Friday, May 16, 2014

Art & The Incorporation Of Gaming

By Robert Sutter


On the surface, one would imagine that gaming - in and of itself - is actually a form of art. It's not hard to see why, as there is a sense of creative direction put into place and I am sure that many would be able to agree with such a point. However, is it possible that video games can actually help those who want to get into certain types of art, drawing and painting included? As past experiences have shown us, I have to believe that this is very much the case.

There have been a number of video games that have helped those with penchants for art and I believe one of the earliest examples was, "Mario Paint." Released for the Super Nintendo back in 1992, it was one of the first video games which, I recall, came with a mouse and pad not unlike a computer. Basically, the game ran the gamut from digital drawing to animation. It also included a simple musical tool, which only helped to make it the perfect art introduction for gamers at that time.

It goes without saying that, with the more recent series known as "Art Academy," Nintendo did not stop in its artistic pursuits during the 90's. For those who are unfamiliar with "Art Academy," it is a video game series that included many art lessons, which is important for those who simply want to get their start on the matter. One of the elements that I have noticed was that Nintendo was able to make the games surprisingly accessible for newcomers. Then again, this is one of the reasons why Nintendo's series are able to appeal to many demographics.

If you think that Nintendo was the only company to set its sights on art, though, you would be mistaken. While this particular entity is not exactly as prominent as Nintendo, the uDraw gaming tablet is still a recent addition that deserves to have attention brought to it. It is clear that this was made to be more of an educational device, especially when given the fact that SpongeBob SquarePants and Marvel, to name a couple of entities, have had games of their own released with it. Nonetheless, it can potentially provide budding artists with a strong starting point.

I do not think that anyone can argue with the fact that video games and conventional art can come together. The examples mentioned before are just a few to consider and I do not think that anyone can argue with such a point, either. With titles like "Art Academy" being reasonably well-known in gaming today, perhaps you have given one or a few of these titles an attempt. For those who have not, perhaps they can prove more useful for your artistic endeavors than you could have imagined.




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