Games are art. Games are anything but art.
We’ve been having arguments about the artistic merit of our interactive medium for some time now and really, little has been resolved within the community. Certain people – mostly those outside of the video game bubble – just refuse to recognize anything controlled by two thumb sticks and buttons as worthy of such high praise, but a new Kickstarter project is looking create a book that explores exactly why games can be art.
The team at The Digitally Downloaded is looking to raise money for The Interactive Canvas – a deluxe hardcover series about games as art. The bulk of the content will be derived from interviews conducted with the strong list of creators seen below:
· American McGee, Spicy Horse; American McGee's Alice, Alice Returns
· Jonathan Blow; Braid, The Witness
· Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, CD Projekt Red; The Witcher series
· Hidetaka Suehiro (aka SWERY65), ACCESS Games; Deadly Premonition
· Ed Key; Proteus
· Michael Samyn and Auriea Harvey, Tale Of Tales; The Path, Luxuria Superbia
· Dan Pinchbeck, The Chinese Room; Dear Esther, Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs
· Guillaume Provost, Compulsion Games; Contrast
· Thomas Johansson, Henrik Fåhraeus, and Johan Andersson, Paradox Development Studio; Crusader Kings II,
· Nic Watt, Nnooo; escapeVektor
· Tamara Schembri and Peter Budziszewski, ToyBox Studios; Flowmo
· Neil Rennison, Tin Man Games; Gamebook Adventures, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks on iOS and Android
· Mike Bithell; Thomas Was Alone
These are all people tied to games that were willing to break the mold and explore our medium’s artistic side. Interactive Canvas: Gaming Artists is looking to be a deluxe hardcover, annual, coffee table-style publication meant to give a handful of the most creative and artistic game developers an outlet to discuss why they made the game they made.
If you’re interested in pitching in, the Kickstarter page can be found right here.
