video games: legacy of the digital age

To what extent are emotions and visual elements significant in the recognition of video games as artistic work?

Anastasia IlinaVideo Games: The Artistic Legacy of the Digital Age

To what extent are emotions and visual elements significant in therecognition of video games as artistic work?

An Extended Essay in Visual Arts

Graduation year 2014

Word Count: _______


Abstract

Artistic video games have the ability to tell a story and serve as a transition from books and film to more modern ways of conveying ideas.


Also include in abstract:1) the scope of the investigation

2) the conclusion/s of the extended essay.

3) how the limits of the research were defined.

Word Count: ________


Table of Contents


Introduction

Video games have revolutionized the entertainment industry, captivating

audiences for years and heavily influencing lives; they are a form of electronic

interactive entertainment with a lengthy historical record and worldwide

appreciation. However, despite this, video games are not prevalently accepted as

creative works. Furthermore, the philosophical concept of video games as works

of art still remains debatable in modern society. Even the contribution of creative

elements such as advanced graphics and music has not played a major role in this

artistic battle.

Although the first basic computer game, The Cathode Ray Tube Amusement

Device, was patented in the late 1940’s by Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. (source), video

games did not start gaining popularity until the 70’s and 80’s, when Pac-Man,

among others, appeared. This was also the time when computers started

becoming available to the wide public and people, mostly students, were able to

develop their own games. As game history progressed into the 21st century and

debates concerning violence, children, and video games evolved, many parents

and educators became hostile to the video game environment. This antipathy has

produced a negative image for video games.

In reality, there is something transcendent about the video game environment.

Perhaps it is the fact that games are optional obstacles which one volunteers to

overcome that draws the players in. Perhaps it is the social aspect, as for some,

the cooperation of online games provides the communal interaction unavailable

in real life, and it is no secret that games have the potential to bring individuals

together. Perhaps, it is the architectural elegance of many modern games. Not

only their visual allure, but also, as the writer Jane McGonigal suggests, “the

structure of their goals, rules and scoring that produce heightened ways of

thinking and interacting”, differing from our standardized modern lives. “Games

are [..] carefully designed structure, and structure is art.” (McGonigal). Being

exposed to these elements stimulates creative thinking and produces positive


feedback for the player.

Lately, discrepancies in reception of video games have lead to a movement

informally called “artistic games” by the media. Such games, purposely designed

to be a creative statement, have been challenged by some critics. The games

Passage and Dear Esther, developed, respectively, by Jason Rohrer and

thechineseroom, are examples of such artistic expressions. Their main creative

features are either the use of captivating graphics or the production of emotional

feedback from the audience. Emotional feedback is extremely important, as it

captivates the audience and makes them respond positively. The psychologist

Jenefer Robinson from the University of Cincinnati states in her book Deeper than

Reason that emotions focus our attention on the “things in the environment

significant to [an individual]” (Robinson). This ability to relate to a specific

concept in the creative work makes it memorable and significant to the audience.

Delving further into the immersive qualities of video games, they can also have

very unique relationships with story-telling due to their interactivity and

flexibility. Most recently, video games have been granted legal protection as

creative works by the Supreme Court of the United States. The official Opinion of

the Court asserts, “video games communicate ideas and even social messages”

(bad sourcing: supreme court documents), which supports the ability of the

medium to convey complex ideas. On the legal level, the medium of video games is

equated to film, literature and art.

The visual aspect of video games is also not to be forgotten. Due to progressive

electronic technology, the digital image is flourishing, enhancing the realism of

video games and building their fantastic words. Computer graphics, abundant in

modern games, are works of art, but to what extent to they make the games an

artistic work itself? To what extent are both emotions and visual elements

significant in the recognition of video games as artistic work?

Together with story-telling abilities, emotion and visual elements of video games

may empower some of them to a status of an artistic work.


