Most old school artists do not recognize video game illustrations as art, since video images are mostly repurposed or modifications of existing structures. While classic art is a medium for expressing thoughts and ideas, video game graphics is a specialized form of computer imaging created for a specific narrative or story.

Yet modern art patrons are convinced that video game illustrations are forms of art in digital spaces. It combines various artistic expressions such as drawing, 3D modeling, story telling, animation, dynamic sound effects and music. The combination of such expressions create digital art forms that can simply be described as computer art.

In many video games, the rendering of computer art combines with science, by using the principles of physics. The purpose of which is to create animations that help gamers analyze and strategize actions that will produce science-based realistic results.

Video game art is traditional in a sense that the creation of illustrations uses the design principles observed by classical artists. Yet video game art is not traditional because the completed artwork cannot be attributed to a lone creator. Since video game art is complex by nature, several professional artists collaborate, a scientific approach to make each creative aspect simple to accomplish.

FIFA Soccer Video Game’s Graphic Evolution

FIFA online is one example of how video game art helped make this Electronic Art (EA) creation, still the best-selling sports franchise video game up to the present since it was first released in 1993. FIFA has in fact, received recognition from the Guiness Book of World Records for being so.

The original FIFA online used isometric pixel art that somehow created a 3-dimensional effect. In 1995, EA released the first FIFA video game rendered in real-time 3D graphics in featuring for the first time, real football players and their actual positions.

In 1997, EA’s FIFA became the first game to have a licensed original soundtrack performed by popular bands of the era. Another FIFA video game came out in 1999 but received mixed reviews. While generally liked for featuring Robbie Williams as singer of the title song, players were quite disappointed by the graphics. Many criticized the new FIFA computer art illustrations as being too cartoonish.

A revamp of the graphics was made via the FIFA released in 2002, in which real football players looked and acted realistically. Yet the best improvement to this FIFA edition is the Freestyle Control that gave gamers the capability to flick the ball when laying it off to teammates.

Not one to rest on its laurels, EA released another FIFA game in 2005, which overhauled the game in ways that allow players to have better control As additional feature, the graphic illustrations incorporated a “team chemistry” element that shows how well members of a football team play, when working as a team.

EA started making regional versions with the 2010 FIFA online game released in Europe. Here, players are given the option to play as goalkeeper or as manager. Moreover, a new game engine called Ignite made the 2013 release more realistic-looking with changing weather conditions, while opposing players projected true-to-life human behaviors.

In 2013, EA developed a FIFA game (FIFA Online 3). specifically for the South Korean market by partnering with a local developer. Doing so was the only avenue to take to reach the growing population of video gamers in SoKor. The developer ventured into the same route in 2018, by releasing FIFA Online 4 in order to penetrate Thailand’s growing gaming market. FIFA Online 4 is also accessible to players in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.

FIFA Online 4 also gave highly-skilled FIFA players the opportunity to offer their gaming expertise to Asian players, by playing in their behalf so they could beat seasoned opponents. Despite being criticized as a โกงฟีฟาย method, the practice helped sustain FIFA Online 4’s popularity amidst the massively growing number of gamers in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand.