Videogames as an Artistic Medium

Videogames are typically seen as a standard form of entertainment; however, gamers —myself included — see them as a fantastic medium for art. Many titles struggle with this concept by telling incredibly diverse and interesting stories while falling short in terms of gameplay or vice versa. The best games often take both of these concepts and utilise them in harmony.

The Stanley Parable is a very odd “game” and not typically what someone might think of when “art” is being discussed in the videogame field. It runs and looks like a standard Source Engine title of its era, but its story portrays a much different theme than it first appears. Initially, it can be seen as a giant finger pointed at the pointlessness of menial office work, with the player character, Stanley, performing menial tasks within a boring and average office environment, which is his daily routine. It touches on many other themes, such as the existence and meaning of free will, which is used often within The Stanley Parable’s early hours. Much of the game and its story is portrayed by the ever-present narrator, who has a set path and ideas for Stanley to take; however, the player is at full freedom to defy the narrator, which will lead to different events depending on the player's choices. It’s an experience which really needs to be played to be truly understood and is completely worth the time investment.

Papers, Please is an indie game released in 2013, where the player simply exists as a border agent, allowing or denying people through the border. This consists of comparing data on different pieces of paperwork and making sure everything is correct. The player also needs to manage money, making sure that their family can eat and be kept warm and healthy. Papers, Please primarily relies on empathy, as many of the people seeking asylum lack proper documentation yet often have much more touching reasons to cross the border. It tests the players’ sense of morality and can make the decision to let them through much less binary.

The Souls series is a much weirder portrayal of this concept, especially in the case of the newest game, ELDEN RING. The world of the Souls series is violently brutal and unforgiving, with the player character being near enough at the bottom of the food chain, pitted against gods. This is mirrored in the difficulty, which is the core cause of controversy within the series. They are incredibly challenging and unforgiving in many places, making them very inaccessible. This, combined with the lack of difficulty options, has led to a lot of arguments on whether or not the franchise is too difficult. Despite that, the director, Miyazaki, has directly said he has absolutely 0 plans to change this, as it directly compromises his artistic vision.

The BioShock Franchise is a prime example of games being used as an art form due to its way of interlinking deep and introspective themes, tied with its incredibly environmental storytelling. BioShock is set in an undersea city known as Rapture, with architecture and decoration heavily inspired by the art-deco movement. The world is one of the most beautiful, especially of its era, and is a unique take on the aesthetic, seeing little to no other games utilising it, much less in the crumbling and desolate form the series takes it. Along with this, the story takes on a heavily meta form of storytelling, with deep political struggles, along with questions surrounding the existence of free will. Many of the deeper points are lost on me, as my understanding of politics runs very shallow; however, it wouldn’t be right to not have it on this list.

Jet Set Radio is a franchise developed by Sega and was one of the first series to utilise cel-shading as its art style. This ties in incredibly well with the game’s themes of rebellion, punk ideals, and graffiti. Its visuals were a huge selling point, utilising everything it stood for in an incredibly well-balanced way, putting forward an obvious message, and making that the game’s core value. The music is also a fantastic piece to demonstrate its values. The soundtrack was primarily composed by Hideki Naganuma, whose overall sound has still been unmatched, using a vast assortment of samples to create an almost messy soundtrack to match the frenetic and wild styling. Others were involved with the soundtrack, however, with many more typical but still incredibly fitting music choices, with hip-hop, j-pop, funk, and jazz tracks all being implemented.

Over the years, games have evolved and developed into a state where creating an experience that can be seen as art has become much more common. This, however, is contradicted by many others, which end on the other end of the spectrum, having no real artistic value, leading to people associating others with that lack of artistry. This causes mass debates within the media and art circles, and to this very day, the idea of videogames as an artistic medium is in limbo.