Question 1:  What Place is there for Games in Contemporary Art?

Contemporary art is so vast today and  is both fluid and static. With the use of digital tools such as computers, the internet and software along with the ever evolving mobility of of the use of these tools in any arena of life, almost every human on earth has access to these tools. Progress in the creation of newer, faster and more mobile technology has exponentially grown since the first personal computers were released in the early 1980’s. As implementation of this technology grows, so does its use in the design and creation of art. Now more than ever, interactive art; both as installations, community based designs and video games are being used to provide expressive outlets for individuals. Once individual people decide to use digital media to express creativity and create art they build the foundation for others to join in. This creates a community of mindfulness and systems thinking and has an amazing effect on traditional boundaries such as location, time, physical space and monetary strain by providing access to traditional boundaries, but also alllowing the individuals and communities to build art without those constraints.

Using digital media to create games sits well with contemporary art.  One example of this, although only accessible to people with access to technology, is through the video game industry. Video games are everywhere today. They exist in people’s homes and offices, on their computers and televisions, on mobile phones and devices. Video games come in all forms, from simple 2D platform games like Pac-Man and Asteroids to technological marvels like augmented reality based games and video games that provide an experience through art and design alll the way to a consumer who engages in the story and is able to essentially make their own path through the game.  Video games also require vast teams of artists and engineers working together to create a cohesive artistic expression through a game.  Higher eduacation has recognized this and provides degree options for every type of artist imaginable.  Games are a massive part of contemporary art and show no signs of slowing down soon.  If progress in technology continues at the rate it is expanding now, it is not very hard to imagine an alternate reality, completely driven by collaborative artistic expressions and digital media. This creation of a “meta-verse”, that could be signed into using hypothetical technology such as a bitmap image directly sent, through a laser via the eye, to the brain creating a reality with real sensations via sight, smell, hearing, touch, thought, movement all built through a system enabling the creation of a virtual entity, or avatar, created by the individual for living in the space of the “meta-verse.”

In conclusion and to the point, yes there is a place for games in contemporary art. Digital media and new technology makes that possible and by utilizing these digital tools creating individual and community based artistic expression.

Question 2: Have games demonstrably ever changed your life for the better?

I would like to start off by saying that I love games, especially interactive video games that immerse you in a movie like experience. Personally though, games have had both a negative and positive effect on my life. The positive effect is that they have in the past since I have not engaged in playing video games or games for several years now, enabled me to immerse myself into another persons view on something. This has happened through individualized campaigns inside of games and through community based games that allow me to work with a group as a team for a common goal such as a video game like Halo or Call of Duty. The artistic experience is always positive, even in the most basic of games, digital based graphics and sound design are very appealing to me. The negative side to games, personally, starts when a game pulls me in and becomes a catalyst for unproductive behavior and procrastination. This has real world ramifications and has delayed me in getting things done. For example I would much rather experience driving a fast car in reality than in a game, but the appeal of being safe and in my comfort zone while doing something like that, with cars and physics that do not even exist in the real world, has a seductive pull to it for me. I grew up playing video games, one of the first being The Oregon Trail which is a video game that puts you in charge of a wagon heading westward during the expansion to California in the United States during the 1800’s. So in conclusion I love video games and games. I love art and expression. However there is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy when something has the potential, and even may have been designed to distract you and pull your attention away from what is needed in your life at the time. This doesn’t mean that I will never play a video game again or that games are bad. The point is that personally I need to be mindful of the lure that video games and art can have so as to not eject myself from real world duties and use something beautiful as a scapegoat or a crutch.