Exhibition Statement

Introduction. In a world full of stress from society, work, and expectations, a great way to escape is playing video games. “Cozy games” are a genre of video games that offer the player a relaxing and laid-back experience, and the one that this project will focus on is Stardew Valley (Lyman, 2021). However, the question remains: how exactly can playing video games emphasize the need for relaxation and escape during times of stress? This project will show how that pastime can be used positively as a counterbalance to working overtime—which would cause burnout very quickly—and embraces balance.

Literature Review.  

Influence – For this animatic/animation blend, inspiration was drawn from the video game itself. The creator, Eric Barone, used his own experiences to emphasize the importance of taking time to pursue one’s passions instead of spending every moment working and being stressed. He spent many enjoyable hours practicing pixel art and developing the game, outside of his day-to-day job (White, 2018).

Subject – Regarding the art itself for this project, the use of color is an important artistic technique. Color theory and the social and emotional implications of color are important aspects for metaphorical purposes. Different colors may invoke certain reactions regarding psychological functioning (Elliot, 2015). For example, warm colors like red, orange, and yellow are often used in art to convey happiness and positive energy. Conversely, cool colors like green, blue, and purple are used to convey calmness or sadness.

Methods. In animation, there are 12 basic principles that most animators follow. One of the most important is “squash and stretch,” where the elasticity of non-stiff objects is emphasized to create the illusion of movement (Wang, 2006). With this technique, art and physics are combined to create a more lively animation. Another important technique that was researched for this project is the significance of line weight. Thicker lines usually imply strength, sturdiness, and darkness. Thinner lines usually imply fluidity, weakness, and light. This is used to emphasize contrast between the character in the video game world and in real life. The character would seem more “bouncy” and fluid with thinner lines, and more gloomy and low-energy with thicker lines in each scene, respectively.

Audience & Impact.  The audience is mostly aimed towards students and people that are working: more specifically, those who struggle with work life balance. They may relate to the character in the animation and perhaps feel like they are not the only ones struggling with this, and hopefully realize the importance of taking time to pursue their own hobbies for balance. Being stressed and working all the time is so normalized in society when people say they need to always keep pushing forward. This project puts emphasis on the fact that it is okay to take breaks from working and to take time for oneself.

References. 

Elliot, Andrew J. “Color and psychological functioning: a review of theoretical and empirical work.” Frontiers in psychology vol. 6 368. 2 Apr. 2015, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00368

Lyman, Paige. “Cozy Video Games Are the Cure for Our Hectic Modern Times.” Digital Trends, Digital Trends, 2 Oct. 2021, https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/cozy-games-lake-interview/. 

Wang, Jue, et al. "The cartoon animation filter." ACM Transactions on Graphics (TOG) 25.3 (2006): 1169-1173.

White, Sam. “Valley Forged: How One Man Made the Indie Video Game Sensation Stardew Valley.” GQ, 20 Mar. 2018, https://www.gq.com/story/stardew-valley-eric-barone-profile.

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Acknowledgements. I would like to extend my gratitude to Gabi Robinson-Tillenburg, who guided me through planning this project and helping me to make adjustments throughout the process.