Icons, Images, and Such

As I've explained in my April Fool's post for this year, Pokémon Go changed its static Pokémon images to 8-bit icons taken from the main series games, and this is billed as an "innovation" as part of the joke. However, in some cases this change seems to work well, as in the Nearby tab at the bottom; sometimes the rescaled static 3D images seem unclear, while the icons are neatly visible. This has gotten me to think about how Pokémon are represented in icons, images, and other graphics, as well as the purposes they may have.

There are, of course, typical representative images of individual Pokémon. These have been around since the beginning, though they are also updated from time to time. In most cases they also show Pokémon from the front, though they can show lateral views as well. For the purpose of just showing or indicating, they are sufficient, though it might be hard to have them in the games. But for media that aren't games, such as books and web sites, they are especially useful. It's expected that every Pokémon will have one of these.

Then there are icon-type images. These may be even more restricted in which parts of a Pokémon to show and may be more optimized for small sizes. Such is the case with the 8-bit icons above, where the icons only show the most important details from the front-left side. This might be the reason why the icons work so well in the Nearby tab. As well, there is also a different icon set which is popularly used in the Pokémon puzzle games of Shuffle and Battle Trozei; they feature either a miniaturized Pokémon or the upper body or head of that Pokémon, as much as can be displayed within a small circle, and this is particularly noticeable in many icons from the icon set. These icons don't see much use elsewhere, yet at one time they have been used in an infographic for Go. It seems that these would be beneficial for any concise/small applications as well.

For the games, they may have their own specific kinds of imagery, including sprites and 3D models, which I've discussed in their own post. Different sprites can be made to have forward and backward views of the Pokémon concerned, while 3D models are all-inclusive. But then, not all games can have either or both, and there may be other types of imagery, including animated ones. The game dictates the graphics and therefore their purposes.

Pokémon are versatile, and it seems so do their graphics, which do take different forms and can be used for different purposes, as the 8-bit icon revival in Pokémon Go. A graphical feature of the main series makes its way to a spinoff game to a humorous effect, but is purposeful as well. I will somewhat miss the 8-bit icons when they disappear after a week, but it's nice to know that Pokémon graphics can and do work when they need to.

One year ago: These Foolish Things Remind Me of Pokémon