Pastness without past:�the semiotics of nostalgia in the costume design of The Veilguard
Makermage/Amelia, cosplayer and Ph.D. in something only tangentially related
Photo by @tatitati_art
Photo by @chezphoto
What should really interest the research, historian or sociologist, is not the passage from protection to ornamentation, … but the tendency of every bodily covering to insert itself into an organized, formal and normative system that is recognized by society.
Barthes, Roland, et al. The Language of Fashion. English ed., Berg, 2006.
Ogden, C. K, I. A Richards, Bronislaw Malinowski, F. G Crookshank, and J. P Postgate. 1923. The Meaning of Meaning : A Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism. London : New York: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & co., ltd; Harcourt, Brace & company, inc.
The idea of jeans
Casual, cool
The actual jeans
On lack of a referent:��As for language, Lacan's model is the now orthodox structuralist one, which is based on a conception of a linguistic sign as having two (or perhaps three) components. A sign, a word, a text, is here modelled as a relationship between a signifier—a material object, the sound of a word, the script of a text—and a signified, the meaning of that material word or material text. The third component would be the so-called "referent," the "real" object in the "real" world to which the sign refers—the real cat as opposed to the, concept of a cat or the sound "cat." But for structuralism in general there has been a tendency to feel that reference is a kind of myth, that one can no longer talk about the "real" in that external or objective way. So we are left with the sign itself and its two components.
Jameson, Fredric. 1998. The Cultural Turn : Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London; New York: Verso.
On pastiche:
Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique style, the wearing of a stylistic mask, speech in a dead language: but it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without parody's ulterior motive, without the satirical impulse, without laughter, without that still latent feeling that there exists something normal compared with which what is being imitated is rather comic. Pastiche is blank parody, parody that has lost its sense of humour….
Jameson, Fredric. 1998. The Cultural Turn : Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London; New York: Verso.
On disconnectedness:
…An experience of isolated, disconnected, discontinuous material signifiers which fail to link up into a coherent sequence. The schizophrenic thus does not know personal identity in our sense, since our feeling of identity depends on our sense of the persistence of the "I" and the "me" over time.
Jameson, Fredric. 1998. The Cultural Turn : Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London; New York: Verso.
I presume that we can agree that this is not a historical film about our own intergalactic past. Let me put it somewhat differently: one of the most important cultural experiences of the generations that grew up from the 1930s to the 1950s was the Saturday afternoon serial of the Buck Rogers type…. Star Wars reinvents this experience in the form of a pastiche; there is no point to a parody of such serials, since they are long extinct. Far from being a pointless satire of such dead forms, Star Wars satisfies a deep … longing to experience them again…. This film is thus metonymically a historical or nostalgia film. …It does not reinvent a picture of the past in its lived totality; rather, by reinventing the feel and shape of characteristic art objects of an older period (the serials), it seeks to reawaken a sense of the past associated with those objects.
Jameson, Fredric. 1998. The Cultural Turn : Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London; New York: Verso.
https://www.etymonline.com/word/nostalgia
A short history of Dragon Age
On defining Origins through distinctions
It’s all about having certain distinctive parts that only exist in that world, without overwhelming it with so many distinctive things – then it becomes just a mish-mash to the eyes of a new player. If they walk in and everything is different, then they’re overwhelmed. But if a lot of it is familiar, and there are touchstones they’re familiar with, but then there are certain things that stand out as distinct, that’s going to be much more accessible to the player.
--David Gaider on designing DA: Origins
This was a hypothetical cast we used as part of an internal design fundamentals discussion. The idea was to take a cast of characters and design them together as a group. By doing this you start making choices about major shapes, color themes, etc… This was a relatively simplistic one, but it got the point across.
-- Matt Rhodes, Lead Concept Artist
Designing the cast as a group in DAII
Visual cohesion in Inquisition
“The Inquisition-issued uniform is designed to serve multiple needs. There’s simple chest and head protection for digging trenches. Additional layers and armor can be added for soldiers…Even recruited civilians and other specialized members don elements of the uniform, bringing a cohesive look to a massive organization.”
--The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition
The darkspawn controversy
Some people like them, some people hate them. You only ever know how to design your game when it’s done…. At the end of the day, Concept Art is about telling the story of the game and we felt that the original design of the Darkspawn wasn’t doing the story justice.
-- Matt Rhodes, concept artist
Early stages of Hawke’s evolution. Affectionately named “Biker Mage”, our visual development guy ended up being a launch pad for our protagonist.
-- Matt Rhodes, Lead Concept Artist
Casper Konefal, Concept Artist
Orsino and Meredith stood as opposing forces in DA2. Meredith’s design was pretty much finalized, and she looked like a heroic paladin (still one of my favorites from DA2). I took this opportunity to design Orsino in contrast, making him look as much like a Disney villain as I could get away with. I think it’s a nice contrast for his character too. He looks like a vampire but is a pretty nice guy.
