Most gamers think of ‘art’ in relation to the seamlessness
of the visual gaming experience. Is that mutant blood dripping off the walls in
a realistic manner? Have I forgotten entirely that my boss asked me to come in
on Saturday again? These are all very practical concerns, integral to the
game-playing experience. But do videogames themselves have the potential to be
a true art form?
Some developers certainly seem to think so. The Experimental Gameplay
Workshop at last week’s GDC showed that
non-linear, non-representational game boundaries are still being defined. The forthcoming Spore re-thinks the SimCity challenge from an
elemental, almost divine level: instead of planning commercial zones and laying
down power grids, you’re planning for life itself by choosing between atmospheric gases and
creating your own primordial ooze. A game that addresses the creation/evolution debate is pretty serious stuff, and arguably worthy of the 'art' tag. And what is the
wireless Wii if not a mass-market participatory art installation?
Of course, the top-selling games are less explicitly concerned
with ‘art for art’s sake’, while experimental, boundary-pushing games recieve less exposure. This model has analogues in other
mediums: while the Spielbergs and Bruckheimers keep film studios
financially afloat, the Cunninghams and Gondrys of the industry have more
freedom to take financial risks and push artistic boundaries. Chris Hecker
got one thing right during this now-infamous GDC rant: "We're at the beginning of something that could be an art form on a
par with film and literature and music, and it's ours to f*ck up."
As a grade schooler, I approached SimCity on a very simple level:
this was my beloved Lego blocks taken to the next level. In retrospect, the
game raised my interest in ‘how things actually work’. Lower taxes and
watch the population boom while the city budget flounders, unable to fund
enough public works to keep the population healthy, employed, and entertained.
Or at least that’s how the game made it seem. Entertaining, thought-provoking, AND politically conscious? If that’s not art...
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