Video Game Icons

As a Game Art and Design Major at The Art Institute in Salt Lake City, of course I have a lot of interest in video games. And one thing that's always made me wonder is how some Video Game Icons become so widely-known and, well, iconic. One popular example being the Mushroom from the Mario games, or the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda series (my personal favorite), or, to use an example from something other than nintendo titles, the 'O' from the popular Orange Box game, Portal. (for PCs and XBoxes).

I often wonder what makes those logos and icons so popular and well-known. Is it the design of the things? The art that's involved? Or is it the popularity of the game that makes those images so recognizable? One thing can be deduced that these logos have in common- they're relatively simple, uncluttered and uncomplicated in design. Leading me to believe that the world wants something uncomplicated to represent the things they love. And that perhaps it's the simple designs that are the most successful.

But simplicity in itself isn't enough, I think. After all, there's a great deal of difference between the sort of simple that is obvious, and the sort of simple that is profound. A simple logo or icon isn't enough. It must stand for something, and on it's own, represent all of the things within the game it corresponds to.