Pitch presentation and feedback

My pitch consisted of presenting my project idea as well as discussion about all the information I have manged to acquire so far (mainly to support my idea for this project). With my presentation I have tried answering these questions: 'why I want to do this project and what evidence is out there that supports my idea', 'how I think I want my outcome to look' as well as tried to highlight the fact that I was unsuccessful in finding much literature that discussed in detail 2D art in games. I guess it does show that some of the book authors ( see 'Literature struggle' post) where right, there is a noticeable lack of information about the game art aesthetics not only in academic circles but also in general.

Here are some of the example of art that I was showing as my inspiration:

Alexander Dzivnel. 2012. [online image]. Available at: http://artodyssey1.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/alexander-dzivnel.html [Accessed 2 October 2013]

Jon Klassen. [online image]. Available from: http://kgavenda.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/jon-klassen/ [Accessed 2 October 2013]

Pashk Pervathi. 2010. [online image]. Available from: http://www.aa-artgallery.com/?_escaped_fragment_=__pashk-pervathi  [Accessed 5 October 2013]

Rusudan Gobejishvili. [online image]. Available from: http://vk.com/wall-22548395_235 [Accessed 6 October 2013]



Vered Gersztenkorn. [online image]. Available from: http://deconstructing-aesthetic-forms.weebly.com/vered-gersztenkorn.html [Accessed 8 October 2013]


Studebekker Pushkindt. [online image]. Available from: http://0.static.wix.com/media/9968b8_c0b850d3c0d469e8a59ff620a5c3c68a.jpg_1024 [Accessed 10 October 2013]


Z.L.Feng. Image #:10. [online image]. Available from: http://zlfeng.com/landscape.html [Accessed 14 October 2013]

I have chosen these images (and a number of other ones) to illustrate that I would like the game art I would create for this project to have a look/feel of traditional media. Hopefully this way making videogame more interesting to look at and hopefully player having a more rewarding experiences while playing it.

I have also spent time thinking about the ways I could tackle the main problem of being too little information on 2D game art. So far the only solution I could come up with that will allow me to continue working on this project is to try and do research and work on this project in 'up side down' manner: by looking in to traditional art and trying to apply my findings towards digital art in 2D games.


Pitch feedback

I would say Thursdays pitch went relatively well. I did receive a positive feedback regarding my choice of project. Lecturers as well as other students seemed to find my project interesting and voiced their support on my choice of topic. I have also received some advice and reassurance regarding changing the point of view of my research and looking at traditional art first of all and trying to fit information i will find towards the game assets production.

Things to do next

Finish dealing with the current books about game development and digital media and start looking in to traditional art and art aesthetics.
Also need to start doing more practical work because Crit week is in another 2 weeks time and I will  need to show my advance in this area.

Literature struggle

On Thursday I will have a Pitch presentation and I am struggling with my  project. I do like the idea for  my project  and I knew it is probably not going to be an easy one, considering there arent that many people creating so called 'art house' games, but I was expecting a bit more literature on the actual 2D art in games. Sadly I am finding it really hard to find relevant literature. Most of the books I've looked so far* tend to talk about aesthetics of the games as a whole and primamrily consentrate on gameplay  and hardly mention the actual art part of game development and what role it plays in user experience. At the moment there is a lot of information about 'whether games are art' in general and very little about the actual art in games. Also, a little bit of more relevant information can be found on the web but even there information is very sparse therefore at the moment I am trying to salvage all the info I can just to have something useful for my Pitch this Thusrsday and see how it goes and what feedback I'll get because now at the particular moment I am feeling really desperate. Even contemplating if deciding to do this particular project was a good idea after all. The main concern is: what I am going to write about when there is hardly any literature on this topic and if there is more information, then where I can find it.


* - Kirkpatrick, G. 2011. Aesthetic theory and the video game. Manchester : Manchester University Press

Talks about gameplay aesthetics and audience as well as place of videogame as an aesthetic object within the art and culture itself. Most interesting bits of  information that are related to my project are:

• lack of knowledge in visual aesthetics by theorists as well as gamers themselves.
• findings that players do enjoy gameplay as well as visuals and are appreciative of visual styles.
• claim that art itself is becoming game like with a lot of interaction, however digital culture has changed/been changing it and seem to move art further towards entertainment that way distancing it from  aesthetic. p.109
• claim that “Players do not approach games with anything like the ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ that applies to theatre goers or even modern film audiences.” p.41  with whitch I would like to disagree personally and found some information to support it.

