Light Aesthetics in Games: an Analysis of Digital Illumination in Correlation to the Art of Painting

Digital lights and shadows contribute significantly to the expressive value of graphics in a game. The lighting-process of a level for a game can take up to a few weeks, because the interactive nature of a game creates very different conditions for lighting compared to other media. Nevertheless, a well-lit environment can considerably improve a game?s immersive quality, which is crucial for the player?s ?aesthetic experience?. In a state of complete immersion that involves concentration and mental undistractedness, a game will evoke the player?s emotions, which is a very high objective in game development. Entrancing the viewer has also been a goal of painters for hundreds of years. Advanced technique in lighting has been used to create the most stunning painted masterpieces in history, so this book makes an approach of exploring the phenomena of light and shadow in painting and applying them to today?s artistic challenges in simulated illumination for games.