The Game

Vocabulary tends to be distinct in a particular environment, and that of video

games is no exception. In games, major features are the controls, the game screen

and the playing figure. The controls differ from machine to machine and can range

from arrow keys on a computer keyboard to a remote control. The game screen is

the frame of vision in the game environment. On a computer game, this might be

the size of the monitor or less, reduced by the software itself. On a television

screen, the size of the screen is the greatest game screen possible. The playing

figure is defined as the first-person character whose movement one can control.

The words figure and character are interchangeable.

The making of a game

Early games did not have very advanced graphics and are not analogous visually

to traditional arts. In those early games, the images were assembled into small

rectangular arrangements of tiles called ‘pixels’. Because there were only limited

colors available for coloring pixels, the games did not have much variety and did

not produce any artistic interest at the time. As technology developed, 3D

modeling evolved, which is one of the most popular methods of producing visuals

in video games. The computer science blogger Robocoder says that the first

design issue encountered by artists developing these graphics was the “flat

geometric appearance” of the figures produced by connecting vertices with lines

and planes in the modeling software (Robocoder). Compensating for the lack of

realism, texture-mapping techniques were conceived. This involved a picture,

based on a photograph or digitally painted image, being placed on top of the flat


sides of a polygon. This was an incredible break-through in game technology, as it

reshaped games from cartoon-like geometric shapes to real-looking objects. After

the artist has created the model, 3D animation systems are used to produce

motion. Further, special effects, such as explosions and glow are added on. While

the artist may design this, the programmer places it into the game directly.

Finally, the designer art components are finished and are given to the

programmer for final integration into the game.

Aesthetics are a primary element of visual arts, as they influence the initial

reaction of the audience and the viewer. A visually pleasing artwork has not only

the ability to attract the attention of the viewer, but also to hold it.


Dear Esther"Dear Esther rejects pretty much every notion

of what video games should do, and instead

presents a profound look at what they

could be doing."

(Rock, Paper, Shotgun).

Dear Esther indeed does not accord with the conventional image of a video game.

In contrast to first-person shooter games, which involve continuous vigorous

action, Dear Esther focuses on story-telling rather than active interaction between

the player and the game environment. The player's choice-making abilities are

lowered to a minimum, as the character cannot run or jump and there are no

puzzles to be solved. The story itself is uncovered through episodic fragments

from letters to a woman called Esther, who seems to have been killed in a car

crash, possibly together with the male narrator, who's identity is unclear. The

player explores the island while listening to pieces of the narrative, which appear

at certain points and are chosen randomly by the program. This leads to separate

players having different experiences. For example, having heard the narrator say,

"did this whole island rise to the surface of my stomach, forcing the gulls to take

flight?" (source: direct quotation from game) one wonders about the character's

mental stability. As put by the game critic Keza MacDonald, the writing is

"unashamedly florid, flitting all the time in an unsettling way between past and

present" (MacDonald).

Dear Esther is a game that is incredibly emotional as well as visually pleasing, thus

including two important aspects of a basic definition of art. At the 2012

Independent Games Festival, it received the top prize for "Excellence in Visual

Arts" (2012 Independent Games), showcasing its beautifully designed setting.

The island setting of the game is divided into a beginning stage where one

explores the island during daytime, a stage where the player finds themselves in a


maze of caves, which are intricately designed, and a nighttime stage, where the

huge moon is a dominant focus of the landscape.

Fig. 1: The beginning of the game Dear Esther (Source unknown).

As the island is first being introduced to the player, it seems a long-abandoned

settlement. The mood is glum, induced mainly by the overcast sky and the dark,

dirty color scheme. However, the color scheme is maintained throughout, without

any major disturbances. The sun, featured fighting the clouds, symbolizes a

certain hope for improvement of life. The landscape seems balanced. The line of

horizon lies relatively in the middle of the game screen, which makes it

comfortable to look at.


Fig. 2: A screenshot of a cave scene design in Dear Esther (source: direct screenshot).

The cave scenes are incredibly beautiful and calming in Dear Esther. The mood set

in the painting is very gentle, and this stage is most introspective of the entire

game. The stalactites hanging down gracefully from the ceiling of the cave are

parallel to each other, and these vertical lines provide order to the scene.

