They are constantly evolving – but are computer games art?

 

I still get a lot of surprised looks when I tell people that, starting in October, I'll become the Victoria and Albert Museum's first ever games designer in residence.

 

It could be because I'm only 23, but I suspect it's really rooted in the fact that a traditional arts institution – more commonly associated with porcelain, fabric and furniture – is employing a games designer at all.

 

 

When asked to name the very first video game, many people in my field point to Spacewar!, created at MIT in 1961. It's a lot like it sounds: two players controlling space ships attempt to destroy each other whilst avoiding being destroyed themselves. In the great genealogy of video games, this is the Adam (or Eve) that gave rise to an art form so impactful, it's possible for a video game franchise to sell more copies than The Who sold records.

 

Although not everyone agrees. As long ago as 1980, film critic Roger Ebert argued that games could never be art – because art can't be 'won' – and in 2005, he decreed that "video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic".

 

And yet, video games have come a long way since those first steps in the 60s. As designers, we're no longer bound by the strict constraints of nascent technology, and new games are even questioning what it means to 'win'. That's why the V&A residency is so important. It recognises the fact that the changing digital and technological landscape has caused us to expand our concept of what the term 'video game' means. It's evident from the output that video games can be inspired by art; they can inspire art; and, ultimately, they deserve to be bracketed – along with film, TV and animation – as art.

 

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