LIFE

4 video games that are also pieces of art

Diana Rojas September 22, 2018

286 3 minutes read

Here you will find a list of video games so beautiful and with a great artistic influence that you would not stop playing. One was named Best Video Game of the Year in 2012

For some years, many developers have released video games that can only be described as "pieces of interactive art". At least that is how the writer and journalist Keith Stuart referred to Journey of the company Thatgamecompany, which premiered in 2012, in an article for The Guardian. "It is art without all the baggage; it is art without a gallery, art without a critical elite telling you what it means or where it fits in to their esoteric pantheon."

Leer en español: 4 videojuegos que también son obras de arte

Without a doubt, this is a description that also applies to other games. These incorporate visual elements that can produce those feelings of the beautiful and the sublime of which Kant speaks in one of his essays, as well as other forms of artistic expression such as music and literature. For that reason, in LatinAmerican Post we present you four video games so beautiful and with a great artistic influence that you would not stop playing.

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Gis(2018)

In December of this year comes Gris, the first video game of the Spanish studio Nomada Studio, illustrated by Conrad Roset and with music by the Berlinist group. According to its website, "it is an experience free of danger, frustration or death". This video game tells the story of Gris, a young woman who begins a "journey through pain (that) manifests in her dress, which grants new skills to navigate better in her vanished reality".

With Gris you will immerse yourself in a universe that seems to have been painted with watercolors. In addition, the video game has a great visual and sound quality that evokes an animated film. This is one of those video games with such a delicate and beautiful aesthetic, that produce satisfaction just by seeing them and that relax you when playing them.

Abzu (2016)

In 2016 Abzu was released, a video game by the creators of Journey and developed by Giant Squid. According to Steam, a digital content distribution platform, this is "a beautiful underwater adventure that evokes the dream of diving. Immerse yourself in a vibrant world full of life and color and descend to the very heart of the ocean. But be careful, there are many dangers lurking in the depths."

Abzu is one of those games that, like Journey with the desert, evoke those feelings of the sublime that Kant talks about. This refers to that pleasure and terror generated by the immensity of the ocean, emotions that the video game can transmit. Both music and animation, and of course the colors, are important elements for the video game, because they create a very pleasant and dynamic visual and sound environment.

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Child of Light (2014)

Child of Light is a video game developed by Ubisoft, which was released in 2014. This is a game that seems to be taken from a fairy tale and that also evokes an animated film. According to its website, "you will play as Aurora, a pure-hearted young princess, whose soul is taken to the kingdom of Lemuria, embark on a mission to recover the three sources of light, defeat the Dark Queen and re-establish order in the kingdom of Lemuria."

This is a game with which you will embark on a universe full of children's magic, but that does not mean that it is a game just for children. In addition, according to a video published by the same video game development company, Child of Light is "inspired by the watercolors of the Golden Age of the Enlightenment. (…) It is a playable poem (…) A homage to the ancient paintings."

Journey (2012)

Journey of Thatgamecompany is a video game that was named Video Game of the Year in 2012, and that was winner of 5 BAFTA awards and 6 Game Developers Choice Awards in 2013. According to its website, this is a game in the that you can fly over the ruins and glide through the sands "while exploring the secrets of a forgotten civilization. With stunning visuals, disturbing music and a unique online game, Journey offers an unrivaled experience."

Journey is undoubtedly one of those video games that can only be described as works of art. From illustration to music, everything is an exquisite and sublime piece of art that the public can hear, see and touch in a much more personal experience that is not lived in a gallery or an art museum. "The passage will not be easy, but this experience of life will help you discover who you are, what this place is, as you reach your purpose."