Tavinor, G. 2009. The art of videogames. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell

In this book author tackles topic of videogames becoming a new form of represeantational art.  He points out that recent games have seen growth  not only technical but also artistic sofistication while developers are exploring artistic potential and new ways of engaging and  influencing players aesthetically.
Information related to my project that I have found within the book:

• author points out that games seem to raise the same issues and concerns  as traditional arts: aesthetics, narratives, emotional engagement. p.13 and can be considered as art if we apply 'cluster' theory. p.172, p.194 and p.195
• people working ing game development (e.g. artist) need great amounts of skill to create games and therefore are silmilar to artists placticing traditional arts. p.172
• evolution of graphical representation in videogames is one of the most important  aesthetic achievements. p.69-70
• agrees that suspention of disbelief is part of the gamepaly if one is to experience game emotionally:   games draw players in to imaginary worlds and stories. p.133 p.183-184
• claims that gamers do apreciate the art withn games. p.174, p.175, and p.180
• also points out the lack of visual literracy between players and theorists while discussing games therefore makes it harder when taling about videogames within a wider understanding of culture and arts. p. 186

Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S. Et al. 2008. Understanding video games: the essential introduction. London: Routledge

This book did not contain much of really useful information that can be relevant to my project. A few related peaces of information were:

• the book author claims that games influences players in a number as ways. For example: communicates values and ideas p.25 therefore contributes to culture as well as reflects it. p.28
• author also supports idea that games are popular art. p.31
•  mentions Aki Järvinen who identified 3 graphical styles that dominated video game design:  photorealism, caricaturism and abstractionism. p.122 

Newman,J. 2004. Videogames. London : Routledge

Another book that I have found to contain hardly any relevant information.  He points out that video games have been largely ignored by academics and reason for it in his opinion is, games so far has been considered childs play in spite of their maturing audience.


Bentkowska-Kafel, A., Cashen, T. and Gardiner, H. 2009. Digital Visual Culture: Theory and Practice. Bristol: Intellect

Another book that I have felt continued little information that would help me with my project. I was expecting to find more data relating to actual art in digital media but did not. However, some of the essays did support idea that some art aesthetic theories may need change somewhat to be able to include visual art produced digitally. I have also found myself agreeing with a claim that "...new media art seems to be the only sphere of artistic activity in which there is any hope of realising the goal of overcoming the elitism of fine art." p.64 I think video games is/can be a great medium for that.

Reworking old game art ideas 1

Since I seem to have made up my mind on what I want to create during my honours year I’ve decided to rework some of my old projects.  I think it's a good starting point  since I have an understanding about the project/game  as well as the actual gameplay.

Here are the projects:

First game I want to get back to is my last years Dare to be Digital attempt as part of a 'Tartan Paint' team: Fianna.

The idea behind the story and the artwork is to use Celtic influence. Inspiration for the actual artwork was The Book of Kells as well an animation 'The Secret of Kells'.
I would like to go back to the original stylised artwork but possibly change reasonably bright and unrealistic colours to something more real as the bright colours in my opinion might distract the player. Also having a more subdued colour palette would make it look more mature audience orientated.

The Secret of Kells. 2009.[animated film]. directed by Tomm Moore. France: Les Armateurs, Celluloid Dreams et al.

Here are some new quick sketches for this game:

Another project is a game developed for Samsung Challenge 2013: Dragonfly Dash. (As part of a team: 'Rose Petal Tearooms')

Gameplay consisted of controlling dragonfly's flight path using pen and directing it towards other insects that must be consumed while avoiding flowers. Art was done mostly in Flash and Photoshop.

Below is a sketch that I'm planing to try and make it look as if the final art was done using watercolours.

Third  project is my 2nd year  Entertainment Design module game to which I had to write a Game Concept document. Story is based on a peace of Lithuanian poetry created by Sigitas Geda and in original document was supposed to be a 3D game rather than 2D one. It was inspired by thatgamecompany games.

Below is a 'screenshot' idea from my original concept document.

I would like to rework the same idea but make it a 2D game. I think the fact that original idea came from a peace of poetry can work to its advantage in a way that it can be made to look as a book  illustration.

In addition to my honours year work I'm also taking part again in an Abertay Game Developers Society and this semester I'm responsible for character design and animation for 'Gravity Men' team game project. Here are some initial sketches for our main character- robot.

I would like apply some of my honours year ideas and give robot more aesthetic/artistic look; preferably somehow remind of sketch done using traditional art media.

List of games that might be relevant to my project 1

I’ve decided to make a post on games that I’ve looked at and considered as being relevant to my project.

I will try and keep this post updated throughout the year.



