Many artists have influenced my design, conceptual and aesthetic choices throughout the years, in the realms of games, digital art and painting. In this paper, I will be examining a few works of Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo Inc. as well as the works of digital artist Kagaya Yutaka and painter Alex Grey. I will refer to the assets and effects of these works to illuminate on what I have learned as an artist. I will show how my interpretations of these works have inspired and guided my own purposes in my artistic choices. Since its conception in 1989, the Legend of Zelda Nintendo series has influenced me greatly over the years in aesthetics as well as game design. The narrative quality of the series has inspired me and the design of the puzzles and dungeons in the game have intrigued me as well. They immerse the player in the game and create a sense of mystery and complexity. The idea that one thing could influence another thing far away has been a source of intrigue in the game, with its multi-floored castles and themes of parallel dimensions. In Zelda, you are often asked to consider how changing something in a room could change another thing in a different room, or how changing something in one dimension could change things in another dimension.
My thesis project game will ask the user to consider changes they may be making that are not immediately apparent. In playing the game, they will acquire a new sense for how their actions will affect the world around them and their peers. They will also be involved in a strategic plan to harbor the oceans of complexity in these maps, and the effect will be a full and complete sense of immersion for the user. The adventure they will embark on will more closely involve them in the game world. The Legend of Zelda is normally a single-player game, but the characters in the game play a huge rule, as each character offers inventory for trade and wisdom. In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, four people play the typical puzzles of Zelda, but they must interact with each other cooperatively. My game structure will be similar but some players may opt out of collaboration, which may hurt or help them in the long run. One of the major things you must collect in Zelda are keys to get to the next room. They come in a few shapes and sizes and are very satisfying to obtain (Zelda, upper right). My game will require that players obtain and share keys.
Another of Miyamoto’s famous works, the Metroid series, will inspire my thesis project. The game is structured with worlds and areas and subsections of these. It makes for great game design because players must return to old worlds and find new doors into new areas. Retracing your path will yield more results in these games, making for non-linear progression. I will be examining this map structure to come up with a structure for my own map in my thesis project game. The map will be comprised of different levels and rooms with obstacles to get through in order to progress to the next stage. Exploring will yield more keys and other shortcut routes.
Kagaya Yutaka creates digital 2D pieces that have influenced me as far as my aesthetic choices. His works are detailed and lifelike as well as surreal and enigmatic. He uses darkness and shadow, as well as some calming and delightful sparks of color. All of his works are filled with stars or gleaming particles. His center focus is usually a human, often surrounded by vast natural landscapes, including a vast sky or outer space. In works such as Madonna Blue (left), Yutaka harnesses the power of fantasy while impressing a genuine sense of life-likeness. Like Yutaka, I aim to create a sense of surreality that strangely resembles real life. I also love darkness with hints of light, gleaming and winking in an enigmatic setting. 
My digital painting Imaginary creates a sense of uneasiness with an uncanny sense of delight. There is a sense of magic as well as a connection to reality with its detailed realism and setting in a natural environment. Though it is a lot darker in mood, it is one of my works that have been inspired by Kagaya’s brightly colored, surreal landscapes. It focuses on a character as many of his paintings do, and borrows the dark nighttime environment with ghostly, glowing assets. The scene is more stark and creepy, but has a strange ethereal brightness to it.
Alex Grey’s work centers on the human body and mind, connecting us to the universe and the cosmos. His works embed the body in a metaphysical universe and conveys inner journeys and transformations. Oversoul (right) is a perfect example, resembling a mandala with symmetrical, infinite galaxies and eyes spiraling out from a man’s head in the center. His eyes appear to be fused with the swirling vortex around him and his body itself is comprised of more eyes and galaxies. Perception is the theme of his works, and so the eye is a prominent symbol, as well as the brain. He shows what is happening inside his subjects, and shows them “inside out,” often with internal organs displayed. With exuberant colors, usually fiery and passionate, these works show a character in a very personal and intimate state of mind. 
My Photoshop painting, Cyborg focuses on an eye that has gained new sight. The goal of the piece is to create the sense of an intense perceptional experience. It symbolizes a person going through a spiritual change. Light seems to be bursting out from within the body, as is often seen in Alex Grey’s work. It conveys a power or force that comes from within a person. This is important to my work because I wish to convey the power and influence an individual has and the significance of the mind and imagination.
Works Cited
Grey Alex, Oversoul. Oil on Linen. 30 x 40. 1997.
Gutierrez, Catherine. Imaginary. Digital painting. 2005.
Gutierrez, Catherine. Cyborg. Digital painting. 2006.
Miyamoto, Shigeru. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Nintendo. 1991-1992.
Miyamoto, Shigeru. Super Metroid. Nintendo. 1994.
Yutaka Kagaya. Madonna Blue.
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