MangueBit: a restrição como arte em um projeto de TCG experimental em pixel art

Abstract

The Trading Card Game (TCG) is a medium that integrates gameplay, art collection, and narrative into a concise graphic piece. In the contemporary context, there is a growing openness to experimentation and the development of independent authorial projects. In light of this, this research aims to understand and translate the aesthetic-communicational potential of expressing abstract fictional worlds in pixel art into the TCG format. To this end, a prototype deck was developed using the visual language of pixel art, with an emphasis on the effective representation of characters and narratives within the spatial limitations of the physical medium, through an adaptation of Bruno Munari’s methodology combined with stages of visual identity, character design, and creative processes. In this way, the research articulates theory and practice by proposing an original fictional universe materialized in a card game that playfully and accessibly represents socio-cultural diversity as well as social issues linked to the mangrove ecosystem. This proposal seeks to unite regional symbols with references from global pop culture associated with the Game Boy Color (GBC) handheld console. As a result, it was observed that this approach makes it possible to concretely develop the game, and it is expected that this work may serve as a reference for the creation of original TCGs in the future, in addition to encouraging experimentation with pixel art in media beyond digital games.