2D games:


Braid
Number None, Inc. 2009. Braid. Microsoft Windows. Number None, Inc


David Hellman. 2009. [online image]. Available from: http://www.impulsedriven.com/braid


Platform puzzle game developed by Jonatan Blow. Some of the best things about it that it’s not only contain an interesting narrative but also characters (Tim) contemplations as he progresses throughout the story but Jonatan Blow got an webcomic artist David Hellman to do the art for the game. Final game art resulted in being influenced by traditional art movements such as abstract art, impressionism, and surrealism. David Hellman has talked about his creative process in detail in his The Art of Braid blog.

Hellman,D. 2008. The Art of Braid Index. [online]. Available at: http://www.davidhellman.net/blog/the-art-of-braid-index



Bastion
Supergiant Games. 2011. Bastion. Microsoft Windows. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment


Supergiant Games: Jen Zee. 2011. [online image]. Available from:
http://supergiantgames.com/index.php/2012/08/out-now-bastion-for-ipad/

Action role-playing video game with hand painted art style done by Jen Zee. Similarly to David Hellman she was influenced by traditional art and impressionism art style, but took slightly different approach: slightly less complex ideas behind the art production but still very colourful and beautifully looking. Jen Zee talks about inspiration and Bastion art in her interview videos.

Padinga. 2013. Jen Zee (Bastion artist). [online]. YouTube. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOcxTrKcW0Y

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. 2013. Into the Pixel Game Artist Interview w/ Supergiant Games' Jen Zee. [online]. YouTube. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h237TlHs5PY



The Bridge
Taylor, T. and Castañeda,M. 2013. The Bridge. Microsoft Windows. The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild


Mario Castaneda. 2012. [online image]. Quantum Astrophysicists Guild. Available from: http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/DD-BRIDGE/the-bridge

Logic puzzle video game developed for Indie Game Challenge 2012 competition. It features black and white art that draws inspiration from Dutch graphic artist M.C. Eschers’ work. I would consider this game as an important step in game design style because it picked a single artist as an inspiration and successfully created artwork that closely resembles the original. Even though art for the game has been produced digitally, it does have a traditional lithograph, mezzotint media look to it.
Their interview/game description can be found on Indie Game Challenge 2012 page.

GameStop Corp. 2012. The Bridge. [online]. Available from: http://www.indiegamechallenge.com/2012-finalists/the-bridge/



Machinarium
Amanita Design. 2009. Machinarium. Microsoft Windows. Amanita Design & Daedalic Entertainment


Amanita Design. 2009.[online image]. Available from:
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/11/new-game-machinarium-combines-puzzles-mini-games-and-a-beautiful-award-winning-art-style/

Puzzle point-and-click adventure video game developed by Amanita Design. They have received Aesthetics Award at IndieCade 2008 and Excellence in Visual Art award at the Independent Games Festival 2009. Artwork in this game is fully hand drawn, based on pencil drawing style and immitates traditional Chech cutout animation.



Botanicula
Amanita Design. 2012. Botanicula. Microsoft Windows. Amanita Design & Daedalic Entertainment


Amanita Design. 2012. [online image]. Available from: http://amanita-design.net/games/botanicula.html

Another point-and-click adventure from Amanita Design. This game won a number of awards and one of them is the Story/World Design at IndieCade. Amanita Design keeps standing out with their artistic style every time they release a game. This particular game has a very graphic and stylised look with some fascinating, funny  and 'cute'character designs. Game designers and artists sought inspiration from nature. By using photography not only for reference images but also 'textures' within game environment showed  that experimenting with different media and art can produce some really creative results.



Ballpoint Universe - Infinite

Arachnid Games. 2013. Ballpoint Universe. Microsoft Windows.Arachnid Games


Arachnid Games: Leo Dasso. 2013. [online image]. Available from: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/06/wot-i-think-ballpoint-universe-infinite/

It is a shoot-em-up adventure game designed and created by artist Leo Dasso. All art is drawn using ballpoint pen. Ballpoint Universe - Infinite game certainly stands out with its artistic style. I would say, a very unique style. I think Leo Dassos' creativity does remind me some what Amabita Design approach, when inspiration is drawn from something very simple: in this case - ballpoint drawings.



Cosmic Couch
Lunavark Studio.Cosmic Couch. Developed during Dare To Be Digital 2013 competition


Lunavark Studio.2013. [online image]. Available from: http://epiclone.blogspot.co.uk/

I decided to mention this game because I really liked it and I think it certainly stood out from the rest of the teams. Game style reminded a book illustration or an animated movie. Lunavark team consisted  of 4 students from Norwich University of Arts and a single programmer student from Abertay University. They have won an Artistic Achievement Award during the Dare ProtoPlay competion. You can see their game trailer video here.

