Jim Sterling of Destructoid wishes they would stop trying so hard. David Jaffee, creator of Twisted Metal and God of War, seems to want them to go away all together. Roger Ebert calls them pathetic. And a whole mess of us adore them and the impact that they have on our beloved medium.
Obviously, I’m talking about art games; video games that (most times) sacrifice elements like “gameplay” or “fun” in order to convey a message (whether obvious or hidden underneath a layer of pixels) or simply just to make you think. While I personally believe that there are titles sitting on the shelves of your local game store, surrounded by the plethora of mindless shooters and sports games, that are wholly deserving of the term “art,” it’s the aforementioned kind that usually receive the classification “art game.” They’re a hot topic amongst game writers and developers, and this brilliant indie game is a result of everyone’s discussion.
The developers, Peanut Gallery, call it a “zen relaxation game that celebrates the simple beauty of the natural world.” Sure. Please go play this game. If you care about the “games as art” debate, you’ll really get a kick out of this. You can download the game or play it in your browser over here:
http://peanutgallerygames.com/blog/games/pond/
While you’re there, poke around the site and check out the game Spectre!
(Spotted while lurking on Anthony Burch’s Twitter.)