Video Games as art

[Joatley]

Hi folks!

First, the introduction. I'm new to the forums here but you'll be seeing more of me in the future. I've been looking for a place like this and I'm glad I found it. Anyways, I'm a 21-year old college art student and I've been drawing since I was 4 years old. Here's a sample piece I did in early 2000:
http://www.freewebs.com/shadowsofthesith/epyon.html
It's a mecha called Epyon from the Gundam Wing anime series.

Now to the point.
I have an assignment for a sculpture class where the objective is to make a sculpture having to do with inside/outside.

I chose to take the topic of "Can video games be art?" And I thought, what better material than polygons? I'm making a level/map that people can play/interact with, but somehow makes the user realize it is art. I have a good knowledge of how to make levels for the game Jedi Academy (based on the Quake 3 engine). I can make things move, change color, and create 'triggers' (areas that cause something to happen). I'm able to manipulate the environment and objects within it, but I can't change the things the user is able to do beyond pushing a button or navigating the map.

The problem I have is that I'm not sure how to make people realize that it is art.

I've juggled the idea of taking well-known art pieces from the past and making them interactive. Example: "Starry Night" by Van Goh. The painting hangs on a wall, and when the user gets close to it, they are teleported inside.
Also, I thought of making mirror-world of the real world. Like a huge semi-transparent screen on one side. "Through the looking glass" in a way.

I was hoping you all could help me think of something tangible that puts video games into the context of art without it being too literal.

[Red Mimic]

Hey welcome to the forum, I'm fairly new too and so far everyone has been helpful and kind in the few threads i've made.

Have you ever posted that epyon on a gundam fansite like the old gundam.com or gundamshop? I feel i've seen it before awhile ago when I frequented those places.

Anyways about your idea, the Starry Night would be amazing but difficult to pull off correctly. When you wrote that I could just imagine being inside that painting.

About the looking glass one, what were you planning on doing specificly? I love the second book of alice where the looking glass characters related very little to their real world counterparts.

That's all the input I have (not much :D)

Good luck on your sculpture.

[malicious]

if you want to convice people that something is art, you'll likely need to actually define art for them. recommended reading, both links to threads from the lounge: link 1 (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17949) and link 2 (http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17512).

if building your own assets to show people what you're talking about is your bag of chips, then by all means. personally, i would just grab a few games that have emphasis on visuals from the local rental place and show people the final products. games are becoming more and more like movies: more involved plots, professional vocal casts, high level production art, higher budgets. a few recent games i think are pretty: soul calibur 2, beyond good & evil, legacy of kain: defiance.

game design basically requires some knowledge of art, even if it's simple design principals for a tetris clone. 2d games can be likened to traditional animation, while 3d games require modelers, animators, texturers and more. so even if your audience doesn't want to consider games at large an art form, there is quite a bit of art involved, and that can't be denied.

[Joatley]

I did post on www.gundam.com when I completed it. It was rated in the top 10 for months, but then it just disappeared one day. I don't know why they pulled it or if it was an accident, but I didn't care enough to re-submit it.

Anyway, I've kinda run into a brick wall with the video game thing. It's something that's been barely reckognized or analyzed, so it's been infinitely difficult just finding a starting point. Video games are so commercialized that making them into an art form is something that is almost beyond my understanding. I'm thinking of scrapping the whole theme and finding something else to do, but time is working against me. I need to have something ready to present by Friday morning and I have classes most of Thursday. I'm just hoping one of u may have a sudden spark of inspiration or an idea, cuz I'm running on fumes at this point. Thanks in advance for any advice!

All that follows is what the assignment sheet says:
--------------------------------------------------------

This project is based on the theme of inside/outside and the relationship between the two. The work should be idea-based and the final form it will take can be anything relevant to the idea.
Subjects to look at include:
The house/built environment
Domestic objects
Books
The body
Containers
Organic forms/Nature

In short, the inspiration from this work can come from anything which u find to be of interest. The emphasis on this project is as much on the research and analysis as it is on the final artwork.

Things to take into consideration in your research include:
Form
Texture
Surface
Context
Content
How other artists have approached this subject

The form which the final artwork takes must be thoroughly researched. We will discuss throughout the duration of the project the ideal from in which to present your ideas.

[Joatley]

The emphasis on this project is on the relationship between video games and the real world.
Sure, there's a lot of work that goes into games, but most of that work is based on aesthetics or making things functional. It doesn't say anything profound about society or how video games are an alternate reality.
The only example I can think of is in Metal Gear Solid, when facing Psycho Mantis and he 'reads' your mind by reading the memory card. But it's as if the game is aware of the outside world.

[Red Mimic]

Ok then I have seen it before. I think it was taken down because i remember them cleaning their database or something or changing the art submission procedure. I only submitted a few after so I'm not so sure.

Being at the top of that list is really great, especially around that time I think they had the custom 3D mobile suits done by some amazing artist who had an insane amount of skill and imagination.

[daHIPPIE]

hey Joatley::

with the specifics laid out on the assignment sheet I would incorporate your research into the game.

have the user come to a large book, with the soemthilng like the beginning, when they interact they enter a room with writing and art ont he walls (textures) that talk about the early days of video games, and the relevant modern art that was happening at that time.

Then take the user up to present day, showing how art has changed and commercial art like storyboards and concepts for movies is an artform.

Would be alot of work to make in a 3D world but if you have the research it would really just be about organizing the form of the 3D to help guide the user thru the history of art and video games

just an idea, if not what you want maybe it will spark an idea for you.

daHippie

[Joatley]

I pretty much have my idea laid out now.

The player starts in a very plain-looking room with a big rock cube in one corner. The cube is made up of smaller cubes and each one is breakable (with a lighstaber :P). Underneath all the cubes is a sphere representing the true world of game. All this shows that to see the beauty and art in a game, u have to interact with it. It 'needs' a user. Anway, on the sphere is a button. Pressing this button opens a doorway to the 'outside' world of the game (basically a big outdoor setting). I'm thinking of making the outside a bit more elaborate.

That's what I'm stickin with since I don't have time to think of anything else and it's the best idea I've had so far.

[daHIPPIE]

that works too :D

[emptysolid]

I'd say games are best described as a compilation of different kinds of art like music and picture. One game I've played called oddworld has great visual art through out the game and great atmosphere mixed with music.

[TinyBird]

Whatta necro.

[Havok Reed]

If you want some inspiration on how a game can be art, I would highly recommend purchasing and/playing "Journey" which just came out for the PS3 (if you happen to own a PS3). It's so amazing I wouldn't even call it a game. It is an embodiment of art and words cannot explain the sensation you get when playing it.

[UmpaArt]

Whatta necro.

So...today I learned this site has been around since 04....Learn somethin' new every day!

[Star Eater]

No, just no. Reviving an 8 year old thread in the critique section that no longer
even has any of the OPs original work available? Or any artwork
in it at all for that matter?

Feel free to start this discussion up again in the art discussion area
of the forums.