Will Wright on Art Games
Author of this post: James Huck | About Blog Authors »At the recent Krazytalk Industry Giants presentation I had an amazing opportunity to hear one of my idols speak–Will Wright. Will, the creator of The Sims and numerous other hugely successful titles, is a legend and arguably the most successful and influential designers of our day. In front of an audience of students, industry, fans and admirers; Will discussed gaming in the context of human development and as an up in coming art form.
The contentious issue of games as an art form or simple form of entertainment is a debate most industry types are well versed in. However, Will’s thoughts on the issue placed games in the context of the evolutionary path that all mediums of communication and expression experience. Will gave the example of writing as starting out as a much needed way to keep track of agricultural inventory, but then gradually developing through universal use and access into the art forms of literature and poetry. Numerous other examples made by Will suggested the development of writing was mimicked by almost every other art form.
“Art forms started [originally] to solve specific very narrow problems, but they slowly evolved into entertainment forms and then spiraled upwards as artistic expression.”
If this development model is to be applied to games, it suggests that the first games were developed to solve specific problems; evidently uncoordinated ping-pong and faulty missile defense urgently needed innovative solutions. However it is not the origins of early games as solutions to specific problems that really interests me, nor is it the growing dominance games now play as a form of entertainment. What is tantalizing about Will’s model, and what many designers endlessly ponder, is the ‘Art Game.’
If games will inevitably transcend entertainment and be recognized as an art form, what will the game that breaks this barrier look like? How will it play, what mechanics will it utilize, what emotions will it evoke, and will EA or Activision publish it? In asking these questions, a myriad of other questions come to mind; what is art anyway, why is defining art so subjective, and finally do we really want games to be an art form?
Perhaps the comic book model of art in hindsight will provoke game collectors in the future to auction off the artistic merits of Pacman (so understood in his own time). More than likely though Will is correct in saying that this evolution of our medium, “is a battle we do not need to fight.” Meaning as demographics and the digital parlance of our times change our societies, so will our understanding and classification of our rapidly developing medium. One thing is for sure though, the next generation’s Grand Theft Auto, be it art or purely entertainment, is going to be sweet.
