The Cosy Aesthetics of Games

  The colours chosen in the final concept pieces reflect cosiness. The overall colours of the environment are cooler toned, but warmer neutral and greens are also focal points of the environment.  I experimented with a variety of palettes but found that this combination of colours worked best for portraying a sense of cosiness. Other combinations felt jarring, but I found that these pieces held an intrinsic charm that the others didn't have. Initially I thought that purely warm tones would likely be what I would need to create a cosy vibe, but through my colour exploration I found that certain cool tones can still be comforting when well placed and balanced.  The warmer accent colours, such as the oranges and reds in the house and the orange toned earth are made to draw the attention of the player rather than overwhelming a player. Since cosiness often draws upon the enjoyment of small, simple moments I found that this was the most effective way to create cosiness through...

 

  Additionally, I have a closeup of the house, without variation testing. 

Today, I created the first piece of concept art for this project; It's not going to be the final spacing or composition, as I will address those in 3D, but I have a general concept. For this cycle, I am experimenting with colour; I took inspiration from some existing games and coloured the same piece in a few different ways as a way to experiment. I will create several other compositions and experiment the same way before finalising the palette for the project.

This is part of the planning phase of the first cycle. Plan: The focus of this cycle is to explore how colour palettes contribute to the emotional tone and sense of cosiness in game environments. This includes: - Researching and analysing colour usage in existing cosy games, noting what colours are used and what they mean. - Drawing from personal experience and preferences to inform the creation of several distinct concept art pieces, varying the colour palettes. - comparing these concepts visually to evaluate which palette best supports the desired tone for a cosy game - considering how colour can be used spatially in preparation for cycle 2. (E.g how warm or cool hues can expand or contract percieved space and how contrast affect visual comfort.) I have created several colour palettes inspired by popular cosy titles. The goes for the planning phase of the cycle is to e xplore a range of colour palettes that aim to evoke different "cosy" emotions. Balanced between energising...

This project will go through three planned research cycles. Cycle 1 – Colour Palettes  Plan: Explore a range of colour palettes that aim to evoke different "cosy" emotions.  Act: Develop concept pieces using identical scene layouts but varied palettes to isolate colour as a variable.  Observe: Annotate each concept with emotional and perceptual observations.  Reflect: Analyse which palettes most effectively convey warmth or comfort; consider hue, saturation, and contrast. Integrate findings into subsequent design iterations.  Cycle 2 – Composition and Scale  Plan: Investigate spatial layout and how scale influences emotional tone (e.g. intimacy vs. vastness).  Act: Reconfigure spatial arrangements and framing within scenes (using framing, negative space, vertical and horizontal scale)  Observe: Assess how layout changes affect viewer perception of safety, softness, or openness.  Reflect: Identify compositional strategies that enhance cosiness...