I have written about costume design in games before, but of late, I have been increasingly aware that it's not just about how aesthetically pleasing a costume looks; how Link wears tights so well or how fitting Ezio's clothing is to the time, place and setting of Assassin's Creed 2.
Within the virtual threads, buttons and embellishments of their clothing lie subtle hints and clues about their personalities and these levels of complexity can go further by explaining the characters who wear them in surprising detail.
As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, "apparel oft proclaims the man".
Within the virtual threads, buttons and embellishments of their clothing lie subtle hints and clues about their personalities and these levels of complexity can go further by explaining the characters who wear them in surprising detail.
As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, "apparel oft proclaims the man".
Take the BioShock games for example, the Little Sisters and later, Elizabeth in BioShock Infinite are represented as vulnerable characters who have been used as a means to an end. That's if you look at the story alone.
Look closer and you can see that what they wear is a visual metaphor of this; the Little Sisters clothing says to me "innocence defiled"and Elizabeth's costume highlights her naivety and innocence of the world.
Look closer and you can see that what they wear is a visual metaphor of this; the Little Sisters clothing says to me "innocence defiled"and Elizabeth's costume highlights her naivety and innocence of the world.
Elizabeth's costumes begin quite childlike and conservative, no skin is bare and she gives off an air of naivety and innocence, as the game progresses her clothing adapts, the shapes formed by them are more womanly. This is not unintentional, the games designers wanted to express the notion of a caged bird (Elizabeth) who has been kept safe away from danger is suddenly let loose into a harsh, unforgiving world.
Discovering that world, Elizabeth's illusions are shattered and she discovers she was not being kept safe and that she has been wronged.
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