Videogames have come along a far way, evolving around the
same rate as technology does. Digital media and gaming are essentially parallel
in their evolutions. It’s the technological advances into digital tools that
affect the abilities of what can be done which in turn also affects the new
possibilities that are available for games. Improvements such as higher memory
capacity chips, allow videogames to reach higher limits on qualities and
lengths on what can be in a game. Besides physical technical capabilities due
to hardware, videogames have spread out into almost every category; they’ve
come a long way since Pong, Space Invaders, Snake, and Asteroids. Christine
Paul mentions in “Digital Art” that “games are an important part of digital
art’s history”(Paul 2008 p. 197) as
“they explored many of the paradigms that are now common in interactive art.”
(Paul p. 197).
Nowadays, there are teams of different artists in videogame
companies that collaborate on making high definition and exhilarating worlds
for players to explore not being exclusive to game genre. This growth has also
encapsulated pop culture and society, which can be seen in artists’ work by the
references they make. In examining videogames as a whole, would you classify
videogames as art or not? Meaning that this would include all genres of games
which includes “’shooters’ that seem antithetical to art”(Paul 2008 p. 197). ; Do
they count as pieces of art?
Being born in the 90’s allowed me to experience most of the
stages that videogames have gone through. Although not everything pertaining to
the creation of these games maybe related to art directly, but it’s the
collaborative product in the end that gives them their worth as art. Also, even
though game types can have high contrasts against each other, those differences
don’t distinguish whether they can be classified as art. Instead, look at the
similarities beyond the graphics, where the paradigms that Christine Paul
mentions that are contained in interactive art. These nuances that create
immersion do not always have to involve a deep plot such as role-playing
games(RPGs); for example, simulation games, first-person shooters(FPSs), and
“god” games still provide a sense of immersion by giving the player a sense
through the camera view and actions. Games like Modern Warfare 3 compared to games like Sims or Okami may not be
viewed instanteously as art, but the way each game immerses the player to a
different world through visuals, music, sound, and interaction make them more
than qualified to be called interactive art.
References:
Paul, C. 2008. Digital Art. 2nd
edition. NY: Thames and Hudson, Inc.
