Credentials first. My name is Corbin Barker. I am an indie game developer without much success under my belt. My typical venue is the showroom floors at various conventions, selling my wares at a humble booth. Take what follows with a grain of salt as I am not an accomplished authority. 

An artists pursuit of greater skill can affect how they see the world. Looking at those ahead of them as dauntless gods, and those behind as children in need of advice. We often relate skill with achievement, as our desire to improve seems insatiable. But is this relationship between skill and notoriety real?

Well, no. At least not in the sense that one directly and necessarily creates the other. There are several reasons for this. Some fair. Some discouraging. For an easy example lets compare the Mona Lisa (Leonardo da Vinci) with Pikachu (Ken Sugimori). I don’t think anyone will contest that the popular watercolors of Ken Sugimori can’t compete with the classical work in terms of technical skill. However, put the two in a room full of children and see who gets more attention. Pikachu will win every time.

The savvy among you may be pointing out a slew of differences and flaws in this comparison… and you are absolutely right. The differences are the point. The right audience. The right venue. The right format. These things are imperative to success. They are your first priority before you start to create.  

(This only applies to making money or getting noticed… if you just create for the fun of it then none of this matters.)

Let’s take our previous reference and see where and why one may proliferate over the other. The Mona Lisa is a treasured historical work, any who appreciate that likely already know of it and wish to share in that history themselves. It also features advanced technical execution, but most will see competent execution. I admit without understanding some of the subtle aspects of both the image itself and art in general, I wouldn’t see advanced execution either. 

Pikachu is simple and vibrant. (I’m assuming you know what this thing is. If not just google “ken sugimori pikachu”). You can easily identify this character in your peripheral vision. Soft rounded shapes and bright warm colors, offer no challenge to the viewer. That’s the point. An easily digestible introduction to the Pokemon franchise. It’s an electric mouse, made to sell other fantasy creatures of similar disposition. 

Note the difference in complexity. This is no accident. I’m not familiar with the full history of the Mona Lisa but it’s obvious that she wasn’t painted to tempt people into a habit of collection.  Being easy to understand is needed for game design and marketing to broad demographics. What is known as “fine art” doesn’t need to be easily understood because it typically shows in venues devoted to the imagery itself. Much changes based on how much time you have to convince your viewer of your works merit.

Complexity is only one of many factors that play into popularity and proliferation. For each flaw you cite in comparing a renowned historical work, with something designed to sell toys / games, what you are really citing, is an element of marketing you should strive to understand.  

You may feel, as I do, that some things don’t deserve their success or their failure.  For better or worse, the open market cares nothing for our concepts of “deserve”.   

Thank you for reading.  There is much more to say on this subject. I barely introduced the concept here. The last thing I will leave you with is this.

Art may be an oversaturated market, but the demand is endless. Keep at it.

You can contact me at “Valronic Barker” on facebook. I don’t think there are any others besides me.