Do you guys remember my master thesis, which I finished in 2011? It was recently released in paperback, which you can now buy on amazon and other bookstores! Here’s a short abstract of the contents:
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.
As you may see, this book has a very specific topic, but it does not exclusively focus on lighting. Topics like immersion, psychology, art history and colour theory are discussed thoroughly, so whether you are a concept artist, level designer, game designer or, of course, a lighting artist, or if you are just interested in how light in games can be used to deliver your story/ideas/features/etc., please have a look at this publication.
Also, if you know any colleagues or co-workers who are dealing with the challenges of light in games, please refer them to my book. And if you bought it, it would mean a loooot to me to get some feedback or a review on amazon, or, even better, get in contact and have a discussion on this creative topic. Come on, I can’t be the only one who is a lighting-geek!
Buy it here: Light Aesthetics in Games on Amazon
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