Although at first, the colors are depressing and heavy, as the eye becomes

accustomed to the blue hues of the caves, it becomes relaxing and tranquil.

Fig. 3: View upon existing the cave stage and entering the nighttime stage (Source: unknown).


Fig. 4: View from a cliff in the nighttime stage of Dear Esther (source: screenshot).

As the game progresses, the player becomes more and more immersed in the

environment, as if investigating deeper and deeper the life of an individual that

the island perhaps symbolizes. The nighttime scene is the most serene and deep

of all. A perfect landscape and the sense of equilibrium is achieved through the

horizon line, placed in the middle of the game screen, and the main focus on the

large moon. The organic shapes of the clouds are crucial to the dynamic

environment of this stage in the game. As the audience’s eye traces the horizon of

the scene, the sky blends with the sea forming a romantic, foggy ambiguity.

Because none beyond a long stretch of sea is seen in outside of the island, a mood

of isolation is produced, further intensifying any emotions.

As it is visible from the illustrations, the body and features of the playing figure

are not seen when in play. This produces a deeper creative environment in which

the players may conceive his or her own image of the game character. This

freedom is similar to the analysis of a landscape painting, as one is forced to

wonder about the painter himself and his or her motives for producing this

artwork. Dear Esther is a predominantly reflective game, which focuses of

understanding of one’s emotions.


Passage

While Dear Esther is a visually pleasing game, Passage is not. It is an elementary

two-dimensional game, which "returns to pixel art" (Magnuson) as well as low

resolution and basic arrow-key controls. This simplicity provides the audience

with deeper understanding of the moral of the work, leading, in return, to its

greater appreciation. The messages of death and the value of life are prevalent in

multiple visual metaphors in the game. This is significant in producing emotional

response from the audience, which is a crucial aspect of an artistic work. In his

review of the game, the critic Jordan Magnuson mentions that the concept of

relying on the original building blocks of video games is used very efficiently to

"express emotion and convey meaning" (Magnuson).

Designed by Jason Rohrer in 2009, Passage has multiple noteworthy visual

aspects.

The focus of the game’s composition is the male-looking figure controlled by the

player. The affect of this focal point is achieved as the figure remains at the same

position on the screen relative to the frame of the screen, while the background

constantly moves to the left, consequentially making the figure walk forward.

While in conventional art, the movement in a composition can be emphasized

through the depiction of moving objects, i.e. the flow of a river, the movement in

Passage is literal and thus produces a dynamic environment.

Fig. 5: The beginning of the game Passage. (Bad sourcing: this is a direct

screenshot from game)


Fig. 6: A tombstone signifies the death of the character in Passage. (Bad

sourcing: this is a direct screenshot from game)

Shown in Fig. 1 and 2, the composition of the screen is transformed as the game

progresses. In the beginning, the character is positioned at the left of the screen,

while the right is comprised of a harmonica-like condensed image of the diverse

stages that lie ahead of the character. This functions as an analogy for the human

life, as one cannot predict the future, but can only imagine a vague plan. As the

figure steadily advances to the right of the game screen, the condensed area shifts

to the left, signifying the hazy past.

Fig. 7: The evolution of the character in Passage (Rohrer)

The dynamic change in the work is again seen in the transformation of the male

figure. He seemingly ages as the game progresses (Fig. 3); blond in the beginning,

he slowly loses his hair, which becomes grey towards the end. Not only there does

color play a major role, but also in the alternating backdrop – the colors and

patterns replace one another in various stages throughout the game. This is done

in order to show that any individual travels though different stages in life, such as

high school, higher education, marriage, work and retirement. However, while the

color scheme changes dramatically, the main features do not, providing a balance

and rhythm to the composition; the shapes of barriers encountered by the figure

stay identical, as well as the top and bottom walls of the frame of the game screen.

Stability and order of a piece are the backbone of an artistic piece, and are thus

important aspects on an artwork.


