How Did Scott Mcloud Call Amplification Through Simplification?

In his informative book “Understanding Comics,” Scott McCloud discusses the effectiveness of a technique he calls “amplification through simplification.” This is essentially the notion that using an artistic style that been “dumbed down” and simplified from an absolute realism doesn't necessarily mean that it's subtractive from the overall piece of work. In fact, McCloud goes on to prove that this technique can actually be more effective than using realism altogether. Used correctly, amplification through simplification can break down the barrier between a potential viewer and the piece of art in question. McCloud talks about a technique called the “masking effect,” which is essentially the inclusion of an iconic character against a more realistic background. Aside from artistically separating the character from the background. This functions as a form of projective identification, which allows for a more intimate connection between the viewer and
Many popular video games and novels include relatively base or faceless characters to encourage a connection to the fictional world presented to them. For example, and although it's very divisive, many young adult novels recently have been purposefully including characters for the reader to essentially wear as “masks.” With the way they're written, they elicit a kind of false agency for the reader into the world in which they exist. Take for instance a novel like Twilight. The main character, Bella, is described as such an “everygirl” that almost anyone reading can insert themselves into the arguably more detailed and interesting world and lives of the people around her. This is a form of literary masking. Bella's flat character has catered to the fantasies of several despaired romantics all over the world and it's for this simple reason that the book has sold so well and is further proof of the effective of masking and