There is a certain expectation within some consumer audiences about how a piece of digital entertainment should look or sound if it’s to fit the bill as being something ‘top shelf’. This expectation will differ depending on the specific audience and even the type of digital entertainment that’s being discussed, but it’s important to understand how these aesthetic qualities might end up being more important than what’s substantive about a given piece of media. In this regard, it’s arguably even the case that those behind the art in question are more concerned about perception than about the cohesive quality of what’s being made.
The Narrative Camera
There are many games that look to create this premium feeling simply by the way in which the camera is positioned – close and over the shoulder. This is something that was arguably pioneered by first Resident Evil 4, then the Uncharted series, and later The Last of Us. However, what really popularised it was 2018’s God of War, even though that itself was following in the footsteps of those prior titles. In many ways, this has become something that’s seen as Sony’s ‘house style’. However, in the case of God of War and its 2022 sequel Ragnarok, there has been some debate over how well this suits the action/exploration blend of gameplay, with the more intimate framing potentially clashing with the vast and epic scope of the world and its creatures.
Cinematic TV
A similar yet distinct conversation has taken place around TV in the last decade. In the 2000s, breakout shows like The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones began to challenge the perception that TV was inherently a lesser format to movies. With Game of Thrones in particular, this kickstarted a trend in TV shows being produced to look as cinematic and high production as possible, rivalling movies in how they look.
While this isn’t something that every TV show still sticks to today, it’s an influence that can clearly be seen. When it comes to many modern, acclaimed TV shows like Severance and The Last of Us, the impulse to take the directing and cinematography in a direction that’s more reminiscent of movies can be clearly seen and felt.
Feedback in Sound
Sound design might be more subtle in this regard than purely visual aesthetic decisions, but they can arguably do even more of the heavy lifting. Crisp, effective sound design can make an experience feel authentic, changing a depiction of aliens in a movie from something cliche and predictable into something genuinely novel and awe-inspiring.
It can even function that way in different types of games. If you were to play Spin Casino slots, you might not be as interested in doing so if it was silent or if the sounds were plain and no attempt was made to create an atmosphere. However, an emphasis on audio-visual sound design can help to differentiate classic slots from the Planet of the Apes slots or Cricket Star or from more immersive slots that feature RPG characters – an element of immersion is key to creating a compelling reason to stay.
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