The Art of Video Games From Pacman to Mass Effect

This is the companion book for the exhibition of the same name, held at the American Art Museum from 16 March 2012 to 30 September 2012.

The volume title is quite wide, and maybe cryptic. This isn't an art book with pretty pictures or concept art of video games. Rather, it's nigh the evolution of video game graphics, the artistry of making video games. All explained in a brief and simplified way.

Since this is an exhibition companion book, it'due south not surprising it's not that technical. I get the thought that the target audience are probably exhibition goers first and and then gamers.

I enjoy the sense of nostalgia from looking at the quondam games I used to play. As with any list that ranks games, there's always the surprise chemical element when y'all see games y'all've never seen earlier. From the text, yous get some brief insight into how the games came to be.

I've several bug with the volume though. The get-go is the selection criteria. Writer Melissinos selected an initial group of 240 games based on criteria that included visual furnishings, use of technologies and how world events and popular civilization influenced the games. And then, voters online were invited to to choose the most popular games. Finally, 80 games are picked.

In full general, I don't expect the gamers to know anything nearly how the graphics were created, nor the technologies used in the game making. The public voting element goes against the selection criteria. At times, it'due south difficult to tell whether the games are included considering they are innovative or merely fan favourites. There are peculiar inclusions as well equally omissions. A search online for bestseller lists will yield results for fan favourites instantly.

The games are sorted by eras, starting from Atari's first game Gainsay in 1997 to 2009 with Flower developed by thatgamecompany. In each era, the games are strangely not ordered strictly to chronological lodge. The virtually recent game featured is actually Heavy Rain from 2010, before Flower as information technology appears in the book.

Each game has a writeup of around 3-4 paragraphs on one page. That is too cursory to embrace the game history, pattern concept, game play and engineering. The criteria for the included titles are at that place, but they aren't justified in the text. Games released around the same time usually are similarly impressive in visuals. For example, not mentioned was Valkyria Chronicles which has an unique paw drawn art direction. Okami was included though. Because it sold better?

Screenshots are also few to give plenty context on why each game is so visually spectacular. The included ones are non the all-time representatives of the games. The really old games are redrawn to look sharp, such equally that on the book cover. New game graphics are withal alright. It's those games in between that are bad as they cannot be redrawn, and don't have enough resolution to look good. I don't think it can exist helped because of the nature of game graphics at that time but at to the lowest degree more should have printed at smaller sizes. If this book is about the fine art, I want to see more art from each game.

Also included are interviews with some game makers. Unless they introduce themselves, you won't know their role or the company they piece of work for. A i-sentence short contour is missing. Sometimes I only get the context of what they are talking about after reading halfway in.

There are many other things I was expecting but not found in the book. At that place's no mention of games on handheld game devices, fine art direction taken past big games, newer ways of creating realistic animation similar using motion capture such equally in Uncharted 2, etc. Visual effects are limited by hardware but the book does non have any commentary on the systems that run these games. So there's no context on what's possible and incommunicable with each new hardware releases. There's also cipher about creating game music. But I guess nosotros're talking about visual arts rather than the art form of games.

Gamers will await more than from the volume. It lacks the jiff and depth to encompass a discipline as vast as video games. It doesn't help when there are no compelling justification on why some game titles are included. Overall, a missed opportunity.

The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Homo to Mass Effect is available at Amazon (Us | CA | UK | DE | FR | It | ES | JP | CN) and Book Depository

The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect