Small tricks developers use with lighting

Developing a game is serious business, I’m serious. Even the smallest things you never think about, such as lighting, have an impact on what the player thinks about the virtual environment he is placed in. For example, in the game Half-Life 2, developers use different lighting methods to convey different feelings to the player.

 

The use of colored lights can significantly change the mood of a level. Take the above picture as an example. The faint red light can clue the player into a more dangerous atmosphere ahead of them. This is because people react differently to different colors. Red for example is believed to make people have feelings of extreme emotion, which can fuel feelings such as danger or love, and it can raise the heartbeat by stimulating the viewer. This is a great color for level designers because it can help them bring out a wide variety of emotions in the player, which can help the players enjoy the game more.

 

Lighting can also make the game look nicer. If you add a sun-like entity or environmental lighting in general to the game, it looks more realistic and the shadows it creates, such as the ones in the pictures above, give the level more beauty and believability.