The Captivating Art of Videogames

Since their humble beginning on the glow of the low-resolution arcade screens, videogames have become one of the most – if not the most – dominant entertainment formats, with over 2 billion people worldwide playing in their spare time.

Just as traditional art forms have pushed boundaries throughout history, videogames too have given us a new way of expressing creativity.  As authors Duncan Harris and Alex Wiltshire put it in their introduction to Making Videogames: The Art of Creating Digital Worlds, ‘games are impressionistic, setting out to capture the sense of a recognizable reality with just a few brushes of light and texture’. Blending aspects of design, architecture, filmography, storytelling and composition, these multisensory experiences have grown to be one of the most uniquely immersive mediums of artistic practice – and may one day be recognized as one of the most significant art forms of the early 21st century.

In this article, we’ll take you through some of the creative aspects of videogame creation that epitomize its place in the art world.

1. The Nostalgia of Pixel Art 
Where better to start when discussing the art of videogames, than the pixel.

Just as physical materials like ceramic and woven thread have created unique stylistic forms of physical art, pixel grids have birthed a unique style of image-making. Game designers of the seventies, eighties and nineties were faced with the colour and resolution limitations of early computers, but their need to be deliberate with colour placement stimulated an incredible creativity. To appreciate this, you need only look at the exquisite pixel-tapestries created for games such as Super Mario Bros (1985), The Legend of Zelda (1986) and Paladin’s Quest (1992).

Digital art created using pixels has now found independence from the gaming industry as a retro, nostalgic and highly stylistic medium that has seen a resurgence in the last ten years.

Waneella, a world-renowned pixel artist who emerged from the depths of 2013 Tumblr, was directly inspired by gaming culture, writing in her monograph Waneella: Pixelscapes that she was ‘in awe of the amount of information and beauty that Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery Ep packed into so few pixels.’  Drawing inspiration from the streets of Japan to films by David Lynch and the music of Portishead to create dystopian yet nostalgically cosy metropolises, Waneella’s artworks exemplify the creative power of games to inspire contemporary artists to build far-off worlds as rich in imagination as the likes of Bosch, Van Gogh and Turner.

In an era of ultra-realistic visuals, pixel art not only stands as a refreshing reminder of the humble beginnings of videogames but also the beauty that geometric mark-making can create.

Waneella: Pixelscapes is available now.

2. Innovation in Early Game Typography 
The early pixel games of the late-twentieth century also enriched the world of typography – the art of arranging typeface.

The origins of typography practice can be traced back from the first wax seals created in the ancient world, to Mesopotamian block prints and Roman inscriptions. While traditional typography has been well documented, the artistic importance when it comes to video games has been less so. This is odd, given that the challenge of creating letterforms within the constraints of a pixel grid goes back far further than we might think. Look at any cross-stitch from the middle-ages or mosaic from the ancient world and you will see that creating grid-based images and lettering or with geometric shapes shares an incredible similarity to pixel art and typography.

The significance of pixel type is perfectly explored in Arcade Game Typography, in which typeface designer Toshi Omagari takes us on an intricate journey through the many styles of the now-retro pixel-type. Early game designers had to find ways to create dynamic and decorative character sets within a tiny canvas. The resulting typefaces looked unlike any other style of typography; uniquely angular and geometric, they sported high-contrast colour combinations to attract and engage the viewer. In a previous interview with Thames & Hudson, Omagari states that ‘some iconic arcade games are recognizable from their font alone. Do you think typography still plays an important part in today’s gaming world? Absolutely.’

While many might be familiar with fonts from iconic games such as Space Invaders (1978) and Pac Man (1980), other distinctive and lesser-known typefaces ‘exemplify the ability of game designers to transcend the limitations of the medium. We can see this in the charm of typefaces from games such as Power Instinct (1993). While traditional typography has been well documented, its relevance to video games has been less so.

Arcade Game Typography by Toshi Omagari is available now.

3. When Electronic Music Met Gaming
In 1994, a gaming developer called Psygnosis – later known as Studio Liverpool – said they wanted to ‘change the way videogames look. Forever.’

The following year, Sony’s PlayStation launched WipEout, a high-speed futuristic racing game that showcased unique 3D graphics and next-level visual identity created by The Designers Republic™. However, its most recognizable feature is its heart-thumping and high-octane electronic soundtrack.

In WipEout Futurism, which chronicles the game’s story from artistic vision to production and reception, Duncan Harris details the trailblazing graphic design and iconography that set the game apart from the rest.
Before WipEout (1995) hit the screens, the music that accompanied video games had largely been created by programmers with no real musical background. It wasn’t until WipEout’s co-creator, Nick Burcombe, was finishing a Mario Kart race to the sound of an early trance track, The Age of Love, that the idea of pairing of high-speed gameplay and fast-paced music was born. The creators went on to work with The Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Leftfield and the lesser-known Tim Wright (CoLD SToRAGE), to bring underground music to the masses through interactive gameplay.

WipEout left a lasting legacy with graphic designers and gamers alike and continues to remain one of the most iconic visual triumphs of the nineties. The series not only broke the mould of what videogames could be, but catapulted them into the cultural fast lane.

WipEout Futurism by Duncan Harris is available now.

4. Constructing Digital Worlds 
Videogame design has become a dynamic medium for creative expression, with architectural world-building at its core. In the same way that architects and interior designers push the boundaries between function, style and purpose as they build in the physical world, videogame designers have constructed intricate environments that serve as more than just a backdrop.

In Videogame Atlas: Mapping Interactive Worlds, Luke Caspar Pearson and Sandra Youkhana of the Bartlett School of Architecture guide us through the digital constructs of some of the most iconic games from the last twenty years.

Game designers of today continue to employ 3-D architectural principles to create immersive, intricately designed worlds within their games. From the gothic spires of Dark Souls (2011) to the dystopian mountain ranges of Death Stranding (2019), these digital lands meticulously blend otherworldly and ambitious designs with real-world physics and engineering.

Videogame Atlas: Mapping Interactive Worlds by Luke Caspar Pearson and Sandra Youkhana is available now.