Video Games in Modern Culture & D.I.C.E. 2011

This past week was the 10th Design Innovate Communicate Entertain summit held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Each year the worlds best developers of video games and interactive entertainment meet at D.I.C.E. to discuss their trade. They don't go to pitch their newest game or advertise, they go to talk about the gaming industry, learn about the newest technologies, and discuss the future of gaming and it's applications in other aspects of life. The keynote speech was replaced by a panel of industry leaders Mike Morhaime, Bruce Shelley, Mark Cerny, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk all of whom have joined The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) Hall of fame. The winner of the this years Indie Game Challenge, a annual competition of the best independent game developer, was developer PlayDead, who received $100,000 in pize money, for their award winning puzzle platformer, LIMBO. Jane Mcgonigal, the writer of Reality is Broken, also gave a speech as to how gaming benefits gamers in the real world, providing boosts in confidence, improved problem solving skills, and being able to work better in a team. The leaps in technological advancements and gamings' increasing influence in the real world were also topics of discussion.

Are video games an art form? This is an often asked question. Many who grew up without video games dismiss them as trivial wastes of time. But the new Smithsonian Art of Video Games exhibition seems to dissagree. Even the law has sometimes come into conflict with video games as a form of free speech. In a recent case that has reached the Supreme Court, the state of California has made the sale of violent video games to minors illegal, fining stores who sell to minors as much as $1,000 per offense. Many have claimed this to be an unjust and unnecessary law as video games are categorized by, what many have claimed to be the most effective rating system, the ESRB. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board is responsible for the ratings of video games ranging from everyone to mature. Unlike explicit music and R rated movies, mature games are kept out of the hands of minors much more efficiently than any other form of media. While most movie theaters do not allow minors to view R rated films, it is not illegal and the movie theaters will not be fined. So how are video games any different? In a recent story by Fox News they claim that video games contribute to a growing rate of violent crimes, when in fact, the rate of crime has been decreasing over the past twenty years. That's not to say video games are responsible for either increase or decrease in crime. When confronted with the idea of video games as art, many people claim to not see the art in military shooters and the infamous Grand Theft Auto. First of all, not all games are good or inspirational just like not all movies are master pieces of cinema. Where is the art in films like "the Fast and the Furious"? Secondly, have any of those people ever played Grand Theft Auto? People think it just glorifies gang violence and drugs, when in fact it is about the sad story of an eastern European immigrant who is dragged into the world of crime to keep his family afloat and to achieve the "American Dream."

If asked "are video games art?" I not only say yes, I think they are sometimes the greatest art form. What other medium allows those who enjoy it to see the world as someone else? Or choose your own path through an interesting world of unlimited possibilities? Who could you identify more with, a character in a novel or film whose adventures you passively watch or a character who has helped you through countless obstacles and saved your "life" more times than you can count? Have you ever wanted to solve a murder, be a boxer, save the world from aliens, or simply live a life that isn't out of your control? Well all of this and more are possible through the interactive art form that is the world of video games.