art in the darkness

I recently gave a lecture at the ZIL Cultural Center as part of the Open City University project. about art in the gaming industry. The topic is, of course, more philosophical than practical, but no less interesting. This article follows in its footsteps so that we can discuss together whether game design and games as such are a form of art, and provide examples of inspiring game design solutions.

The Creative Potential of the Video Game Industry

In my opinion, video games have long gone beyond simple entertainment and have taken their place among other forms of art. Game development today is a fascinating synthesis of technology, visual aesthetics, and narrative craft. In this article, we will look at how game development reveals creative potential and becomes one of the most intriguing areas of modern art (or not).

What is usually called art? I found quite a few different definitions, but most of them agreed that art is a process in which the movement itself, the creativity itself, is often put above the result. Very similar to games. We play them not to just go through them and forget them forever. We enjoy the process. And yet, in my opinion, games are a product at the intersection of art and business. After all, business is precisely about the end result and revenue. It is difficult to abstract from the business component when development requires not one talented creator, but a whole team of sometimes hundreds of developers, each of whom contributes to the end product. And this requires money.

By the way, my colleagues and I will talk about this on the program. Game Project Managementwithin the framework of which I was given the opportunity to share my opinion on art in games.

In terms of combining art and business, I divide games primarily by budget. Why is that? Largely because the financial component and investor decisions are the line where art ends.

1. AAA games – products with a huge budget for development and marketing. This is many tens and hundreds of millions of dollars. What place does art have here? First of all, such projects are aimed at payback. Agree, losing $100 million is unpleasant even for a fairly large company. As a result, we see the prevalence of investor decisions, risk control and market conditions. You don't have to look far for examples: a black assassin in the new Assasin's Creed is a striking example. And I am only for representation and equality. Moreover, I want to get to know African culture better. For example, this summer Moscow is hosting cultural events dedicated to African countries. That's cool! Make a cool game, the events of which take place in Kenya or Ethiopia. There is a colossal heritage there. But instead we see a Japanese assassin… This is how business influences art. And nevertheless, there are many masterpieces among AAA too. I'm not sure I'd call Bioshock exactly AAA, but it's at least close to that marker in terms of budget. For me, the revelation of Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism and its catastrophic consequences for the life of the city of Rapture is a brilliant example of visual, narrative and gameplay art in large projects.

2. Average games – products with a budget from several million dollars to ten. Such games are often both very commercially oriented and quite original. For example, Millenia from Paradox is a very commercial product, because the company subtly feels the demands of its audience and does not go into creative development, giving a minimum set of mechanics and visuals necessary for commercial success and nothing more. A counter-example is Frostpunk, a game with a well-calibrated audio-visual component, a small narrative and game design, which together work great for the atmosphere of the game.

3. Indie projects – games with a minimal budget. I will immediately stipulate that by definition, indie is not exactly about the budget, these are rather games without a publisher, i.e. independent. However, in the public consciousness, they are often associated with near-zero budgets. Therefore, I will use this terminology. Indie is an island where the role of creativity and art is difficult to overestimate. Yes, there are also a lot of cool products here, aimed primarily at commercial profit. But here we see an extraordinary scope for creativity. After all, when you risk a small budget, you can move a little further from the canons of the genre. Moreover, an indie developer needs to somehow stand out, making his product unique against the background of competitors, because he does not have millions for marketing. This is where new mechanics, deep settings and sometimes even innovations in art style appear.

Visual component

One of the key components of game development is the creation of the visual aesthetics of the game world. Artists, animators and designers invest a huge amount of creative energy in the development of characters, environments, interfaces and other visual elements. Modern games often demonstrate impressive graphics that amaze players and completely immerse them in virtual reality.

For example, Naughty Dog is known for its attention to visual detail. In games like The Last of Us and Uncharted, every frame looks like a work of art, with carefully crafted environments, realistic characters, and captivating lighting. This visual style creates atmospheric and emotionally rich worlds that players can immerse themselves in.

Equally important are experimental projects that go beyond realistic graphics and offer unique artistic styles. Clover Studio's Okami, for example, amazes players with its stunning resemblance to traditional Japanese sumi-e painting. This approach to visual design turns the game into a true work of art.

Mobile games also have their own visual masterpieces. My favorite among mass games is AFK Arena and its stunning stained glass windows.

Narrative and emotional depth

Beyond visual aesthetics, modern video games are increasingly focused on narrative and emotional depth. Plot lines, characters, and dialogue are becoming increasingly important, allowing games to tell complex stories and address important themes.

One of the most striking examples is the game “This War of Mine” by 11 bit studios. It takes players to a city besieged by war, where they have to make difficult moral decisions in order to survive. The game deeply immerses players in an atmosphere of despair, fear and human suffering, forcing them to reflect on the consequences of their own actions.

Another example is Giant Sparrow's What Remains of Edith Finch. It's an interactive story about the last member of the Finch family who discovers secrets about her relatives' past. The game uses a non-linear narrative style to create deep and emotional experiences for players, touching on themes such as death, memory, and human nature.

Games like these demonstrate that video games can reach heights of artistic expression, tackling complex existential questions and challenging players to think. They go beyond mere entertainment and become full-fledged works of art.

And again about Bioshock. Many players love it for the nonlinearity of the plot, expressed in several endings. The most interesting thing is that the creation of alternative endings was a requirement of the publisher. Initially, Irrational Games wanted there to be one ending regardless of the player's choices. In this way, they sought to demonstrate the oppressive lack of choice.

Interactivity and game mechanics

One of the unique features of video games as an art form is their interactivity. A game is first and foremost gameplay, and only then everything else. Unlike passive art forms such as film or literature, games allow players to actively interact with the virtual world and influence its development.

This interactive aspect opens up new creative possibilities. Game developers can create complex systems in which players’ actions lead to unpredictable but logical consequences. This allows players to not only watch the story unfold, but to become its co-authors, making decisions and influencing the course of events.

Game mechanics, graphics and other features are also closely related to the development of technology. The fact that games have become so huge, complex and bright is largely due to technological progress. This means that we have hope that in the future, games will be even more immersive and technically perfect. The main thing, in my opinion, is not to forget about the artistic component, because many modern games, as well as movies, have begun to lose the quality of the plot, as if the scriptwriters were replaced by a schoolboy with Chat GPT.

For example, in Paradox's Crusader Kings II, players take on the role of medieval rulers, facing political intrigue, dynastic conflicts, and religious differences. Every decision they make, no matter how small, can have far-reaching consequences, creating unique stories for each player.

This kind of interactivity allows game development to go beyond traditional narrative forms and experiment with new ways of telling stories. Players become active participants in the creative process, and developers get the opportunity to create dynamic, player-sensitive worlds that can be truly exciting and engaging.

Of course, the recognition of game development as an art faces certain difficulties and prejudices. Some critics still perceive video games as simple entertainment, not worthy of serious attention. However, the growing number of exciting and artistic game projects, as well as active discussion in academic and cultural circles, indicate that game development is gradually gaining its place among other art forms.

In conclusion, I would like to invite you to our other events organized within the framework of the HSE University Higher School of Economics’ Game Project Management program.

We regularly hold free seminars and conferences both offline in Moscow and online. We record the same lectures that were held in person and post them on our YouTube channel.

On our program's website Game Project Management you can find links to all upcoming events. And we always have a lot of them.

It would be great if you shared your opinion in the comments, what games are real art for you. In the meantime, let's run and make good games!