A
current issue that has been facing the art industry for many years,
and still has difficulty keeping it's footing held in the doorway is
a point that can not logically be argued against: video games as a
form of art and storytelling. Video games are highly underestimated
as a legitimate art form, especially among older generations. What
the skeptics don't seem to see is the amazing storytelling
experiences that keep the viewer alert and alive through the ability
to interact and control.
“Indeed,
video games may be the most immersive medium of all, in Melissinos’
estimation. ““In books, everything is laid before you,” he
says. “There is nothing left for you to discover. Video games are
the only forms of artistic expression that allow the authoritative
voice of the author to remain true while allowing the observer to
explore and experiment.””
- Chris Melissinos, guest curator of “The Art of Video Games,” exhibition at the Smithsonian
When watching a film or reading a book, the entire story, as stated, is laid out for you, which is all fine and good, and most stories are told this way. This way of storytelling is timeless and beautiful. However, the ability to be able to control the character without necessarily turning the story for a loop allows you to be in the main characters' shoes. Interaction can put you into the story, and in to the lives of those people your character develops relationships with, therefore making you feel close to the characters around your character as well. Talk about being in someone else's shoes.
- Chris Melissinos, guest curator of “The Art of Video Games,” exhibition at the Smithsonian
When watching a film or reading a book, the entire story, as stated, is laid out for you, which is all fine and good, and most stories are told this way. This way of storytelling is timeless and beautiful. However, the ability to be able to control the character without necessarily turning the story for a loop allows you to be in the main characters' shoes. Interaction can put you into the story, and in to the lives of those people your character develops relationships with, therefore making you feel close to the characters around your character as well. Talk about being in someone else's shoes.
Stories
in video games are often critiqued for being shallow or “brain
numbing”, but as studies show, it is quite the contrary. Not only
do you gain improved hand-eye coordination and reaction time through
play, but also become immersed in a different world of artistic
creation and culture. Granted, there are the occasional games such as
'Grand Theft Auto' that do not fit into this category, but one piece
of art that you don't like shouldn't cause you to never look at art
again.
These
are screen shots taken from the highly accredited video game 'Okami'.
In this game, you play as the Japanese wolf goddess and reiterate an
artistic take of the ancient story told for hundreds of years in
Japanese lore. As you can also see, the art style of the video game
is completely based on Japanese ancient art and inking, which is a
huge chunk of why it is so highly acclaimed. Plus, you get to play as
a Japanese goddess! You gain the ability to revive dead trees, turn
the
sky from day to night, and slice through bad guys with a
calligraphy brush. How cool is that?!
Have
you ever wanted to take a tour of the ancient 11th century
Holy Land? How about Italy during the Renaissance, the 13 colonies
during the Revolutionary War, or be a pirate on the seas of 1770's
Caribbean? Assassin's Creed is definitely the game for you. This
video game series was created by a multifaceted team with many
different faiths and beliefs, all sharing an immense knowledge of
historical world truth. Besides slight tweaks that are made in order
for your experiences with known historical figures to be improved,
these games are extremely historically accurate, and worthy of being
fact-checked multiple times to make sure. As I mentioned, there are
few inaccuracies to improve the gaming experience, but for the most
part, the historical and artistic beauty of these games is
overwhelming. You also will meet and build relationships with
historical figures such as Da Vinci, George Washington, Benjamin
Franklin, and Black Beard. What isn't awesome about this?!
The
picture on the left is a birds-eye view of Constantinople's Imperial
North Port, 14th
century. On the right is a picture of an elderly couple that was
posted by their grandson, with this to say:
“My
grandparents love Venice so I let them play assassins creed 2. They
took it in turns to just row a gondola around for over an hour.”
Games
like these hold amazing stories and unbelievable immersion in the
world of artistic knowledge, brought to the table by talented
individuals bent on giving you entertainment, as well as a fantastic
interactive experience. This
is not a visual form that should be feared or underestimated as
mind-numbing time wasters. This is a legitimate form of art and story
that should be used for good and as a benefit to the modern art
world.
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