Games as Art? I Think So. (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of my 3 part article addressing games as art. In my first segment, I took a look at some games that were revolutionary for their time because of their advancements in game design and presentation. I started in the year 1996 because of the introduction of 3D gaming with games like Super Mario 64 and Resident Evil. With that behind me now, I am ready to tackle the games released from the year 2000 to present day. I may get a lot of flack for not discussing 2D games but this is simply because i'm not personally a big retro gamer. Don't get me wrong, I don't deny their artistic attributes but I believe that the biggest steps forward for games in regards to being considered art, can be seen after they made the jump from 2D to 3D. I will apologize ahead of time because I will inevitably be leaving out tons of very artistic games in order to keep this article readable. With that said, lets take a look at the last eight years in gaming and see what artistic merit can be seen.

2001 - 2005: Let's go ahead and get one of the more obvious choices out of the way. Let's talk about Ico. An artistic milestone to say the least. The game not only provided one of the most beautiful set pieces in recent years but went on to provide the namesake of the development team. Hence, Team Ico was born. Team Ico did what many developers were (and sometimes still are) too scared to attempt. They created a game with incredibly simplistic gameplay mechanics within an incredibly complex world. You are a boy with horns who is entombed within a giant castle. Upon escaping your tomb, you come across a beautiful princess and are compelled to rescue her as you both attempt to escape from the castle. Here is the twist: you are armed with nothing more than a stick. How can a game so simplistic be so memorable? The set pieces alone made this game stand out from the crowd. Team Ico went on to continue this trend in 2005 by releasing "Shadow of the Colossus", a game who's brilliance and beauty is still yet to be surpassed. Both of these games were incredibly unique experiences that stand out in my mind as two of the most incredible works of art i've ever witnessed.

Before I jump too far ahead, lets look at another game that exemplefies video games artistic potential. Zelda is a classic series that goes back to the days of 2D sprites running amock incredibly simple (but beautiful) 2D environments. The game made obvious leaps forward with games such as Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64. But the series also gave us "Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker", a shining example of how games can break free of traditional molds and create something beautiful. The game was released in 2002 with an amazing change of scenery and art style that stirred up quite a bit of controversy. While some people shunned its new "cartoony" look, others basked in its brilliance. The game may not look as mature as Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, it was still leaps and bounds ahead in terms graphically. You simply can't deny the games beauty. This game went on to inspire other developers to take similar approaches to their games. Games such as Team Fortress 2, Crackdown, Folklore, Ultimate Spider-man, No More Heroes, Zone of Enders 2nd Runner, Okami, and many others all demonstrated a game can be pretty without an ultra realistic art style.

2006-Present Day: It pains me to have made it this far because I can literally think of dozens of other titles worth mentioning. I made it this far and didn't even mention Final Fantasy which is obviously an impressive display of japanese artistic and storytelling ability. The ending of Final Fantasy X was one of the most heart breaking, dramatic endings I had ever seen and yet people still refer to the series as a game rather than a legitimate artistic medium. Metal Gear Solid, Devil May Cry, Onimusha, Katamari Damacy, God of War, Halo, and of course, Silent Hill all have made their own artisitic contributions to the industry. November 2005 marked the release of the first next generation gaming consoles, the Xbox 360, and with it the dawn of a new age in gaming. What next generation games have helped to take gaming to the next level of artistic design? Gears of War was one of the early next gen titles that really demonstrated the true potential of games as moving masterpieces. While the game had its share of problems but the incredibly lighting and texture effects coupled with the games amazing science fiction art direction was haunting but beautiful at the same time. In the years following, games such as Half Life 2 revolutionized the way stories are told. Games like Bioshock and Mass Effect took atmosphere in to whole new levels. It was no longer just about creating believable environments to interact with but now music and pacing become two equally important attributes that games require. As games continue to become more and more complex, developers are forced to discover new, more complex methods of engaging gamers and impressing them. Don't let anybody tell you that size doesn't matter because games now are only as good as the intricate world in which they are based. Technology has jumped by leaps and bounds in recent years which has resulted in the inability to accept linear gameplay. Games should be set in giant, open world environments like Liberty City or even an entire Universe such as the one featured in Mass Effect. At this point, it's almost overwhelming to imagine where we go from here.

Games have become something