Visualizing situations: comparing pixel and vector art style in a dining situation sketch

Previous study indicated that the simplicity of a visualized situation could play an important role in comprehension and emotion. However, the effect of the art style was never discussed. As an art style with minimalist aesthetic, pixel art’s popularity and value are not well explained. This study is aimed to investigate the difference between pixel and vector art style by comparing one of the visualized situations extracted from previous study and the pixelated counterpart. 166 valid responses were collected (69 males & 97 females). Participants were randomly separated into 2 groups, presented with 2 different art styles. After observing the visualized situation, they filled in a questionnaire asking about their understandings, evoked emotions, how realistic it feels, and how easy for them to picture themselves in the situation. ANOVAs and multiple regression analyses were conducted and results showed that art style did not have a big impact on emotions, whereas for pixel art style, the older the participant is, the easier they could picture themselves being in the situation. Additional analysis using chi-square test found that people tend to believe the situation is in a past era when observing the pixel version. This study revealed the potential impact of pixel art style on people’s comprehension, tricking people to believe it is happening in a past era. This phenomenon should be taken advantage of in not only game design but also other media graphic design scenarios.