Visual guides and design solutions in games: An analysis of Limbo and Inside

Almost every video game has at least one guide system built into it, often even more. With the exponential growth of video games, the audience has grown as well, therefore, games have become a serious research topic. This thesis aims to analyze the visual guides of two famous indie games made by the same studio, "Limbo" and "Inside" by Playdead, in order to understand how artists create visual cues for players without using any narrative and tutorial guides. In doing so, a context based on aesthetics, art history, visual psychology and design will be created. It is also hoped that this research will prove fruitful in creating a framework for visual guides in games for game artists and more.