By definition art is: “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”
Therein lies the question.
Are videogames the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination? And are videogames appreciated for their beauty and emotional power?
As with any younger brother, video games struggle for their position to prove their maturity and complexity. The enthusiasm to be seen as a genuine outlet for expression and not just a child’s toy, is something the industry battles with as a whole.
The expression of videogames as art often shines through games that display a devotion to the craft and not just the economy. When a developer decides to follow and ambitious art style rather than conforming to the norm, works of art are produced.
When you look at games like Flower, Braid, Grim Fandango and Shadow of the Colossus, each one can be appreciated for their beauty and emotional power. But they are the eventual product of a process that has countless moving parts.
If you were to deconstruct a videogame you would have to appreciate the layers of art that unite to give birth to such a unique creation. Videogames have evolved to become a tapestry of design, architecture, painting, music, writing, sculpture, cinematography, acting and technology. The final product is an amalgamation of imagination, a device that provides interaction to art.
In recent years a growing number of mainstream art exhibitions have been devoted to videogames. Among them the Smithsonian American Art Museums exhibit, “The Art of Videogames”.
The Art of Videogames
In 2012, The Art of Videogames showcased the medium heralding videogames as a platform that “offers artists a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences.” The exhibit which is on national tour until the start of 2016 boasts the “forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies” and incorporates playable pieces including; Pac-man, Super Mario Brothers, Myst and Flower.
While there is no doubt compared to music, canvas or performing arts, video games are very young it’s the ambition of youth and the ever growing potential of technology that drives the exponential evolution of videogames.
It sure is an exciting time to be a gamer.
And whilst there is little resistance for games to be further accepted as art it’s great to see developers (artists) finally get the recognition they deserve in the artistic community.
Memoirs of a Gamer 