Issue 27 07.15.2011
Virtual Worlds and the Collapse of Metaphor
Human beings desire frameworks. The birth of language, both written and spoken, was driven by our need to create a framework for our thoughts, a common scaffolding upon which we can share our ideas, and a way for us to understand each other. Human beings also desire tools. This desire drove the birth of modern technology […]
Agency in Video Games
Video games, when designed in a robust way, create a rich system of interactivity that empowers players. Through exploration and play, they develop a sense of their own agency within that system and, in some cases, a sense of the inner workings of that system: how it functions and their ability to change it. To perceive both the reaches and limits of interactive player power is […]
Cinema of Video Games
Video games are a multimedia mosaic in their approach to storytelling. Video game artists incorporate elements, in varying degrees, from literature, illustration, theater, and film in all games with a narrative. Games have the potential to merge a number of strengths from these various formats without being bound by their individual limitations. As with literature, video game artists use prose and language to describe worlds, characters, […]
Enslaved Interactivity
It should be self-evident that video games are a natural medium for activism. They free players from the patriarchal and infantilizing structure of the artist/audience hierarchy, giving the players active roles in forming the video game narratives. No longer are players passive recipients of the vision and knowledge of the artist–since when were artists supposed to be listened […]
The Art of Tammy Mike Laufer
The Art of Tammy Mike Laufer “My works and video arts are similar to mental puzzles, where you can travel from one point to another by analyzing a picture’s symbolic objects. There is always something for the observer to discover. “ Tammy Mike Laufer is an Israeli contemporary artist who creates hybrid digital art. She […]
The Art of Sharon Paz
A merry-go-round of scenes that offer only excerpts of action, without developing any clear narrative or suspense. This strategy also runs through artist Sharon Paz’s performances, theatrical installations, and video works. Scene one: silhouettes of a high-rise building skyline by night, blue smoke clouds, and a small group of people with Mickey Mouse ears who […]