Colours in War

War is a part of every cultures history future and present, in both sci-fi and real life. It is especially predominant in fantasy games, with lore and mythology and the birth of the civilizations characters we play rising from these stories of fights.

Although the theme of good/bad is always there, something as dirty and complex as war can never be black/white. In the same way we as humans will support our nation and troops and fight for what we believe is right and justice, our enemies will the same way, so good/bad can be a matter of perception, or simply there is no good/bad, when both sides are shedding blood for a reason that cannot be the same value as human lives.

Without getting too lost in the reasons of war, I want to find out if colour, shapes and compositions play the part in good and bad. First example is Gears of War (2006). The Locusts and humans are both native inhabitants of  Sera, and a fight for an energy source amongst humans awakened and begun a war with Locusts, and now the two are determined for genocide of the others race. There is no right species here, only survival.

The original game was criticized for it's use of dull grey and brown colours. The more I research the locusts however I slowly find them to be of soft hues with hints of colours (yellows, blues, reds), and the humans to be mostly of grey and earthy (and sometimes white/blue) shades.

A brighter and holier representation of 'good' is The Sanctum in Final Fantasy XIII (2009). They are always represented in bright, white and contrasting colours (as well as regal purples and holy golden yellows), to the point where it's too eeire and you realize that they don't have a shred of good intention and that everything is painted to seem good about the organization.

Final example for war is the God of War franchise (2005). The brutal game is constantly screaming 'fight!' with it's muted tones and unavoidable red tones. And while this should be the norm with all wars in fantasy, I find it fresher to have decietful 'pretending to be squeaky clean' white-clad soliders in Final Fantasy XIII than to show constant barbaric scenes of dirt, dull, grey and red.

I hope to incorporate my findings on war into my angels and demons in my fantasy world. I would love them to be predominant figures in my world. Next step is to focus on moodboards for these fantasy creatures! Phew!