Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Arcade Login and why I disapprove

Ryugi Kazamaru··3 votes·5,658 views

https://i.gyazo.com/a8d41d007599482ff6114f577b77d4e4.jpg

*Arcade Riven Splash - Badass fighter stance

*Arcade Login Screen - Derpy smiling ditzy Riven

Why can’t I have nice things, Riot? I mean, you had a lot of potential here. I know you had to "reel in" Zeronis so he didn't make the skin itself into an overly sexualized torpedo-boobed nightmare or something (fighting his natural tendencies so to speak, to quote another Riot artist). And the splash itself is really solid. It captures the whole fighting-game aesthetic you were trying to go for with the design, and it really works well for Riven's image and who she is. I'm not hating on the splash at all.

But why can't you guys keep some kind of consistency? Why go for serious, awesome fighter, and then create that login screen? What, may I ask, does Riven, as a character, have to be happy about? I mean, I get the Arcade aesthetic. I really, really do. It's supposed to be flashy and bright and fun and gamery. That aesthetic could work for Sona (DDR and her ult for example) and MF (Nintendo Zappers) without too much of a stretch. Hecarim is obviously a parody of Robot Unicorn Attack. Biltz is inspired by Emperor Zurg and robot bosses everywhere, and Veigar is a natural video-game villain. Riven could theoretically fit the "Fighter" archetype in a game (I'm assuming you were inspired by the Power Glove for this one), but why such a disconnect as far as representation?

MF in the login is being serious and indifferent, true to her new, real personality as evidenced by Burning Tides. Sona is being Sona, I suppose. So, why is Riven so grossly cheerful and misrepresented? I'm not against "fun". I'm honestly not. The skin itself is alright, even, and as I said above, I really like the splash art.

But is there some reason Riven couldn't be portrayed more seriously? Like a fighter on their way to the next challenge in the game, instead of some ditsy, giggly, airheaded thing? Why go through the trouble to try and make the skin concept itself be more serious and not sexualized, and the splash art be more serious, and then throw a good chunk of that out the door for the login? I just don't understand.

27 Comments

Rune Ocarina9 votes

I love the login art! She looks super cute! This is a skin line tied to video games and having fun. I think the login screen perfectly captures that expression. However I also love the splash screen as well, as she's being chosen in a fighting game and is ready to kick some ass.

Last of all, it's just two different artists and their styles. No need to change this Riot. Thanks! I love it =D

ForgottenLuck4 votes

I kinda like the login art more though to me it also seems like a young kid so maybe all arcade skins are actually just kids playing video games while the skin we play as is what they see as well (am I explaining myself well here?)

Ironclad Dragon2 votes

Thought the exact same thing.

sp4414 votes

Because GOD FORBID Riven display any emotions other than grim resignation. Otherwise we might actually think that she's a tridimensional character with feelings and thoughts instead of a generic archetype.

She's fighting a big goofy bad guy with her friends in a magical video game land, for chrissakes, if ANYTHING could make Riven actually crack a fucking smile, it would be it. Different from what most of modern media might tell you, being happy doesn't equal being dumb.

Fuck, if you press CTRL + 1 or CTRL + 4, you'll see that Riven DOES have a sense of humor, it's not something critically out of character for her to smile. She's not fucking Urgot.

Vistha Kai1 votes

Well, even Urgot has a sense of humor. A grim one, but it's there.

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Rune Ocarina,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=Z6KtuzZm,comment-id=00020000,timestamp=2015-08-10T23:58:00.880+0000)

That could also be another reason. Seeing Riven smile is really nice. What's so wrong with it when this skin isn't even canon to her lore?

.

{quoted}

Because GOD FORBID Riven display any emotions other than grim resignation. Otherwise we might actually think that she's a tridimensional character with feelings and thoughts instead of a generic archetype.

She's fighting a big goofy bad guy with her friends in a magical video game land, for chrissakes, if ANYTHING could make Riven actually crack a fucking smile, it would be it. Different from what most of modern media might tell you, being happy doesn't equal being dumb.

Fuck, if you press CTRL + 1 or CTRL + 4, you'll see that Riven DOES have a sense of humor, it's not something critically out of character for her to smile. She's not fucking Urgot.

