It hard to really pin point the period in history where video games became an art form. It's safe to say that throughout the beginning history of video games, form followed function. However, with more recent games, form is actually limited by function. This progression in game art leads users to ask-- when exactly it was that video games became more than a program and more of an experience.
It is commonly stated that Pong was the first video game to be made. However, Pong actually had a predecessor called Tennis for Two. This extremely simple video game was set up to a analog computer, which was connected to an oscilloscope[1]. The graphics for Tennis for Two were simple. There was a side view of a tennis court displayed and one ball that bounced back and forth, which was affected by gravity. While this may have been one of the first formal video games, it will still take years for the idea of video game art to be introduced to the field.
In 1972, Atari released Pong. Much like Tennis for Two, Pong was a tennis game that also featured extremely simplified 2-D graphics. Although it was not the first arcade game, it is the first arcade game that achieved mainstream popularity[2]. Pong was also financially successfully which lead the beginning of the video game industry and sparked the beginning of several game development companies.
The first major stepping stone in video game graphics was made by Gun Fight. The game was debuted in Japan and made by Tomohiro Nishika[3]. The idea of the game is that two cowboys are facing off in a duel and whoever shots the other first, wins. There were many aspects of Gun Fight that were ground breaking. First of all, it was the first game to depict human-to-human combat, which is the main theme of many video games today. More importantly, it featured many obstacles in the game such as wagons, rocks and cacti which were represented by more than just a black block on the viewing screen, instead the shapes were actually made to visually represent the object they were meant to be depicting. Furthermore, it was the first game to feature a cartoon-like human characters. This was a significant advancement in video games. In earlier games, everything would be represented by abstract blocks and it would be left up to the user to figure out what everything was.
Gun Fight actually sparked the idea of game art in the game development industry because it changed the users mindset from "make this block hit this block" to "I am this character and I need to hit this other character". The change in mind set led to a more immersible game play experience, which is what game art is all about. Game art the means by way which companies immerse their players into the games they create. A game may have great fighting engine, but without the game art reflecting the program beautifully, the game would become dull and disengaging.
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1. John Anderson. "Who Really Invented The Video Game?". Atari Magazines. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
2. Kent, Steven (2001). "The King and Court". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 53–54. ISBN 0-7615-3643-4.
3.Chris Kohler (2005). Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life. BradyGames. p. 18. ISBN 0-7440-0424-. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
I have always thought of Japan as the leader of the gaming industry. Nowadays, we see games like Final Fantasy, it has elevated gaming experience into a new level. Whenever its player starts playing their character or party, they feel like they are being pulled into a new world that is exhilarating to investigate. Especially with the beautiful animated myth-inspired creatures (for those of you who doesn’t know or have never played Final Fantasy, one of the espers is called Odin, they also has Siren and Shiva) and their background stories, all of these makes its player feel like they are seeing a new fascinating world.
ReplyDeleteNancy Olivo's Response
DeleteJapan definitely shaped the gaming industry to what it is today, though Americans pioneered this new medium. What the Japanese developers ended up doing was creating a branch of video game developing that remains integral to its commercial success, which is to humanize and relate the mechanics to the player. Case in point, Link in Legend of Zelda is named so because the sprite representing the hero is the catalyst between the player and the game.
I don't usually play video games but the interaction between player and the fictional world is always a big challenge on both technical and artistic sides. I would love to see some images on the development of the game and compare them.
ReplyDeleteLinda Chang
I'm interested to hear what you think about sports video games such as Madden, NHL, or FIFA on the topic of Game Art. These games definitely get the gamer immersed in the game play experience, but they are much different than let's say.... Legend of Zelda, where there is a story, and the gamer is playing as a character that is in a created world. Do you think that sports video games are considered Game Art or just a program?
ReplyDeleteRyan Hammerle
I remember my first video game I believe was some duck game and you had a gun and you had to try kill as much ducks as possible. Now although I am not a big game person the experience I love is how the controls are now in sync with the game and how he creates vibration movement. The whole object of video games I believe is user interaction physically and mentally, whether its a sports team and you pick the team players yourself to mortal combat and you picking the best fighter in your opinion. If interaction between video games didn't come about less people would be excited about video games and find other things to occupy their time.
ReplyDeleteI am curious what your views are on the debate of if current video games should be viewed as art or as entertainment. I think both are contributing factors to many consumers' buying decisions and to what constitutes a 'good' game. I don't see anything wrong with entertaining art, especially with the viewer immersion aspect in video games.
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ReplyDeletehttp://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/
DeleteVideo game art exhibited at galleries. There's definitely a movement for these sort of thing merging into fine art and music.
_Nancy Olivo
I feel that games have always been about experience and have never been just a program. Games are about experience. The experience of playing by yourself to escape or relax or to have fun with friends. Games are definitely an art form. Gamers complain if graphics are not flawless. An extensive amount of time is put not only into characters but into backgrounds as well.
ReplyDeleteAnel Sisic