The main argument is that while some developers try to give gamers a sense of nostalgia with their pixel art graphics harking back to games of old, they're actually creating a "warped" version of the past, with clear, blocky images that look far from what we used to play with.

THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING FOR YEEAARS AND BEEN GETTING FLAMED AT FOR SAYING SO!

Great video very interesting view not that i disagree i think there many great thoughts shared through that video.

"duh" says all that needs be said.

but in any way, this is good and interesting footage which I do not regret watching! four out of five stars, highly recommended, would watch again.

Great documentary, good job Simon.

Man, I wasn't really tired before I started watching that. Now I'm feeling more than a leeeeetle bit sleeepppp zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

*thud*

Sorry, erm, yeah.

all aboard the pixel train for another ten years looks like. hooray

I don't agree with the assertion that we couldn't see pixels in our youth. I was playing punch out on an old 16" TV a couple of years ago and the pixels were plain as day despite my less than perfect eyesight.

I also sat about 2-3 feet away from a 26" screen in the early 90s as my primary way of playing games. I think that gives me a different perspective, heh.

It is true that we can see pixels more clearly on high resolution monitors, but it's simply not true that SDTVs were too blurry to discern pixels. There was more interference, especially with RF adapters, but the pixels were still plainly visible. Besides, a lot of us were also gamers with Apples or various other early PCs that had nice crisp monitors as well.

But aside from that one aspect, I think some very good points were made in the doc.

They picked some really good games for this, even if they just showed them in passing, like small worlds, cortex command, passage, Sword & Sworcery, canabalt, raging hadron. it would have been interesting to see it relate to a couple more of those games, and interview more of their creators, and look at different sides of it though.

What a bunch of bull. I love their simulation of a TV screen, where everything is so blurry you can't even read the UI on Zelda.

This is a lot of mental masturbationn.

Pixel "art?" Isn't that like calling a tetris clone original? The video said it: it's developers taking shortcuts for nostalgia. I have no problem with this but it gets way more praise than it should. When you start making serious Assassin's Creed clones in the name of art, I'll be impressed.

You know when you go to the art shop to buy some art materials and you buy a pencil to make pencil art?

Is that like calling a Tetris clone original too?

@gamecreator:
There is a side of pixel art which it sounds like you have not been exposed to, and which this documentary doesn't really cover. Check these out: http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixels/new_icons.asp?ob=rating

Yeah, I'm not terribly happy about this definition of "pixel art", myself. I mean there's plenty of pixel art being made today that has nothing to do with "nostalgia" (look to the NDS for great examples). In my opinion, pixel art is simply the most direct and accurate way an artist can manipulate the screen to his wishes - after all, a screen is nothing but a collection of pixels.

There are some good points made in the video, and I appreciate the thought that went into it.

If I may, I'd like to offer a suggestion.

The video largely focusses on pixel art as a retro phenomenon. Certainly, that's part of the charm for a lot of people, and any such video would be remiss not to mention it. But there are other game developers (myself included) who are drawn to low fidelity art because of the medium itself; what it is, not what it was. I'd like to see the medium itself looket at in more detail- what are its strengths and weaknesses? Outside of retro appeal, what does it have to offer us? I think this would be an interesting thing to explore in more detail.

I like pixel art because it's pretty. I'm not old enough to feel nostalgic about pixel art, I grew up playing 3D.

3D is cool and all but there's something really charming about sprites.

I agree with JuJu. There just is a certain charm about pixel art, if it's done right. If, for example, you take the art from VVVVVV, which has been said to be pixel art on this site, then it's not about charm or nostalgia (doesn't fit either. It fits what this video sees as trying to recreate it). If you take that Dan video from Studiojoho, it doesn't recreate the same pixel art as mentioned in the nostalgia examples (isn't blocky enough, and the resolution and colour palette's too high. Fits at least SNES-generation style), but the main thing is that it's just so charming :D

where are the actual pixel artists in this documentary?

you do realise they are still alive now, yes?

what's the point of interviewing and promoting people who referenced the simulacrum of pixel art from memories when you could have interviewed the original pixel artists who made their art within the limits of the technology in the past?

what's the point of this documentary if not to promote mediocre pixel art?