Exploring Interactive Art as a Game Designer

When I was much younger, I was always found wandering off in my own fantasy - imagining silly stories and adventures with my small collection of toys. And I believe it was that inherent sense of wonder and curiosity that seemed to spark my initial interest in video games, they seemed to inspire that same feeling. There is just simply an endless array of worlds to be explored in video games and there is many more on their way.

In my case, as a game designer, an artist and avid daydreamer, I've always been intrigued by a game's world and aesthetics - but also how those aspects compliment the mechanics or story.

As many people already know, the games industry is quickly becoming a popular area of interest and is showing little to no signs of stopping at all. The global gaming market is expected to reach a value of over 350 billion AUD over the next 5 years, with many developers - both large and small - working to bring their best games to the table (Research and Markets, 2020). Amidst all the other people developing their own games, the main challenge then is in the ability to stand out and innovate.

So how are games related to Interactive Art?

Interactive art is a piece of artwork that invites the audience to take part and contribute to its purpose and/or outcome. Whether that is to involve the audience in the creation process, or if it is to allow the person to become part of and experience the artwork itself, interactive art leaves much to the imagination. It's an open-ended medium that lets you find meaning for yourself through exploration (Lee, 2016).

Exploratorium in San Fransisco, California

In this sense, depending on your interpretation, video games can be considered a form of interactive art - a piece that you interact with through the use of a game console or PC. The player is given the opportunity to form their own meaning (of the game) and is oftentimes directly affecting the final outcome.

What can I learn from this?

A video game doesn't always need strict goals or a distinctive endpoint and it's not always necessary to explain all the details to a player. Giving someone room to discover the purpose of a game can be just as powerful.

References Used:

Lee, P. (2016, August 16). How Does Interactive Art Create Meaning? Retrieved from Widewalls: https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/interactive-art-meaning

Research and Markets. (2020, June). Gaming Market - Growth, Trends, Forecasts (2020 - 2025). Retrieved from Research and Markets: https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/4845961/gaming-market-growth-trends-forecasts-2020?utm_source=dynamic&utm_medium=CI&utm_code=z9pn6k&utm_campaign=1378208+-+Global+Gaming+Industry%3a+Growth%2c+Trends+and+Forecast+2020-2025&utm_exec=joca220cid