As technology and graphics improve, so does the look and feel of the video game experience. But not only has art improved in video games, it has become their main focus.

The most trendy mobile games feature aesthetic and surreal imagery. The most popular of these games is the critically acclaimed Monument Valley, a game in which the player must lead a princess named Ida through pastel-colored puzzles.

Other recently trending mobile games are based solely on art. These games include mobile coloring books, based off of the best-selling adult coloring books, and the recently trending game Sandbox, in which players create color-by-number pixel images.

Even games that do not feature their own unique artstyle and are more action-based now are now often steeped in realism. Games like The Last Guardian and the Uncharted series are well known for this. Every detail, down to individual hairs on a character or plants and architecture in a landscape, are emphasized. Movements in characters and the environment around them are also made to look natural and realistic.

The sound can also play a role in immersing a player. The right sound can make an object falling or creature scampering all the more realistic. Music can also change the tone of a scene drastically, the same way it can in a movie. Some video games even feature their own soundtracks.

Game designers have also re-created older games with improved sound and graphics to appeal to the nostalgia of older generations, as well as inviting in younger generations to play more classic video games. The beloved ‘90s game Crash Bandicoot has risen again in popularity after being remastered and rereleased in late June of this year.

Gamers and game designers alike are excited for what possibilities that improved graphics and sound could hold for the future of gaming, especially with new technology like virtual reality.