Luna Vark.2013.Cosmic Couch Trailer (Dare To Be Digital 2013). [online].YouTube. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db2NANqp_IM [Accessed 10 August 2013]



Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor
Tiger Style. 2009. Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor. iOS.Tiger Style


Tiger Style. 2009. [online image]. Available from: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/118056-aotd-spider-secret-bryce-manor/gallery

It is a side-scrolling action puzzle video game developed for iOS and Android platforms by American indie game developing company Tiger Style. Randy Smith and David Kalina try to produce quality and original games. Hand drawn artwork tries to create mystical atmosphere of the game. I think this games artwork is nice and sites well the story an possibly the game play however Machinarium (which seem to have a similar art style) looks much better. I do not think developers of this game put as much effort in to the artwork production as the  Amanita Design guys.


The Howler
Antanas Marcelionis and Rene Petruliene. 2013. The Howler. Android.


Rene Petruliene. 2013. [online image]. Available from: http://www.desura.com/games/the-howler/images/screenshots-of-the-howler7#gallerylist

The Howler is a game released by a Lithuanian indie game developer for  iOS, Android, PC and Mac. It features simple had drawn art created created by Renė Petrulienė. Since this game has been inspired by a novel 'Hour of The Wolf' by Andrius Tapinas it is not surprising that the art style looks very steampunk. Story takes place in 1905 in imaginary Vilnius (capital of Lithuania). I love this games art style. It is simple, has a somewhat rustic feel to it that complements the game idea. It also stands out from majority of the games out there and the combnation of gameplay, sound and art style gives a nice feeling of satisifaction when playing it.



About Love, Hate and the other ones
Black Pants Game Studios. 2012. About Love, Hate and the other ones. iOS/Android. Black Pants Game Studios
























Tobias Bilgeri, Black Pants Game Studios. 2012. [online image]. Black Pants Game Studios. Available at: http://blackpants.de/about-love-and-hate/ [Accessed: 19 January 2014]


This is a game for mobile devices developed by Tobias Bilgeri (works at Black pants Studios, Germany) as part of his graduation project at the School of Fine Arts Kassel. In this game you play 2 characters at the same time: Love and Hate and use their abilities to navigate through different maze worlds. One of the main reasons why I have decided to mention it here is because this game is fully hand drawn. I would probably say that it may not be as artistically accomplished as some of the previously mentioned games, however there is that undeniable 'rustic' hand painted feel to it which make this game to stand out from the crowd.

Game play trailer can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG0IVLlCrJU

3D games:


Ōkami
Clover studio. 2006. Ōkami. Play Station 2. Capcom


Clover studio. 2006. [onilne image]. Available from: http://i.imgur.com/vx9tN6V.jpg

Ōkami is an action-adventure video game. It combines Japanese myths, legends and folklore. Game art style is inspired by traditional ink wash painting technique using watercolour cel-shaded visual style. Although first release version has suffered from poor sales it received critical acclaim. This game was able to show in 2006 that games can be more: they can also be art. In my opinion, considering technology that was available at the time It was a great achievement. One of the reasons why it became a success, in my opinion, is the point that game designers did not copy other games or other popular art forms at the time, they  drew their inspiration from their own culture: story telling and traditional art and that way attempted and succeeded in creating something new and of cultural importance within video game genre.


Journey
Thatgamecompany. 2012. Journey. Playstation 3. Sony Computer Entertainment.


Thatgamecompany. 2012. [online image]. Available from:
http://media.edge-online.com/wp-content/uploads/edgeonline/2012/04/journey-game-screenshot-8-b.jpg

This is a 4th game created by Thatgamecompany. It is an adventure art game and a fruit of Jenova Chen's imagination. His idea was to try and evoke a sense of smallness and wonder within the game player. Aesthetic art in this game contributes to creation of a certain mood. Its minimalistic design was chosen to make the actual gameplay intuitive without any major directions. It received critical acclaim not only from critics but also from players. Some video game writers compared it more to art rather then a video game. It certainly have a great visuals and picturesque environment full. and just like in the movies colour within the game is used to convey the changing mood of the story.

Nice article about the game and the art within the game can be found here.
Kevin Ohannessian. 2013. Game Designer Jenova Chen on The Art Behind His "Journey".[online]. Fast Company. Available from: http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680062/game-designer-jenova-chen-on-the-art-behind-his-journey [Accessed  28 September 2013]


Tiny & Big: Grandpas Leftovers
Black Pants Game Studios. 2012. Tiny & Big Grandpas Leftovers. Microsoft Windows. Black Pants Game Studios

Black Pants Game Studios. 2012. [online image]. Black Pants Game Studios. Available at: http://games.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/Tiny-and-Big-Grandpas-Leftovers-Screenshot-127654.html [Accessed: 19 January 2014]

Tiny & Big: Grandpas Leftovers is another game from Black Pants Game Studios. It is a jump and slice platformer with hand-crafted textures. It received an impressive array of awards for creativity, sound and visual style: a combination of 2D and 3D art that is not seen that often on the games market.  In my opinion it certainly has a unique art style that is representative of this developer company. It somewhat reminds Okami in my opinion.