Demise of characters

Death of characters is present in both Dear Esther and Passage; its artistic

depiction is analogous, but also differing in multiple ways. In order for an artwork

to be engrossing and captivating, it must evoke emotion and feelings in the

audience, which both works are successful at. Dear Esther accomplishes this

through the continuous reminders of a loved one who had passed away, while

Passage shows the death of a loved one solely at the very end, in a blunt and

austere manner.

In both games, the ending experience is identical during any play-through, as it is

programmed as the standard finish. In Dear Esther, the player reaches the radio

mast atop the island's peak and climbs a ladder to the top of the tower during a

final monologue by the narrator. As the player jumps off and falls to the shore

below, his shadow becomes that of a bird; soaring through the island's bay before

flying low over a flock of paper boats in the water, the player is left with many

unanswered questions and doubts. Who erected this "godforsaken aerial", as it is

dubbed in the game, and why? Is the narrator experiencing an after-death period?

What is his relationship with Esther? In fact, countless gaps in the narrative are left

unexplained, which provides space for the audience to fill using their own

imagination. This is an important aspect of visual arts, as the audience of typical

artistic works is also often forced to wonder about the purpose and historical

background of a painting or a sculpture. Personal associations and additions to a

piece produce a more influential and lasting effect.

Passage provides a similar experience. Because the game does not contain

exceptionally beautiful imagery, it is based fundamentally on evoking emotion

from the player. It touches upon concepts of relationships and their limitations. In

the beginning of the game, the player has the chance to 'fall in love' and continue

his journey with a female character. Consequentially, the player is slowed down,

and his movement is limited, as together with his partner he is unable to bypass

certain obstacles and is forced to take a longer route. The game also examines


both the death of a loved one, which is a universally known theme.

Fig. 8: the couple approaches the end of the game. (Bad source)

Fig. 9: the female figure transforms into a tombstone, the male is hunched (bad source).

Fig. 10: after taking a few steps away, the male figure becomes a tombstone as well (bad

source).

In Fig. 4, 5, 6, one can see the conclusion of Passage, where the couple advances to

the right side of the game screen and a static tombstone suddenly replaces the

female figure. Emotion is conveyed in this through the male character, who

instantaneously becomes bent over, and, following a few steps taken away from

his perished partner is transformed into a tombstone as well. These images are

significant in producing emotion in the audience.

Death of oneself is also a theme present in both Passage and Dear Esther. Unlike in

many other video games, players do not have multiple lives; instead "you die only

once, at the very end" and are impotent to "stave off this inevitable loss"

(Passage). "Passage is a life in a bottle," and if one were to play it from an

introspective perspective, one would "find that it is [his or her] life in a bottle"

(Magnuson). In Dear Esther, a freely interpreted suicide at the game’s end may

indeed symbolize the transition from a purgatory period to a next life, but it this is

left to the reader to decide. It is a calming


Conclusion:

To what extent has your question been answered?

What questions are left unanswered?

What are your hopes for this research/field/question?


Works Cited

MacDonald, Keza. Rev. of Dear Esther Review. IGN. Ed. Steve Butts. IGN Entertainment, 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. <http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/02/13/dear-esther-review>.

Magnuson, Jordan. “Life in a Bottle.” Necessary Games. David Lerin Webdesign, 16 Aug. 2009. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.necessarygames.com/reviews/passage-game-free-download-independent-linux-mac-os-x-windows-art-game-abstract-singleplayer>.

McGonigal, Jane. “How Might Video Games Be Good for Us?” Big Questions Online. John Templeton Foundation, The, 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 13 May 2013. <https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/how-might-video-games-be-good-us>.

“Passage.” MoMA Website. Museum of Modern Art, The, n.d. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=145533>.

Robocoder. “How Video Game Art Is Created.” Everything2. Everything2 Media, 8 Mar. 2001. Web. 7 May 2013. <http://everything2.com/title/How+video+game+art+is+created>.

Rohrer, Jason. “Passage.” MoMA. Modern Museum of Art, The, n.d. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=145533>.

“2012 Independent Games Festival Winners.” Independent Games Festival. UMB Tech, 2012. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.igf.com/2012finalistswinners.html>.

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