Have you ever wandered around the luscious scenery of Oblivion or scoured through the fiery wasteland of Fallout 4 and wondered, wow, who did this place look so good? Enter Dan Lee-the unsung hero within Bethesda Game Studios who has made some of the most iconic visual aesthetics in video…youesh, well, you catch my drift.
From the very moment one stepped into the ground of Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to the radioactive ruins that litter the backdrop of Fallout 4, you basically had it all since every opportunity you had to look at amazing artwork could be attributed to Dan’s efforts.
And his work was never about the aesthetics-it was about life, breathing matters. Ever felt that kind of strange shaft of dazzling sunlight through bunches of trees when you were lost in that green world of Oblivion? Yeah, right. That’s Dan Lee. Ever felt the grimy, lived-in atmosphere of Diamond City pushing up against you? Right again.
What does Dan Lee even mean, anyway? Man has been with Bethesda Game Studios as far back as anyone could remember! Imagination was introduced with worlds we walked into. And Bethesda games were not exclusively games by any means; these have been universes that one could easily lose himself in for hundreds of hours. And much of that magic is explained by the very art team-old-timers like Dan are leading partners in the team.
Fun fact: Bethesda’s art direction is totally unique. From a mile away, you can rattle off possession for a Bethesda game. Their spicing up the realistic aesthetic with just a touch of fantasy-or, better yet, apocalypse grime-is totally what they’re about. And Dan has been at the helm of that for quite a while.
So the next time you wander the Commonwealth or find yourself lost in the mountains of Skyrim, take a moment to appreciate the finer aspects included. Dan Lee, at some point, had quite a lot to do with your deep immersion into the games.
How did it get all so magnified in setting up such massive worlds? Years of work, lots of passion and time-just put it out there by the art team lovingly led by people like Dan. More than mere coding and polygons, it’s a tale told through visuals.
If only we could pry some lore on those Elder Scrolls he keeps under a shy smile on his face, but sssh! Let a gamer dream!
Back to what probably is the 50th run of Skyrim as we pretend we’re not all waiting for this huge release from Bethesda.
Hat tip to Dan Lee and all the rest. Because of them, the games are just half of half. Pretty half, maybe. Less addicted.
Oh, wait, what was I saying? Oh, go fan Dan if you’re into artist features; you will likewise win by simply sitting back for a bit of Fallout 4.
Here you are with your lavish open secret: the enigmatic console controller. In the general population, there are those jesters who never gave up and, to this day, staff modded Oblivion; it’s like the path from inception Dan took.
That’s your once-a-day game dev appreciation, now go explore those worlds of Bethesda as the undercover art aficionado that you are.
Or you might not, I am not your champion in life. Seriously, you should try.
End rant. Go play something.