Love
Eskil Steenberg. 2010. Love. Windows.


Eskil Steenberg. 2013. [online image]. Available from: http://www.quelsolaar.com/love/screen_shots.html

Love is a MMORPG created by a Swedish developer and game critic Eskil Steenberg. Most of the game environment is procedurally generated. It reminds some what Journey since there is no predetermined gameplay. actual gameplay evolves during interaction with other players, NPC's and the game world. Although its a 3D game, it certainly has it own visual style that very much reminds of impressionistic art style. Its painterly look really stands out from the rest of the 3D games. Very innovative.

Can read more about the game here: http://www.quelsolaar.com/love/index.html

Videogames and Aesthetics

This week I’ve been looking at some games and game art. Additionally, I’ve also started to look for some serious relevant literature. By’s serious’ I mean something that can be used as a reference for my research proposal document) Took a couple of books on games and video game aesthetics. Hoping to find something useful and relevant to my project. In any case first glimpse at academic literature is not looking great. Either I don’t know how to look for relevant info or it’s just not there. In any case it’s quite early on and I hope that things will become more clear and therefore and information easier to find.

Happiest find so far is a quote from article ‘Games take on another dimension’ published by Financial Times:

‘In the modern gaming era, there will always be a battle between interesting art design and the other considerations that go into making a game. But the bolder the art design, the more players will feel they have escaped reality and visited another place. For Blow, “There’s a message in the visuals, and the effort that’s been put into the graphics. It’s a subliminal thing, a message which says that somebody really cared about putting this experience together ... it says you’re in good hands.”’


I think Jonathan Blow has been spot on with it, because it seems to describe very well what I like to create. I want to create art for games that matter, which looks like they’ve been created by people for people: games that have some personal touch and are interesting to look at.

Dennis, R. 2012. Games take on another dimension. Available from: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/9b08c878-2cbf-11e2-9211-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2nGj0OVpc
Here is David  Hellman (Braid) artist webpage: http://www.davidhellman.net/
and his blog on  Braid game art: http://www.davidhellman.net/blog/the-art-of-braid-index


GAMASUTRA article : Videogame Aesthetics: The Future!

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130840/videogame_aesthetics_the_future.php?print=1

Article mentioned Orisinal webpage with some free to play games. http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
Games are really simple, but some of them look quite nice. I might use some of the game ideas for my projects game assets production. Also, since the games look very simple I could possibly try and attempt to write the code in Flash to make a game.


Also came across a page Buzz Feed Geeky  page '36 Beautiful Landscapes That Prove That Video Games Are Art'. Not all of the artwork would be relevant to my project but there are a few that would be relevant to my honours project:

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Skyloft from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The desert and mountain from Journey
The planet Pandora from Borderlands 2
The planes of Telara from Rift.

Drawing a map of a scary honours year forest.

Since the academic year already started and most of the necessary information had been passed on to us I decided to read through it all so I know what is expected of me. As I was going through all of the requirements and things to do it all started to get jumbled up in my brain. By the time have reached the end of it I have already forgotten what I read at the start. It seemed to be just a huge pile of information that was not helping me in any way. Rather the opposite, it was scaring me off.

Me and my honour year

Leaving it as it is and waiting until all of it going to start making sense was not the best idea in my opinion. Also from my previous experience I knew that going back to re-read 'to do' things was just a big waste of time. So I have created a mind map of all the honours year and a plan that I could try and follow to make sure that things get done and hopefully on time. (Sadly ‘on time' statement being open for interpretation since I tend to suffer a bit from a time optimism illness. I swear, I am working on it and it is getting better but I still have a fair way to go.)

So here I'm sharing my fruits of planning labour:

A mind map of honours year and an approximate project plan made up of things I know so far. Latter one is more of a work in progress as my project becomes clearer.

• Mind map

• Learning plan-Timetable

• Week Planner template

Now that I have all lined up like that and placed on my wall at home, I feel much more at ease since I can see and keep track on things I need to do and when are hand in dates. Feels like I have a map of a forest I am going in. Nevertheless, it is still a very scary experience.

Handcrafting time

Since I will be using my graphics tablet a lot I have been experimenting a little.

I really don’t like plastic feel of the tablet when using standard plastic nibs on my wacom pen. I do like felt tip nibs but they are quite expensive to buy in my opinion. Also, I feel like my hand does often not slide well on the tablet surface. Two years ago I've started using paper to cover tablet surface and I really liked it. It made it feel like I was drawing/painting on paper which to me feels much more natural. Plastic nibs work well on it and although may wear off a little bit faster and does not feel as good as felt tip ones they are much cheaper to buy in the long run. Also my hand is not getting 'stuck' while using paper.

