This sentence right here is probably the most important part. What matters in graphics is the style. Style should be determined based on your core gameplay mechanics and the general “feel” you’re aiming for. From there, the entire game should be designed around that style. This includes models, textures, UI, sound design, animation, etc. The entire game should feel consistent within that style.
I would also recommend not disregarding this as prototyping is the key most important thing to do. When it comes down to it, graphics don’t matter. The game can look amazing, but if the core gameplay mechanics are boring, nobody will want to play.
Furthermore, prototyping and testing is extremely important to do regularly as your idea of what’s “good” may not be what others consider to be. It should also be noted that the longer you’ve been working on a project, the more attached and biased of it you’ll become. Testing is important with fresh minds (who haven’t played it before) to see how a new player might experience the game. This is critical for an ideal game experience.
On the final note, Roblox’s player base is indeed mostly children. If your goal is to reach said children, you should do some research on what’s popular right now for that audience. Colors are important regardless of your audience as colors are a useful tool to guide the player emotionally and subconsciously through your experience. A realistic style can work, but not on its own (for children). I would say a good example is the difference between the level design of Half Life vs that of Portal. Though even then, children (and sometimes adults too) have a short attention span. If puzzles are too difficult or the game is boring them, they’ll play something else.
In short, design your game’s style based on your target audience. There is a whole study around this alone, about what makes a game “feel” good for the right style. Mobile games exploit this psychology, making them a good reference. I don’t exactly agree with the tactics that mobile games use, but it clearly works quite well. This is why most Roblox games take a similar route in style and design.
I guess I’m beating around the bush with this one, so I’ll just get to the point. Realistic games generally do not do well on Roblox due to who the majority audience of Roblox. A realistic game can still do well with 13+ users (and perhaps still some under), but make sure you nail that design. If there’s a story, make sure that story is also told within the world itself. Make sure everything works together to create a full and positive gameplay experience. Of course, that goes with any game project.
And with that, I have accidentally written an essay of sorts. This concludes my random TED Talk.
Edit:
Oh one more thing I forgot to mention: Another reason that realistic games don’t do that well on Roblox is that in realistic style games, with the wrong design (and this is usually the case on Roblox and sometimes outside of Roblox), it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate background objects and mechanically active (or interactive) objects.
This is where little visual tricks can come into play. Contrast is important for this. You can use lighting to guide players, brighter and more contrasting colors, or just a general “out-of-place” feel that makes an object look important, rather than just clutter. If all else fails, you can also just clearly mark said objects with a highlight or glow. Though I feel as though the former is the preferred method, especially for more realistic style games.
