Yeah you heard me right its something that is beginning to happen but more importantly it is very interesting to see a field that grew up and then began to have synergy and share information with other facets of society. Information sharing today is something that is very much a stylistic approach to how to collaborate but on a much larger scale it has reached the point with videogames where rather than having their information sharing be a one way street or a two way street they have arrived at the town square or center. Yet, more importantly, similarly to how movies matured, videogames have begun to incorporate styles of interest and visual design that in some cases are beginning to follow the cutting edge or in other ways displaying the cutting edge fully realized on a scale unimaginable and in a space that feels entirely testable.

This is why when it comes to fashion in a general sense and design of clothing on the cutting edge it is no surprise that it has influenced the creative processes of game development. Take for example one particular case of a Triple-A game being heavily influenced by cutting edge fashion design choices. Enter Deus Ex: Human Revolution a game all about transhumanism and more importantly the neo-cyber-renaissance that is slowly but assuredly occurring.
(If you would like to read more up on the game’s fashion and look check it out here http://community.eidosmontreal.com/blog/Fashion-of-Deus-Ex)

One thing that impressed me the most however was the fact that the game featured so heavily design choices that felt functional or at least believable. It is not very often you find that in videogames of the past recent or far as most would opt for cheesy futuristic looks. However, more and more as videogames have become more a part of society they are beginning to take on the look and feel and society is beginning to become more of part in reverse. They were using inspiration from the likes of

Case in point that in Deus Ex the use of Andreia Chaves, Iris Van Herpen, Gareth Pugh, and Issey Miyake were used as inspiration for the design of the clothing. This point by and large is one of the reasons the game is so convincing in its tale because it is able to tell you something about the world at large without even dropping a word on the subject. Simply, by use of the neo-medieval choices for clothing the creators were able to lead to human development while still staying attached to the feelings of digitalis and computerized expansion.

Yet, more importantly they were able to use the design choices that were made by high levels of fashion and incorporate that into they’re artistic vision and see it fully realized. If you aren’t a big game player Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one game I would recommend simply to experience the world that it allows you to inhabit and try out and see what works and what doesn’t work. Its the world biggest sandbox for cyber-renaissance and being able to actually see modern design fashion and non-fashion choices are work. Here are a couple pictures so you can know what I am talking about.

(trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq5KWLqUewc)

It is very interesting to see it fully developed but even more so it is also fascinating to see this movement to make the artwork and fashions and clothing within games more accurately reflect a future that is very much real and alive and acceptable rather than a future that is entirely fabricated from scratch. Using design choices such as the collar plumes, ruffled and puffed (but reduced) sleeves and shoulder designs, and a mix between renaissance flow and postmodern and modern hard edge and cubism all contribute to the style and look of this game.

But more importantly it is not alone in this desire to make the design more accurately display a connection to high fashion and the culture in connection to the cutting edge of popular looks. Take for example a game called Transistor which also too a very bold approach  to this idea of transhumanism and neo-renaissance albeit with a much more steam punk 1920’s and turn of the century feel and look and color palette. The nice touche of the painterly surfaces with the sfumato edges is also nice.

(trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT55lch6y_U )

 

But how do these types of design choices have any effect on street fashion generalized fashion or even we dress today after all this is just concept? While before you might say that these styles would never catch on in the real world just take a quick peek at hipsters and how much nostalgia combined with the new can be effective. Its a devastatingly good combo that is a recognition of the old with the new similar to how Lindsey Stirling mixes synth dub-step with classical violin solos. After all concept is all that everything is until it is fully realized and taken advantage of. The journey from the mind to paper from paper to final piece.

Leave comments below do you think it is interesting that video-games are borrowing so much from fashion design choices? (Personally I enjoy it).

P.S. I have a pdf of the design within Deus Ex: Human Revolution in case you want anymore

DXHR_Augmented_Edition_Artbook