Exit
CULTURE
Can Video Games
Call Themselves Art?
BY HALLIE SEKOFF
N THE 40 YEARS since
home video games
emerged on the scene,
they have flourished as
a commodity, largely for a hungry
market of forever-adolescent boys.
Yet these “games” have progressed
on a second track, gathering a robust roster of creative talent. Indeed, there are many games that
stray from the usual “first-hand
shooter play,” games that invoke
visual depth and tell thoughtprovoking stories, exemplified last
month by the release of The Unfinished Swan. And as buzz over
COURTESY OF ROCKSTAR GAMES
I
Grand Theft Auto V’s spring release
begins this month, news of its virtual environment — twice the size
of Manhattan — left fans breathless
at the thought of entering such an
immersive landscape. To find their
cultural relevance, we need look
no further than the Smithsonian,
which earlier this year devoted an
exhibit to the art of video games, or
the NEA’s recent decision to make
them eligible for artistic funding.
Ahead, find 10 games from the past
30 years that offer points in their
favor, curated by Killscreen
founder Jamin Warren.
Grand Theft
Auto V, set
for release in
spring 2013,
will focus on
capturing
“contemporary
LA culture.”