There seems to be some kind of large misconception that I'm against Riven showing any kind of happiness at all. And, at least with the above post, that I am somehow against her being a multi-faceted character with various moods, wants, desires, and everything else.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm in no way against Riven showing more dynamic or complex emotions, even happiness. But the thing about Riven is that she's not the kind of character to look like the login has portrayed her. She doesn't have big open eyes and a wide giggly smile. That's not her persona. A laugh and a joke don't make up for the lines upon lines of dialogue that show she's carrying around a metric truckload of emotional baggage and uncertainty about her actions, and those actions weight her down considerably.

It isn't that Riven CAN'T express happiness. I'm not saying or claiming that at all. What I am saying, however, is that the representation of her personality within the image doesn't add up with the consistency of characterization that Riot actually strives for in their artwork concerning their characters. Riven is haunted, plagued by her past, and motivated to save her ideals of Noxian strength from being tarnished. She is, by representation within the game itself, her lore, and her very identity, a tragic character, searching and striving for hope, atonement, and resolution.

We, as readers or players, seek to have her find that resolution, and that modicum of happiness. We want to see her happy, and to see her overcome the odds stacked against her. Even me, regardless of what several people have claimed (unless you want her to die horribly because you think she's OP). However, it would be far, far more preferable if that happiness was true to her character. A smirk, a faint smile, a confident gleam in her eye and a feeling of ready eagerness on her face. The expression portrayed in the login, in my opinion, is not "Riven". It may appear to be so visually, but it isn't her personality being displayed. Not really.

That's where my main dissatisfaction stems from, not that I think she's not allowed to be happy at all.

sp4411 votes

Well, thank god that Skins aren't necessarely reflective of the character's personality and are just fun and alternate takes on them.

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

{quoted}

Well, thank god that Skins aren't necessarily reflective of the character's personality and are just fun and alternate takes on them.

"Fun" mileage may vary from person to person. It's also based heavily on perspective. If you find the skin "fun", then more power to you. Purchase it when it comes out and enjoy it.

I however, probably won't, because I don't think it's really representative of the character I enjoy playing and reading about. But, again, that's my opinion, and you are more than welcome to disagree.

Count Buffon3 votes

Meh. Riven's splash is yet another entry in the "bendy twisty ALL THE SPINES!" genre of female splash art. Her torso is nearly vertical, and a potion is being displayed from an implausible point of view on her nearly-horizontal rump. She looks like the wiggly Tetris block. Only Vladimir and Explorer Ezreal bend anywhere near this much. The art team really is stuck on this comic booky "spine twisty sooo dynamic, only way to create energy!" schtick and shows no signs of ever turning back.

The login screen looks really murky, muddled, and flat. I don't know if the real issue is that she's in a derpy mood. It simply isn't convincingly rendered, whatever it is that they're going for here.

MF's BIlgewater login was also muddled and murky. It just looked like someone ran a mediocre login screen through a French Impressionism filter in Photoshop or something.

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Count Buffon,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=Z6KtuzZm,comment-id=000a,timestamp=2015-08-11T03:39:13.682+0000)

Meh. Riven's splash is yet another entry in the "bendy twisty ALL THE SPINES!" genre of female splash art. Her torso is nearly vertical, and a potion is being displayed from an implausible point of view on her nearly-horizontal rump. Only Vladimir and Explorer Ezreal bend anywhere near this much. The art team really is stuck on this comic booky "spine twisty sooo dynamic, only way to create energy!" schtick and shows no signs of ever turning back.

The login screen looks really murky, muddled, and flat. I don't know if the real issue is that she's in a derpy mood. It simply isn't convincingly rendered, whatever it is that they're going for here.

MF's BIlgewater login was also muddled and murky. It just looked like someone ran a mediocre login screen through a French Impressionism filter in Photoshop or something.

As someone who draws, I can understand the artistic choice to make things look more dynamic by breaking the back or whatever else. It's art, meant to reflect an intent or message, not necessarily stay true to reality. It's annoying in different ways depending on what's being shown, though, like grotesquely exaggerating proportions to make breasts appear bigger or show more anatomy than should be shown for any real reason. That stuff bothers me. But the splash art for this is mostly harmless, considering her biggest offender is the Dragonblade Splash.

And the login itself is fine in art capability. It may yet be tweaked, after all. My biggest gripe is, again, the misrepresentation of Riven's character when compared to the splash art. Look at Sona and MF's splashes, and then at the login. They match that representation. Then, look at Riven's. hers doesn't match in the slightest. And that disconnect is what bothers me, because the splash itself is very representative of who Riven is, but the login is not.

