Creativity and Innovation

In his article A Digital Renaissance: Video Games and Impressionism, John Gabriel makes an interesting comparison between today's video games and art. He says that video games are not the cutting edge revolutionary works of art that many people seem to think they are, and instead likens them to "traditional art of the mid to late nineteenth century."

"It may be hard to believe, but sitting here in the year 2002 in front of our TV and computer screens we are the modern day equivalent of the visitors to Paris's Salon in 1863. The artwork we see is being carefully chosen by people who are kind enough to decide for us what we like and don't like. We are being shielded from innovation and experimentation by critics and marketers."

The trend towards recycling successful game formulas and adding slight enhancements in the graphics and gameplay departments is somewhat disturbing. To what end will this take the video gaming industry? Will games totally devolve into bland and boring reproductions created primarily to satisfy the tastes of easy to please mainstream consumers? Gabriel believes they won't, and again looks towards 19th century art for answers to his reasoning. "These are conditions that drove artists in the late nineteenth century to impressionism and art was never the same again. Videogames are on this same path and we are just now beginning to see the first signs of our own rebirth and revival."

According to Gabriel, we are currently facing the dawn of new creative era in video gaming. Indeed, judging by a number of recently released titles, all hope is not lost, and there are a few developers out there who are willing to risk financial failure for the sake of creativity and genuine innovation in games. If this emerging trend is to continue, and the hardcore gaming community vigorously supports the games it spawns, then perhaps creative titles will begin to garner increasing attention in the market and force other developers and publishers stand up and take note, driving more publishers to allow developers the chance to let their creativity take over. One recently released game that has vast potential in helping to achieve this goal is Sega's Rez.