Art and Video Games

“Art is the product of an etiquette, and to neglect its framework of intellectual manner, and reduce it to its physical data is an act of barbarism, like using a prayer shawl for a cleaning rag. [...] As a sculpture, a painted plank is not only its material substance but the crystallization of a moment in the continuous debate on the nature of art – an intellectual element missing from planks in lumberyards. Injected into this discourse, the plank, or one of Christo’s packages, becomes an item of our aesthetic culture, though not necessarily a profound or desirable item.”

Rosenberg H. (1972) The De-definition of Art: Action Art to Pop to Earthworks, London: Secker & Warburg

...Art creates ambiguous zones of slippage, used to restructure and rethink...Stelarc

“[we] should consider [...] viewing games as spatial art with its roots in architecture, landscape painting, sculpture, gardening or amusement-park design”

Jenkins H. And Squire K. (2002) The Art of Contested Spaces Game On Exhibition Catalogue, Laurence King London

“Video games are a new art form. That is one reason why now is the right time for game studies”

Gee, J. P. (2006) Why Game Studies Now? Video Games: A New Art Form Games and Culture, Volume 1 Number 1, http://games.sagepub.com

“Videogame criticism (whether from a background in ludology or naratology) has tended to concentrate on the mechanics of the videogame, rather than its aesthetics. As a result the theoretical discussion has tended to revolve around how these factors contribute (positively or negatively) to the gameplay and/or the narrative of the game, rather than as qualities to be assessed and/or appreciated on their own terms. While this is a valid theoretical approach to take, implicit in this type of analysis is the assumption – whether made consciously or not – that what is being looked at is game design, rather than game aesthetics. In other words, it is game craft rather than game art.”

Mitchell B. & Clarke A. (2007) Introduction in Videogames and Art, London: Intellect Ltd.

“Every time a new technology provides a fresh medium in the art world it is met with a lack of respect, indifference , or indignation, and must go through an acceptance process by the art world.”

Martin B. (2007) Should Videogames be Viewed as Art in Videogames and Art, London: Intellect Ltd.

“Every time a new technology provides a fresh medium in the art world it is met with a lack of respect, indifference , or indignation, and must go through an acceptance process by the art world.”

Martin B. (2007) Should Videogames be Viewed as Art in Videogames and Art, London: Intellect Ltd.

In his essay From Appropriation to Approximation Axel Stockburger outlines 3 major ways that artists use video games in their artistic practice

He outlines these three “modes of relation” as

“Appropriation of elements from the audio-visual apparatus of computer games and their transportation into the art context”

“The artist is changing a functional or aesthetic element in an existing game”

“The production of unique and original games”

Stockburger, A. (2007). From Appropriation to Approximation in Videogames and Art, Intellect Books UK

Appropriation

Condon B.Suicide Solution, 2004

DVD Documentation of In-Game Performance (19 min) Edition of 10+AP

Appropriation

Maneta M.SuperMario Sleeping, 1997

60 min loop, colour, sound, exhibition format DVD and web-stream (cc)Available at http://supermariosleeping.com/

Modification

Condon B.Adam Killer, 1999-2001

game modification (Half-Life) DVD documentation of performance 7 min

Modification

Eckermann S. & Fuchs M.Expositur 2001

game modification (UnReal) Installation

Modification

JODIMax Payne Cheats 2006

game modification (Max Payne) http://maxpaynecheatsonly.jodi.org/

Production

Mongrel: Richard Pierre-Davis Blacklash 1998

http://naturalselection.mongrel.org.uk/BlackLash/

Production

Amanita DesignSamorost 1 2005

http://amanita-design.net/samorost-1/

Production

Mateas M.and Stern A.Façade 2005

http://www.interactivestory.net/

Production

JFK ReloadedTraffic Software 2004

http://www.freedownloads.be/downloaddetail/821-JFK-reloaded

So where does that leave us?

Are videogames Art, Design, Craft?