This is going to go the long way around the barn, but trust me, there’s a point to all this.
For the sake of this article, we’re going to assume that video games are art. This isn’t a debate on the subject–this isn’t the time or place. So, if you’re the type to take issue with that statement, you may want to check out of the article here, because we’re only going to go further down the rabbit hole with what’s coming next.
Still here? Ok, great–let’s dive into it. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It is influenced by the time it was created in, along with it’s surroundings. One of the problems I’ve noticed with video games as a medium, is that they rarely comment on modern society. Sure, there’s the occasional Papers, Please or even some of the overt satire found in GTA , but games are rarely ever about anything modern or relevant to society. For example, let’s look at the film Network.
At the time of its release in the mid-70’s, Network seemed like a farce. People saw it as pessimistic and wholly impossible. And yet, it was more prophetic than anyone gave it credit for. Network predicted the rise of reality television, media celebrities, and the corruption of journalism in all forms while at the same time presenting a scathing commentary on modern society. It noted how damaged the current generation was, and how they would birth a new generation of people who were even more damaged and dependent on television (these days the internet) for their information and connection to the outside world.
If games are art, we need a game that does something similar. No small feet, I know, but we need visionaries and pioneers willing to take us down uncomfortable paths we’ve never seen or thought of. I’d say we’ve started off on the right foot with some of the releases coming out of the indie scene, but we’ve still got a ways to go. Fingers crossed we get there.