Art Bibles

Art Bibles

Visual styles for game prototypes. Each is a vibe to explore: its touchstones, the few things that make it itself, the dials worth experimenting along, and a starting palette and type. Open a style, set its dials, and copy a brief for Claude or a teammate.

The essay's image: shovelling pirated DVDsBrat coverTeller for Balenciaga (2024)Schwitters, The Cherry Picture (1921)

Aesthete Trash

Mid-2020s junk (poor images, flash, clutter, slop) arranged with an editor's eye

Touchstones Steyerl's poor image, Brat, Juergen Teller, Schwitters, Cruelty Squad, girl clutter, zines

Best for absurd and comedic games, collage-driven puzzles, short weird games, anything that should feel of right now

Seen in Nothing yet
iMac G3N64 FuntasticPS2 Ocean BlueClear Tamagotchi

Blobject Clear Tech

Candy-coloured see-through plastic, glowing with light and showing what's inside

Touchstones iMac G3, Game Boy Color, N64 Funtastic, Tamagotchi, clear phones, gel pens

Best for toys and gadgets, cosy collectors, UI-heavy games, anything you'd want to hold in your hand

Seen in Nothing yet
Balatro: Big Blind, a hand on the feltLuck be a Landlord: the reelsPeglin: the peg board under the forestDownwell: black, white and red

Jackpot Pixel

Chunky pixel cards, symbols and coins on a felt table, building to a payout that shakes the screen

Touchstones Balatro, Luck be a Landlord, Peglin, Downwell, Loop Hero, Rider–Waite–Smith tarot, the Liberty Bell slot, Vegas neon, pachinko

Best for roguelike deckbuilders, slot and dice builders, poker-like scoring games, short-run score chasers, anything where combos multiply

Seen in Nothing yet
Hunters in the Snow (1565)JanuaryThreshing, f.74vHereford Mappa Mundi

Pre-rendered Kingdom

A medieval realm small enough to hold, ruled from the lord's table

Touchstones Stronghold, Majesty, Bruegel, Très Riches Heures, Macaulay's Castle

Best for kingdom sims, castle builders, indirect-control strategy, map and management games

Seen in Kingdom Atlas
Tiny Toys, I Spy (1992)Brio train set, 1990Cinderella / Duck Duck GooseEaton's windows, 1969

Toy Castle

Real toys of painted wood, felt and tin, lit like treasure on a tabletop stage

Touchstones I Spy (Walter Wick), 90s wooden toy workshops, Le Château magique, Christmas windows, Cornell boxes

Best for hidden-object and puzzle games, cosy builders, gentle story games, anything set at toy scale

Seen in Nothing yet
Encarta 98The CD-ROMPizza Pass (1996)Number Munchers (1986)

Utopian Scholastic

The world as an encyclopedia that loves you back

Touchstones Encarta, DK Eyewitness, the Eames, Zoombinis, early 3D renders

Best for incrementals, number and physics toys, puzzle games, upgrade trees, anything that teaches

Seen in Abacus Overflow