A Study on the Application of Optical Illusions in Indie Games Through Comparative Analysis with Paintings

The combination of optical illusions and indie games has great potential for artistic expression. Based on optical illusions, this study examines the interaction between players and optical illusions in indie games, and focuses on optical illusions in contemporary indie games, which are compared and analyzed with paintings by artists such as Escher, Andrea Pozzo, Josef Alberts, and Luca Giordano to analyze the formative method that applies optical illusions in indie game art. Based on the development of indie games that use optical illusions formatively, four optical illusions are summarized: optical illusion of contradictory space, active viewpoint transformation of players, subjective visual perception of transformation, and reconstruction of light and shadow. Representative and influential indie games including “Monument Valley,” “Echochrome,” “Watch,” “Trick Art Dungeon,” “Shadowmatic,” “Superliminal,” and “Kubic” were selected and analyzed. As a result of comparing these independent games and artworks, it was concluded that modern optical independent video games should stimulate players' aesthetic cognitive function by properly fusing a simple screen, simple color use, and the complexity of optical space. If the 'circulation' and 'infinite' characteristics of optical illusions are dynamically applied through video games, it can be expected that a new formative art combined with interaction will be born.