I've always loved gaming as a fun hobby, but I think it was over the course of this past gen that I truly came to love video games as an artistic medium, especially as I've gotten more insight into the process of game development. Perhaps to the point that they're my favorite artistic medium at this point (a spot that was previously occupied by literature).
There's something really magical to me about the multi-disciplinary nature of game dev. A masterful painting comes down to a single artist operating at the top of their game. A masterful song (from a band) comes down to a handful of musicians and songwriters operating at the top of their game simultaneously. A masterful game requires animators, writers, voice actors, directors, character/environmental artists, musicians, etc. to all be operating at the top of their game simultaneously.
The level of coordination needed to produce a game, let alone a good or great game, blows me away and increases my appreciation for gaming as a whole.
The other aspect of video games as a medium that I really adore is how flexible and versatile they are, which allows for much greater variety in experiences. From crazy experimental indie games like Fez, where you're solving 3D puzzles in a 2D environment, to interactive narratives like Life is Strange where you're basically watching a show while influencing its outcome, to VR games that provide an unprecedented level of interaction and immersion, and beyond.
I'm curious how you guys feel about gaming as an artistic medium and where it ranks!
There's something really magical to me about the multi-disciplinary nature of game dev. A masterful painting comes down to a single artist operating at the top of their game. A masterful song (from a band) comes down to a handful of musicians and songwriters operating at the top of their game simultaneously. A masterful game requires animators, writers, voice actors, directors, character/environmental artists, musicians, etc. to all be operating at the top of their game simultaneously.
The level of coordination needed to produce a game, let alone a good or great game, blows me away and increases my appreciation for gaming as a whole.
The other aspect of video games as a medium that I really adore is how flexible and versatile they are, which allows for much greater variety in experiences. From crazy experimental indie games like Fez, where you're solving 3D puzzles in a 2D environment, to interactive narratives like Life is Strange where you're basically watching a show while influencing its outcome, to VR games that provide an unprecedented level of interaction and immersion, and beyond.
I'm curious how you guys feel about gaming as an artistic medium and where it ranks!