.

now, if people can get over their thirst for being wowed with technology and artificial things, and look for the natural beauty, then I believe pixel art would be more accepted/welcomed. It is an art which has a direct connection to a persons mind and intentions, and it is not like other game art which is cold and connected to computation.

[ptoing]

It is an art which has a direct connection to a persons mind and intentions, and it is not like other game art which is cold and connected to computation.

I call bullshit on this. Any well done art, no matter what medium, be it traditional, pixel, cg, 3d, gameart shows intentions of the maker and so forth.
Pixelart is special in how it's created, as in working directly with the smallest possible screen element, but well done 3d needs just as much care on another level.

[Lawrence]

I don't think "pixeling as art is dead in games," as you put it. Over time, the more technology advances the larger & broader the group of people who develop creative output on/with that technology. Just look at journalism. 'Professional' journalists have every right to be profoundly shitting themselves in furious fits of enduring panic because their jobs are slowly being replaced by normal citizens who do the journalists' paid jobs in their own spare time (mainly thanks to the glorious growth of the internet), something you wouldn't have seen happening 10 years ago. I think we'll see something like this in other industries including video games. It's already happening, there are 2D pixel games online you can download already, developed in this manner, I think it's probably just a matter of time before it becomes easier for a growing number of potential 2D pixel game developers to reach a sustained, large audience. I believe the Wii harbors a similar altruistic philosophy. Again all this is probably true for 3D game development, but if I'm not mistaken 2D based games aren't as time consuming to make.
Or on the other hand, all this could all be a load of bollocks.

[Helm]

Not exactly. A lot of 2d badly drawn programmer-art games are around, since that's the platform they can code in and that's what they end up making. Pixel art expertise needs some sort of scene to grow. and the scene usually is around commercial releases.

[Lawrence]

I think the the Wii's virtual console will probably be a benefit because I imagine it will be incredibly cheap for independent developers to publish games on it, and in the Wii's iTunes-style Virtual console, poor games will go unnoticed and good games will prevail and receive a large audience. I think this is the necessary 'scene' and it would be commercial enough to be successful.

[Helm]

Yes that's an interesting thought. We'll see it in action I guess.

[pkmays]

Consoles started out in 2D, now they're all 3D. Handhelds started out in 2D, now they're moving to 3D. What's left? PDAs? Maybe watches in the future. Ah well, anyone who doesn't get into pixel art thinking it isn't a niche market these days is in for an upleasant surprise. That's not to say everyone should abandon developing pixel skills, but realistically anyone who wants some long term job assurance is going to need to have solid 3D skills.

[Helm]

now, if people can get over their thirst for being wowed with technology and artificial things, and look for the natural beauty, then I believe pixel art would be more accepted/welcomed. It is an art which has a direct connection to a persons mind and intentions, and it is not like other game art which is cold and connected to computation.

By the way I don't agree with this at all. I think pixel art reminds the viewer where it is coming from (computers) more than next-gen 3d and as such, the aesthetic weight of 'this is made on lifeless computers' should be aknowledged by the artist, and negotiated smartly in his art. I'm not saying 'draw robots!!' I am saying, draw whatever you want, natural beauty, whatever, but always keep in mind it's put out through the filter of a machine. When this is underlined and understood as much as the topic of the art, whatever it may be, there is meaninful juxtaposition, almost a dialogue in pixel art that is very compelling, in my opinion.