Crowe Stalker1 votes

I have no idea who downvoted without commenting, but I don't think they actually read your argument...

Valaran Nara1 votes

I think the reason for the misrepresentation is because of this:

MF is busy trying to shoot and blast Blitz out of the game, so she's deadset.

Sona is busy driving like a bat out of hell. She's not fully serious cause you can see the adrenaline pumping through her.

Then there's Riven. She's not able to focus on shooting something since she doesn't have a gun. She isn't busy driving. At the moment, she has nothing to focus on handling, so she's enjoying that ride.

All of them have adrenaline and FUN pumping through. It's just that Riven isn't actively focused on anything but watching as everything flies past them as they run for their life.

I'm guessing they are somewhere close to full health, otherwise she would also be panicking.

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

You're explaining yourself just fine. I could see that as a possibility, though I'm more inclined to believe it is more due to different artistic styles than anything else.

The only reason I think people like it is because she's smiling, which she's never been seen to do, ever. And for good reason considering her character and background.

Rune Ocarina1 votes

That could also be another reason. Seeing Riven smile is really nice. What's so wrong with it when this skin isn't even canon to her lore?

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

Lots of downvotes, but no real justifications. Shame, really. Oh well.

Dreamspitter2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Ryugi Kazamaru,realm=NA,application-id=6kFXY1kR,discussion-id=Z6KtuzZm,comment-id=0003,timestamp=2015-08-10T23:40:58.622+0000)

Lots of downvotes, but no real justifications. Shame, really. Oh well.

The fact we disagree with you. Can we agree to do that?

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

{quoted}

The fact we disagree with you. Can we agree to do that?

Of course you can. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don't have to agree with your opinion to agree with your right to state it, and your right to disagree. But, I prefer reasoning rather than just downvotes. Downvotes just say "We don't like you/what you said." It doesn't say why, and I was mostly interested in what people thought and why they thought that way.

Tesla Effect2 votes

...And why we dont give a fuck. http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1mo1wzFiu1qbubzqo1_400.gif [Fly away on jetpack]

Vistha Kai4 votes

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Darth-Vader-and-Storm-Trooper-dance.gif #Deal with it

ModAcademy Kayn2 votes

Since when can't people have fun?

Tesla Effect2 votes

{quoted}

Since when can't people have fun?

Doncha know, video games arent suppose to be for fun....lol

Matezoide1 votes

Because everyone knows that Fighters in arcade video-games are the happiest characters.

City of Toronto1 votes

OP addressing the REAL issues here /s

Rabid Husky1 votes

then how about corporate DrMundo or safecracker Evelynn void and cottontail Fizz or toy soldier Gangplank how about rogue admiral Garen and forsaken Jayce this is a video game man not every skin is totally in line with the character but you dont hear people complaining about every single out of line skin cuz its a video game and riot wanted to have a fun skin for a serious champ. if your gonna get mad at a riven get mad at battle bunny Riven atleast in this skin shes having way more fun than you are

Ryugi Kazamaru2 votes

{quoted}

then how about corporate DrMundo or safecracker Evelynn void and cottontail Fizz or toy soldier Gangplank how about rogue admiral Garen and forsaken Jayce this is a video game man not every skin is totally in line with the character but you dont hear people complaining about every single out of line skin cuz its a video game and riot wanted to have a fun skin for a serious champ. if your gonna get mad at a riven get mad at battle bunny Riven atleast in this skin shes having way more fun than you are

For the record I also hate the Battle Bunny Skin. I hate it beyond my ability to verbalize.

I also dislike most of those skins (though Corporate Mundo is supposedly Canon in some way). So at the very least you can say I'm consistent in my dislike of these sorts of things. Especially after the Bilgewater Event, it would be nice to see more content reflecting champion personalities.

And, again, my dislike isn't necessarily over the skin itself. I can live with the skin's design and even LIKE the splashart for it. My issue is with the misrepresentation of the character image in the login. That's really it.

Rabid Husky1 votes

well atleast your consistent lol but as for her log in face think of what shes sorta referencing atleast in my own opinion is sora from kingdomhearts a wide eyed smiling character her sword even has a keychain on it. thats my explanation for it anyway

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