-- Matt Rhodes, Lead Concept Artist
The Veilguard: A return?
"For The Veilguard, we really wanted to make sure that we got back to those things that made the studio what it was, that contributed to what I would call the golden age of BioWare when there was hit after hit being turned out," says Epler.
"The Veilguard was a very conscious return to that with a focus on characters, a focus on storytelling, and a focus on being this really bombastic single-player RPG that allowed you to play through this story as yourself if you want."
--John Epler, Creative Director of The Veilguard
https://www.thegamer.com/dragon-age-the-veilguard-director-golden-age-of-bioware/
“Our goal was to create a Dragon Age game that was respectful to the world the fans of the series knew and also a refreshing and exciting addition. We also knew that we were going to realize parts of Thedas that had only been hinted at in previous games. It’s one thing to imagine the Tevinter Imperium; it’s another thing to walk down the streets yourself. Whatever we designed, we tried to stay true to the established lore while also attempting to exceed expectations. Each region was given its own design language and recognizable motifs to try and make sure that every location, character, prop, etc., fit into its place and helped to create a rich and enticing world for players to immerse themselves in.”
--Matt Rhodes, Art Director, in The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Various captions on this page:
�An upward-pointing triangle for the mages’ college.
�We explored some sturdy shapes for the dwarves.
�The Wardens’ pointed arch could be turned upside down into a shield.
�Rivain has a been a neutral faction, so the circle worked well.
�The Necropolis factions started with a half-circle “crest”.
�A downward-pointing triangle for Tevinter.
�Ben-Hassrath started with an X shape language.
--The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard
“Bellara,” Albert Urmanov, Senior Concept Artist
Aesthetic certainty
Dragon Age has never exactly been photorealistic. Dragon Age: Origins was loosely based on fantasy paintings, filtered through the limitations of the technology of the time. In DAII and continuing in Inquisition, we wanted to push our characters’ designs to support their strong personalities. For Veilguard, we wanted to take a confident step away from the uncanny valley and toward even stronger characterization. The goal was to make personality and emotion read more clearly, in the same way theatrical makeup exaggerates an actor’s features.
--The Art of Dragon Age: The Veilguard
On designing the Inquisitor
“To create the figure at the head of it all, we had to be flexible enough to accommodate a myriad of player customizations while creating a signature look that would really stand out. In Dragon Age: Origins, our signature Warden was a warrior. In Dragon Age II, our signature Hawke was a mage. This time around, we explored in greater detail what a rogue would look like in a seat of power.”
--The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition
Photo by @martinez.ephotography
Cullen is @lostsanitycosplays
Literary Criticism
Barthes, Roland, et al. The Language of Fashion. English ed., Berg, 2006.
Jameson, Fredric. 1998. The Cultural Turn : Selected Writings on the Postmodern, 1983-1998. London; New York: Verso.
Jameson, Fredric. 1991. Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism. Durham: Duke University.
Ogden, C. K, I. A Richards, Bronislaw Malinowski, F. G Crookshank, and J. P Postgate. 1923. The Meaning of Meaning : A Study of the Influence of Language upon Thought and of the Science of Symbolism. London : New York: K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & co., ltd; Harcourt, Brace & company, inc.
Art
Albert Urmanov: https://www.artstation.com/albyu
Casper Konefal: https://www.artstation.com/casper_konefal
Matt Rhodes: https://mattrhodesart.blogspot.com
Nick Thornborrow: https://www.nickthornborrowart.com
LibraryPass, Inc. 2016. The Art of Dragon Age: Inquisition. [United States]: Dark Horse.
BioWare Corp. 2024. The Art of Dragon Age : The Veilguard. Milwaukie, OR: Dark Horse.
News
MCV Staff. “The Man Who Built Thedas: Interview with David Gaider.” MCV/Develop, June 7, 2016. https://mcvuk.com/development-news/the-man-who-built-thedas-interview-with-david-gaider/.
Bevan, Rhiannon. “Dragon Age: The Veilguard Director Wants To Return To The "Golden Age Of BioWare.’” TheGamer, Nov 19, 2024. https://www.thegamer.com/dragon-age-the-veilguard-director-golden-age-of-bioware/.
Kane, Brad. “The Writing Of BioWare's Dragon Age II: David Gaider Speaks.” Game Developer, August 1, 2011. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-writing-of-bioware-s-i-dragon-age-ii-i-david-gaider-speaks#:~:text=Gaider%20and%20lead%20designer%20Mike,a%20grimmer%2C%20more%20personal%20tale
Farokhmanesh, Megan. "Dragon Age 2 artists were 'disappointed' by visuals, Inquisition to use Frostbite engine.” January 22, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20180818214409/https://www.polygon.com/2013/1/22/3904570/dragon-age-2-artists-were-disappointed-by-visuals-inquisition-to-use