The Art of Video Games Part 1

     Only recently have video games begun to be considered as an art medium, and even so, there remains no paucity of controversy. Video games have been through a roller coaster of acclaim and vituperation; however, for the first time ever, they are being acknowledged by the Smithsonian Institute as a form of art. This has further inspired me to see art within the games that I play, and I wish to share a few of the most artistically valuable games I have experienced.
     The first game I'd like to mention is one in which the vivid atmosphere is only rivaled by the story: Bioshock. Here is a good description from www.gamefaqs.com, 

"After your plane crashes into icy uncharted waters, you discover a rusted bathysphere and descend into Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea. Constructed as an idealistic society for a hand picked group of scientists, artists and industrialists, the idealism is no more. Now the city is littered with corpses, wildly powerful guardians roam the corridors as little girls loot the dead, and genetically mutated citizens ambush you at every turn...Make meaningful choices and mature decisions, ultimately culminating in the grand question: do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture...or save them?"

     Bioshock first introduced me to the dystopian topic, popularized by the likes of Ayn Rand, George Orwell, and Aldous Huxley, which then inspired me to both look into dystopian literature; but Bioshock did not only introduce me to Huxley and Orwell, it also first showed me Art Deco design. Art Deco was first popularized in the 20's, but remains a commonly used architectural design choice as well as interior design choice. Art Deco is one of my favorite style of architecture, but also of art in general. Thus Bioshock introduced me to two of my favorite art styles, one of literature and one of visual arts.

     While the first game was created by a major game publisher, the second game I want to share is a small indie game called LIMBO. Again, here's a quick overview from gamefaqs:

"[LIMBO] puts players in the role of a young boy traveling through an eerie and treacherous world in an attempt to discover the fate of his sister."

     The concept is extremely simple, but there is a strong emphasis on treacherous in that description. The alluring part of LIMBO, however, is the art style that went into making it. The game is in all black and white with a sort of misty, enigmatic air to it. This art style greatly contributes to the feeling of the game, which is easily one of some degree of fear, and indefinitely one of dread.

    Another interesting aspect of LIMBO is trying to figure out the story. There is no voice acting, no words, no nothing, except for the boy and his journey through this land. Some believe it's representative of the afterlife, or perhaps even life itself, while others believe it to be a metaphor that spans the width of everything we know. This is interesting to note as this is characteristic of fine art: it sets you on a track with what it presents and then you must interpret it for not what it is, but for what it represents and ultimately what it means. 

      This game is yet another case promoting the view of video games as art.