However, I've heard that some people use medical cotton gloves instead of special SmudgeGuard gloves, especially while using Cintiq tablets. Even though I don’t have Cintiq I thought I will try as that would hopefully eliminate hand friction while using felt tip nibs. So I went to a local Bodycare shop and bought a pair for less than a pound.

Unboxed

Using it straight from a box was not great as I do like to feel the pen in my hand and I thought wearing a glove was getting in a way: didn’t have a good control/feel. So to remedy this issue I cut the top three fingers to be able to grasp pen better.

Cut: palm view

Cut: top hand view

 It definitely improved things, so I have tidied up the edges and started using it. It was all good: hand was sliding well on tablet (no friction) and using felt tip nib at the same time was also nice. However after about less than a week glove started getting dirty and annoying friction was back. So I've washed it and used it again. At the end of the day, I did get annoyed as it was getting dirty often and I had to keep washing it. Conclusion went back to using paper. I think overall it is best feel and a cheapest option in one.

  

MOMA Game acquisition

May not be particularly relevant to my ideas and topics that I am thinking about exploring in my honours project since Paola Antonelli looks at games as pieces of interaction design but never the less it is great that games finally getting acknowledged for something more than a child’s toy.

On a side note, this video in my opinion shows well that some of the critics have no idea what they are talking about and one should question at least now and again knowledge that is out there.



Can watch TED Talk: MoMA Defends Inclusion of Video Games in Applied Design Exhibition (Video) here: 

http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/06/ted-talk-moma-defends-video-games-in-applied-design-exhibition

Newspaper articles mentioned in during P. Antonelli's talk:

'Sorry MoMA, video games are not art' by Jonathan Jones : http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2012/nov/30/moma-video-games-art

'Are video games art: the debate that shouldn't be' by Keith Stuart:http://www.theguardian.com/technology/gamesblog/2012/dec/06/video-games-as-art

'Videogames Do Belong in the Museum of Modern Art' by John Maeda: http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/12/why-videogames-do-belong-in-the-museum-of-modern-art/

Are video games art?

Since I've been bothered about all this art and games questions as well as been looking for some of the answers to my own questions, I  went back and re-watched Kellee Santiago  TED presentation on 'Are video games art?' topic.

I have always thought about Thatgamecompany's games as being inspirational on many levels: ideas, gameplay and art. Also, I think I'm starting to realise that game development at the end of the day is really still quite a new medium (especially from artistic perspective) and it is still going through a development/evolution phase. Some of it is obviously driven by technology (e.g. Witcher 2, L.A. Noire and other). People still experimenting what can be done with/withn games ( e.g. Flower, Braid and others) Also, as a game player myself I can not argue with Kellee that games can and does have impact on me because they do. Not all though. But the ones that do are my favorite ones. I also think that there are and will be a lot of games that can be described as 'mindless entertainment' but realising that games can also be messangers of: stories, ideas and other art opens so many new unexplored possibilities. I think it is very exciting.

At the same time , I have to agree with Dennis Scimeca that she may not have a presented a very good argument.

(You can watch Kellee Santiago 'Video games are Art, So what’s next?' presentation here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9y6MYDSAww)

(You can also read Dennis Scimeca's response 'When Bad TED Talks Happen to Good People: Kellee Santiago Got it Wrong' to Kellee Santiago presentation here: http://venturebeat.com/2010/04/21/no-kellee-you-still-have-it-wrong/)

I found it really interesting reading Roger Elbert's and Kellee Santiago's posts. She and other people did have a valid point in saying that if R.Elbert have not played a single computer game. So how one can judge if something is a piece of art if one have not looked at it?...
Some of the coments that followed both of these arguments were also very interesting. One of them really stood out though. It was a post made to made under 'Roger Ebert Asks a Good Question' article by a games developer Jonas Kyratzes.





I'll qote his post here:
"By Jonas Kyratzes on April 17, 2010 6:52 AM

OK, this is going to be long.


I am an independent game designer. And for a very long time now, I have been arguing that games are art. I have also been making games that are generally perceived as art. They are not the most successful games in the world, they are not commercial, but they are definitely games.

Most of Santiago's arguments are weak, and her examples are less than excellent. You have responded to several of them quite well. But at no point have you said why games cannot be art. What's wrong with games? Why cannot they have the same emotional/aesthetic/intellectual/other impact that movies, books or paintings have? What makes it *inherently* impossible for them to do so?

