To the question “Is the video game an art?”, opinions differ, at least among the general public. But it seems that institutions are settling the matter. Let us recall in this respect that the US Supreme Court officially recognised video games as a full art form in 2011, and that they entered the collections of the MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art) in New York in 2012. The Grand Palais in Paris also presented “A brief history of video games” in 2012. In 2016, the characters of “World of Warcraft: Legion” were displayed in XXL format on the façade of the venerable Bibliothèque Nationale de France, which, incidentally, organises the legal deposit of video games with a view to preserving heritage. And most recently, the very respectable Victoria and Albert Museum in London staged “Videogames: Design / Play / Disrupt”, an exhibition devoted both to the creative process in the development of a selection of video games and to the social issues raised by the world of video games.
Around fifteen contemporary video games, the exhibition first explored the creators’ work, from their visual, cinematic or literary references to the building of a universe specific to each game. Graphic studies, storyboards, motion capture* work for some games: this exhibition first of all paid tribute to the video game as an artistic object.
Then came social, ethical and philosophical questions: the place of women in the video game world (both in terms of how they are represented and how represented they are in this professional sector), the place of cultural and ethnic diversity, the place of violence, that of sex and sexual identity, the video game as an instrument of propaganda or, on the contrary, of subversion, economic models… Discussions, proposals, and the showcasing of innovative practices to shake up an industry which, although it conveys a disruptive image, is in fact deeply (even sadly…) faithful to a classic distribution of roles.
Curiously, in a museum devoted to the history of the arts, the history of video games was left out… The games chosen were linked directly – and only – to classic cinematic or pictorial references. Yet the history of video games is now rich enough to be a source of references and influences in its own right. Every new game is also part of this history being written, and is connected in one way or another to those that came before it.
Finally, it is a pity that the selection included, apart from “Splatoon”, no mainstream video game. In this field too, there would therefore be a divide between popular culture and elitist culture. Is it because the video game is still seeking its artistic legitimacy?
*This technique records the body movements and emotional expressions of real actors by means of a multitude of sensors, so as to model these movements and apply them to animated digital characters in order to obtain a precise and realistic rendering.
Medical director of the Hôpital de Jour pour Enfants André Boulloche in Paris, she works more particularly on the relationships young people have with screens, communication with young children, and autism.
