You think of COD and you think of shooting, wall-running and stern men saving the world one bullet at a time. And, maybe, how much you wanted Captain Price to be your dad. That’s for another feature though, and probably some therapy. What you probably didn’t know was just how creative people can get in Black Ops 3’s emblem maker.
Admittedly not many are checking out the emblems of the people that shoot them in game, but if you take the time to look up some of its stars on YouTube then you’ll find some incredible pieces of art being created. Take a look at this for example from VileSelf:
I’ve picked that one out because of the purity and minimal cleanness of its lines. It’s 'print out and frame on the wall' levels of pretty. Here’s another from VileSelf, again creating a striking image from very little:
One thing that you can probably see throughout all these is that COD’s Emblem editor has plenty of features but it clearly wasn’t intended for more than basic images, using its collection of simple shapes and pre-drawn images. Not that that's stopped anyone. Watch this amazing Harley Quinn image and notice how it’s conjured from stencils of soldiers and basic blocks.
Despite this obviously limited tool set some creators can produce some surprisingly detailed and nuanced images, like Elusive Dream’s take on Harambe, which looks for all the world like an airbrushed piece of art:
Vileself, as well, can create similarly layered and detailed images, like their take on Spider-Man:
What’s even more impresive is how some creators manage to branch out into other destinctive art styles, like Sleyden’s vector-style illustration of Overwatch’s D.Va
Similarly, Babifoot manages a great Tracer in a very similar style:
Gbrillira on the other hand specialises in pixel art, creating numerous characters from simple blocks, using a program that doesn’t have simple blocks. Check out his Batman and watch how a creates a grid-like, ordered illustration from a range of distorted shapes:
Despite the lack of any of that proper boring art stuff like ‘brushes’, people like Tocan are able to create images that perfectly recreate their subject matter. Okay, Patrick from Spongebob isn’t exactly the Sistine Chapel, but this recreation is cartoon show quality:
Some of COD’s artists have reached a point where the stuff they’re making isn’t really usable as an emblem anymore, it’s just art. Like MagicSista24’s take on a classic Star Wars The Force Awakens shot:
And, staying with the Star Wars theme, this Stormtrooper by Babifoot shows an incredible grasp of perspective and form.
Art is just an innate part of human nature. From cave paintings to cathedrals made of matchsticks - if creation is possible someone will find some way of doing incredible things with it. This impressive productivity in such an unlikely place seems another expression of that. So, next time you get mown down in Call of Duty online, take a moment to check the emblem of who shot you - you might just be missing a masterpiece.
