The Art of Video Gaming

by Burbie52, HSM team writer

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

This axiom is so old that most of us don’t even know where it came from, yet it rings true still today. We all find things in this life that we find particularly moving and beautiful. Scenery, wildlife, fauna, people, any number of things can capture our hearts and minds with their incredible beauty. Art is one of these things, too; no matter which type of art suits your taste, we all have a love for it.

Art has been around since the beginnings of mankind. Even the ancients felt the need to create things to depict their environment and experiences — everything from simple cave drawings made with charcoal to the wonderful crafted gold and stone images of many different cultures have been discovered all over the world. Man just has a desire to express the beauty that he sees around him or within him; art is as much a part of us being human as music and dance is, and like them we all have our preferences.

For me, it is landscapes; I simply adore them, and always have.  They can take me to places I will never see or imagine. I like to dabble at drawing them myself using colored chalk and hard watercolors mostly, though I haven’t done that so much in recent years. I am more of a realist when it comes to my tastes in art for the most part, though I occasionally see something different I enjoy.

journeyWith the advent of computer graphics, a whole new kind of art has arisen to add to this enormous array of beauty. Computer art can be totally mesmerizing; though I am not one for abstract art, I love many of the fractal art pieces I have come across on the internet. I met someone in Home who draws amazing fractal art pieces. The art found in video gaming is no exception to this category either, I have found many games recently that blow me away with the artistic renderings they supply.

Some are very simple but are made to set a particular mood within the game; Journey is a great example of this, a story so simple that is greatly enhanced by the majestic beauty of the surrounding scenes as you progress through the game. In a way, the art in the game becomes the focus as you progress, and it is a wonderful experience.

My current love is Final Fantasy XIV, and it is full of fantastic artwork. Since I have a love for landscapes I have been collecting pictures of some of the places I have seen, places that boggle the mind and touch the heart. They are a feast for your eyes as you travel this fantasy world and they enhance your journey through it greatly. Sometimes as I ride around on one of my mounts I will be struck by a place I am passing and stop to stare in wonder at it. I find it hard to believe that people can make these incredible pieces of art with a computer. I couldn’t draw anything near it with the mediums I use.

Sometimes I think we get too caught up in the fighting and whatever else we do in our games to stop and smell the roses, though in this case it should be to stop and enjoy your surroundings. Even games that are made to be shooters and other genres have incredible art within them if you take the time to look at them. The realistic renderings of even the smallest blade of grass and all of the other minute details should set your senses reeling as you try to take in all of what you are seeing.

The creators of these artistic endeavors should be applauded for the work they do to make us such amazing works of art to walk through and enjoy. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; if that is the case, then the following video I put together should speak volumes.

Those images are just a sampling of what I see in this game every day. If you play it, you know what I mean — and I hope you are taking the time to really look around you and enjoy the splendor of the moments. Square Enix recently added a new minigame to enjoy, and it has to do with completing a sightseeing log. I think they are trying to encourage us to do just that: enjoy the game in a whole new way. They have added a twist to it, though: they give you hints as to where to go and see certain things, but you not only have to find the place, you have to see it at a certain time of day or in a certain weather condition. They don’t come right out and say where, either; you have to literally read between the lines in the instructions they give. It is a true puzzle waiting to be finished.

The next time you play a game, take some time to look around; I think you will be surprised.

June 26th, 2014 by | 6 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.

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6 Responses to “The Art of Video Gaming”

  1. Jersquall says:

    I ALWAYS take time to see the art in games. Makes me enjoy the game more.

  2. NorseGamer says:

    Final Fantasy VIII. The Orphanage.

    To me, that’s art. It hits me on an emotional level that few video games have ever touched.

  3. ted2112 says:

    The Sunleth Waterscape level in FF13 stopped me in my tracks. I was sad the level was over it was so amazing.

    I agree with you about Journey. The art of Matt Nava took art in gaming to a whole new level!

  4. Godzprototype says:

    Looking at the way a team of artist go about presenting an interactive environment is really what brings me to play and explore any game. LOOT and Lockwood really have me with Home.

    I could write a list a few miles long about art I enjoyed interacting with. People have their own imaginations.

    FFXIV looks amazing! Excellent video Burbz. 8)

  5. Danger_Dad says:

    :^/ This has been so for as long as the hardware has truly allowed it. I recall ICO on the PS2 when it was new. Very moody and atmospheric. It broke new ground in that regard.

    ;^) Two console generations later, the potential for graphics is that much more amazing, of course. I look forward to seeing what is to come.

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