Let us start at the beginning, with the definition of "games". We mean here digital games, of course; but even that is not enough of a definition. Is Tetris, a game about falling blocks, the same manner of thing as Fallout, the complicated story of the survivors of a post-apocalyptic world? These are essentially different creations: one is simply a simulation of falling blocks with a set of rules, the other has story, characters to interact with, a world to explore and understand, and choices to make. Just because they both run on a computer doesn't mean they are the same kind of thing. Now, some people might argue that Tetris *is* art, and I feel that this is their right, but that's a different question, and one to which I have no answer. I dislike saying what isn't art; my purpose is to show some things that *are* art.

Your comparison to chess is simply incorrect. Not all games consist of this simple player/opponent - win/lose mechanic. Not all games force you through this kind of binary logic: in many games you are required to come up with solutions to problems, and deal with the consequences (both in gameplay and in story). Sometimes the consequences are purely moral ones.

At the end of Fallout 1 and 2, for example, you are shown the ultimate consequences of your actions, years down the line. This is a deeply powerful sequence, the result of interactivity, and has nothing in common with chess or Mah Jong. A computer game is not the same as a board game.

(Defining what art is is tricky, of course, and people have been arguing over it for thousands of years. What I find very problematic, however, is the idea of defining art as how good something is, rather than what manner of thing it is. Surely a Nicholas Sparks novel is art? It's not particularly successful art, but surely we cannot entirely discount it from being art? It fails at being good, not at being art. Anyway, this is more of a sidebar.)

Let's move on. If I remember correctly, one of your basic objections to computer games as art is that art is the result of the artist's work and vision, and controlled by the artist. It's true that this is what makes art, but who do you think makes computer games? Game designers do, and game designers are artists. Maybe part of the problem is all the misleading advertising of some game companies - "a game in which you can do whatever you want!" and all that. But the truth is that everything that happens in a game only happens because a game designer chose to create the game that way. Of course interactivity allows a certain amount of unpredictability, but all that only happens with a framework that is designed with a purpose in mind. And in a way, that certain lack of absolute control by the artist exists in every artform, in the space between the artist and the person experiencing the art. People don't always understand or experience or treat art the way the artist would like them to. The artist creates a clearly defined framework, and the audience finds in it what they will.

But the framework is very much there, in games as well as in other art. And it has a definite source: not the programmers or the executives, but the designer and the producer. It's not that different from a movie, really. The fact that there's a cinematographer, or that some movies are ruined by executives, does not mean that film isn't an artform.

Just because games are interactive doesn't mean they're not art. Games are not *random*. The interactivity is part of the design, often the very essence of the design. And think of what it allows the designer to accomplish - it allows us to draw the player in, and make their choices be choices with consequences. It allows us to create an *experience* in a way that other artforms cannot accomplish. It is different to watch someone fly and to actually control flight yourself. And when the player is truly immersed, they are not just playing a 3D version of chess or Mah Jong - they are flying. Do you not see the possibility of an aesthetic experience there? Do you not see that we may be after more than just a simulation?

There's more. Many games have stories. In many of these stories, choices can be made. These choices are a lot more complicated than "go left" or "go right." Players can interact with characters, can choose what to say to them - and if the game is well-done, if it is good art, they can feel the same amount of emotional attachment to these characters as they can in a movie. More than that, they can feel even closer to these characters, because they feel that they truly talked to them.

Games allow us to tell stories that other artforms cannot, because they allow us to show choices and consequences in a truly unique way. The player walks into a town in which multiple parties are warring for control. Which side does he/she take? What will the consequences be for the characters, for the town itself? What is the moral thing to do? What is the expedient thing to do? The player is going to see, step for step, what the consequences of their actions will be. It's a lot more than just "I won" or "They won" or "Now there's a blue flag on the top of the screen."

This isn't theory, it's what really happens in games.

And even if the stories in some games aren't interactive, if you cannot make choices that alter what happens - don't you see the aesthetic and emotional potential of an artform that actually allows you to interact with a world, that allows you to experience a place as if you were truly there? I don't know why Santiago would pick something as crude and pathetic as "Waco Resurrection" when there is so much that is impressive and beautiful. Exploring the underwater city of Rapture in Bioshock, walking through the depressing and scarily beautiful landscapes around Chernobyl in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (related to but not based upon the wonderful Tarkovsky movie), or watching a Pegasus fly around its nest in Quest for Glory: Dragon Fire, these are emotional and aesthetic experiences that are quite unique, simply because they are actually interactive.

