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Same with Minecraft. It's a perfect example of how gameplay > visuals. The "secret" for both those cases is likely that they were lazy and just used some low e

Same with Minecraft. It's a perfect example of how gameplay > visuals. The "secret" for both those cases is likely that they were lazy and just used some low effort placeholder at first, then the game blew up and the style became too intertwined with the popularity to change.

pphysch 3y ago
Maybe it's just a generational thing, but Minecraft doesn't look that "ugly", it just has low resolution textures / meshes. Roblox looks actually ugly because it uses higher resolution assets without a common/appealing style to make them cohesive.
- atleastoptimal 3y ago
  Yeah Minecraft has genius level design imo. Roblox looks weird, like a first generation prototype of an online game that never went through iteration cycles. Maybe that was their intention anyway.
  - hipadev23 3y ago
    I feel like you don't understand what Roblox is. It's not a game. It's a platform. Think of web browsers in 1996. Most websites indeed looked very similar in 1996, but that was because of the currently accepted design aesthetics of the time, and had little to do with the browser itself.
    - ethbr1 3y ago
      Oh, memories of when the coolest thing you could do was make your website look like Doom with animated Imp gifs and a brick tiled background. RIP gifsthatdontsuck.com
- outworlder 3y ago
  Minecraft is kinda cute, honestly. And it works well because of that, the huge blocks are actually a good thing, gameplay-wise.
- rogerclark 3y ago
  It is a generational thing. If you grew up with Minecraft, you won't be able to see its flaws. Growing up with pixel art from NES and SNES games, the Minecraft aesthetic was obviously low quality programmer art rather than something meticulously crafted for its medium by an artist with real skills. However, ugly or not, most people don't care, and the gameplay itself was so interesting to its audience that it didn't really matter. Lots of things are more approachable and relatable specifically because they're ugly, and I think that applies to both Minecraft and Roblox. It's easier to imagine yourself making or participating in something that doesn't look like it took a genius to do. They made zillions of dollars and lots of people have fun with their games. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

pphysch 3y ago

Maybe it's just a generational thing, but Minecraft doesn't look that "ugly", it just has low resolution textures / meshes. Roblox looks actually ugly because it uses higher resolution assets without a common/appealing style to make them cohesive.

atleastoptimal 3y ago
Yeah Minecraft has genius level design imo. Roblox looks weird, like a first generation prototype of an online game that never went through iteration cycles. Maybe that was their intention anyway.
- hipadev23 3y ago
  I feel like you don't understand what Roblox is. It's not a game. It's a platform. Think of web browsers in 1996. Most websites indeed looked very similar in 1996, but that was because of the currently accepted design aesthetics of the time, and had little to do with the browser itself.
  - ethbr1 3y ago
    Oh, memories of when the coolest thing you could do was make your website look like Doom with animated Imp gifs and a brick tiled background. RIP gifsthatdontsuck.com
outworlder 3y ago
Minecraft is kinda cute, honestly. And it works well because of that, the huge blocks are actually a good thing, gameplay-wise.
rogerclark 3y ago
It is a generational thing. If you grew up with Minecraft, you won't be able to see its flaws. Growing up with pixel art from NES and SNES games, the Minecraft aesthetic was obviously low quality programmer art rather than something meticulously crafted for its medium by an artist with real skills. However, ugly or not, most people don't care, and the gameplay itself was so interesting to its audience that it didn't really matter. Lots of things are more approachable and relatable specifically because they're ugly, and I think that applies to both Minecraft and Roblox. It's easier to imagine yourself making or participating in something that doesn't look like it took a genius to do. They made zillions of dollars and lots of people have fun with their games. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.