My question came from a lack of background I think. When the topic of graphics and visuals came up, I immediately thought “pretty pictures to make the game more likeable”. That’s a wrong mental jump.
I do this in static fiction too. I’m still learning to read the language of comics and graphic novels.
A good friend introduced me to Thorgal - Wikipedia years ago, and I’m still trying to wrap my head and eyes around the fact that images tell stories too.