I'll be arrogant enough to cite one of my own games as an example now. I wrote a game called "The Museum of Broken Memories." It's set in what appears to be a museum, but is something more akin to a metaphor or a state of mind; it's hard to explain in a few words. Each room has exhibits, and each room allows you to travel into another part of the game, in which you experience a story fragment. It is, essentially, a game about war and the consequences of war, about the difficulty of moving on, and about the ability of art to set us free. (It involves no shooting of any kind.)

And it is absolutely essential that this story is told as a computer game. It is otherwise impossible to create the experience of walking through (well, clicking through) a museum, of being able to take your time to look at the individual exhibits and images (which all interrelate). It is impossible otherwise to allow the audience to experience the fragments in the order of their choosing, which is essential to the experience of being stuck in that museum. And, since the story fragments are all told in different styles and from the perspectives of a variety of individuals, it is essential for the player to actually *play* these story fragments, to move through them by choice, experiencing their worlds and stories. Without these interactive elements, the very concept of what the Museum is cannot be experienced.

I'll stop talking about my own game in a second, and I'm sorry if this sounds arrogant, but over the years I have been contacted by a whole bunch of people who had extremely powerful emotional experiences by playing the game, including the parents of soldiers, who felt that it really got to the heart of what had happened to their children. Is this not art? It may be flawed, no question about it, but if it's not art, what is it?


You seem to believe that the only focus of games is to win. This may be true of some games, and is certainly true of games like chess, but it's not generally true of all computer games. The rules in computer games are what allows them to be interactive - it's no more, in some ways, than the rule that in books the sentences ought to be printed one after the other. The rules allow the experience. But it's the experience we play for, not the rules or the winning. In fact, with many games, "winning" is entirely the wrong term. Would you say you "won" when you get to the end of a movie or book? No. Many games end when the story ends. You can get to the end of the game, but you didn't win some kind of contest, as in chess. You finished the game, like you finished the book.

"Toward the end of her presentation, she shows a visual with six circles, which represent, I gather, the components now forming for her brave new world of video games as art. The circles are labeled: Development, Finance, Publishing, Marketing, Education, and Executive Management. I rest my case."

Would you be surprised if a movie executive made that kind of list? Would you then discount film as a medium for art? The above list is anathema to many game designers, it represents everything that is wrong with the world today. But just because some people have - with good intentions or bad - hijacked the idea that "games are art" in order to sell more, that does not mean that games are not art. And it does not mean that there are not games out there right now, from fully commercial ones to small independent works, that truly make use of the medium to create an artistic experience.

———————————————————

Ebert: Your comment is very valuable.

As to your final question,: No, I would not be surprised if a movie executive made that kind of list. But I would be surprised if Bergman did." 4/17/10 11:27pm"

(Find Kellee Santiago's response post to Roger Elbert's critique here: http://kotaku.com/5520437/my-response-to-roger-ebert-video-game-skeptic)

(Roger Elbert's post 'Video games can never be art' can be found here: http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/video-games-can-never-be-art)

And to R.Elberts statement  "Let me just say that no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form." I want to say: " I think you are wrong".

Where it all started?

Since at the moment I only have a rough idea of what I would like to do/make as part of my Honours year I will be doing more research on my topic/s of interest and see where it leads.

It's hard to describe my main idea origins: possibly my background of traditional art, interest and passion for computer games...

I guess it has been a while that I have been wondering about topics like 'what is there in games from the arts perspective?', 'player experience’, ‘why so many games look/are so similar', 'how can games be made more interesting' and 'how it is all going to evolve in the future?'.

So all of this made me think about how I can change things if i could, make it better, more interesting etc.

Also in July I came across this video where Dwayne Perkins makes jokes about gaming and computer games in general. It was a good laugh however that one particular point about the games evolution that actually really struck a chord with me. And I realized that maybe it's not only me who is asking the same 'Where do we go from here?' question.

I kind of agree with Dwayne Perkins that some of the games may not give the best possible benefits to a person (e.g. Playing real football with friends is in my opinion a much more beneficial experirnce to a person rather that doing it on your own in front of TV. Reasons:  performing sports outside good for one's body and being able to participate in social interactions between individuals good for ones brain.) However, at the same time 3D fantasy games are perhaps the only or best way to experience a fantasy world. But how about 2D games?... There is no reason in my opinion to try and strive for realistic representation since it will never surpass what 3D can offer... In that case what else we can do with 2D?... How can we use 2D to its advantage?

I guess it was a second seed planted in my head. Rest of the summer I was dealing with some other things as well as helping out at Dare ProtoPlay event but the thought in the back of my mind was always there and I’ve tried to engage with other people to see what they thought about the games, actual art in games etc. Would they be interested in experiencing something more interesting?



(You can watch Dwayne Perkins video here:
http://kotaku.com/this-comedian-thinks-video-games-are-done-922853262?fb_action_ids=10151714571695256&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582 )