What is your earliest gaming memory? I remember my brother playing "Pac-Man" on his C-64, but my favourite was "Bubble Bobble" and I remember playing that four hours, so we're talking about the mid-'80s here. Yet, historically the first commercially successful video game was a pioneering arcade game, Pong, that hit the market in 1972.
Things have radically changed in the last five decades, though, and now, thanks to advanced technology and Artificial Intelligence promising to give the chance even to NPCs to become more entertaining, you get amazing immersive experiences and you can live them on a wide range of consoles and platforms.
What is even more fascinating is the fact that the impact of games has extended beyond the gaming industry and has influenced contemporary art and visual culture. Several institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, began incorporating game collections in the early 2010s, but games and digital worlds also turned into the subjects of art exhibitions all over the world.
The latest is currently on at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Seoul, South Korea.
"Game Society" (until 10th September) looks at the profound influence of video games' language and aesthetics on contemporary art, visual culture, society, and our lives, marking their 50-year anniversary
Prompted also by the Covid-19 pandemic that pushed many of us to turn to video games to escape into a happier place or simply to look for human connections and interactions with remote players, the MMCA (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, South Korea) selected 9 games, some of them from the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, along with approximately 30 works by eight contemporary artists who have drawn inspiration from and were influenced by the language and aesthetics of video games. The exhibition is thoughtfully divided into three themes: "Artgame, Gameart," "World Beyond Worlds," and "Play Together, Stay Together."
"Game Society" also introduces artist Kim Heecheon's new, large-scale work "Cutter III" (2023) at Seoul Box, a space within the museum that hosts massive experimental, creative art installations and where visitors can interact and explore freely.
The artwork invites viewers to step into an open-world game that seamlessly blends the real-life museum space with the wonders of technology. Participants become characters in this virtual landscape, where the distinction between real and virtual space dissolves, and they are pushed to contemplate their identities and confront the enigma of existence (a trendy topic within the "Barbie" film as well; here visitors wonder "How do I truly exist in this intricate and interconnected world?" while Barbie asks herself through Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made for?").
The section "Artgame, Gameart" tackles the definition of "art game", pondering on games as a medium. The art community has increasingly turned its attention to exploring the intriguing relationship between art and video games, leading art museums to incorporate games from the gaming industry – a commercial sector – into their collections. This has sparked controversy in some cases, but has also pushed curators to think about the criteria that should guide the selection of games for museum exhibitions from the vast array of games available worldwide.
In this section of the exhibition German filmmaker and media artist Harun Farocki sheds light on the contrasting experiences we encounter in games compared to those in traditional video works. His thought-provoking works, Serious Games I-IV (2009–2010) and Parallel I-IV (2012–2014) explore image reproduction and the game experience through digital technology and offer insights into the distinct nature of gaming experiences and how they diverge from other visual mediums.
In his works, Farocki skillfully employs the technique of juxtaposing fragmentary images on multiple split screens, prompting the audience to engage in deep contemplation and reflection. In the" Parallel" series he analyses the relationship between reality and image, focusing on computer animation and tracing the evolution of computer-generated graphics, from rudimentary verticals and horizontals to the present day, where virtual worlds in computer games boast sophisticated and realistic movements. Farocki's series sheds light on an important aspect: despite the illusion of control, the person manipulating the game must adhere to the predefined rules set by the game developer. Furthermore, the avatar itself remains a passive entity, limited to acting according to the choices and intentions of the player.
American artist Cory Arcangel contributes to this discourse with the piece "Super Mario Movie" (2005), which crafts a new storyline and cinematic narrative by hacking a Nintendo Entertainment System Super Mario Brothers cartridge and recombining game elements.
Two decades after Nintendo introduced the Super Mario series, in 2005, Cory Arcangel extracted the graphics and soundtrack from the original "Super Mario Bros" cartridge, skillfully reassembling the screens and composing new background music to evoke a distinct atmosphere. The result was a mesmerizing piece that showcased Mario floating in the air amidst dizzying colors, accompanied by familiar yet occasionally unfamiliar tunes.
The genesis of this artwork can be traced back a few years earlier when Cory Arcangel collaborated with the chiptune artist collective called "Paper Rad" to create the renowned "Super Mario Clouds" version. In this prior work, the artist ingeniously hacked the original game, removing artificial elements such as bricks and people, leaving only the serene clouds behind. As technology advanced, the artist progressively deconstructed the game, leading to the concept of reassembling it into a movie-like experience.
Through this work Cory Arcangel raises questions about the notions of copying, imitation, and preservation (themes that are very important in the history of fashion as well as we all know, so, students reading this, please take note – can these three points help us making a connection between Cory Arcangel's modus operandi and fashion? In which ways? Come on, don't be lazy, think about it!)
Additionally, the inclusion of games from MoMA and Smithsonian Art Museum's collections like "flOw" (2007), "Flower" (2009), and "Halo 2600" (2010) in this section allows for a multifaceted examination of the intersection of gaming and contemporary art.
Games such as "flOw" and "Flower" were designed with the intention of creating aesthetically beautiful experiences that evoke emotional connections. By embracing digital technology, they break free from the violent and aggressive atmosphere that once dominated the gaming world in the late 2000s. As representative examples of "art games," they introduce a fresh and meaningful sensation to the gaming experience, transforming it into a captivating form of art (fashion design students, please take another note here – would it be possible to create a beautiful gaming experience inspired by fashion that could generate emotional connections rather than be just another advertising tool for a fashion house?)
"World Beyond Worlds" looks at the future and at new worlds through games: Lawrence Lek's "Nøtel" (Seoul Edition) (2023) builds a virtual world using game language and technology, while Jacky Connolly's video "Descent into Hell" (2021) employs graphics from games like "SimCity" to narrate stories of childhood trauma and alienation. Both the games showcase the limitless possibilities of the gaming world and offer unique perspectives on society.
Lek reimagined the corridor in the museum as a futuristic hospital lobby, drawing inspiration from the site's history as the former Armed Forces Seoul Center District Hospital. However, in this alternate reality, the hospital has transformed into an ultra-luxury hotel managed by the fictional "Norel Corporation." In this futuristic world, every aspect of the hospital-hotel is powered by advanced AI technology, replacing human labor with seamless automation. Through videos and mini-games lining the hallways, visitors gain insight into this AI-driven space and the services it offers. By using a game controller to interact with the installations, visitors are guided through the space by the voice of the CEO, revealing the delicate balance between an AI-driven world and the human experience.
Additionally, city building simulation "SimCity 2000" (1993) and the boundary-breaking Sandbox-genre game "Minecraft" (2011) highlight in this section the potential for creativity by expanding the boundaries of time and space and allowing users to contemplate political and strategic decisions for personal enjoyment.
The third part of the exhibition, "Play Together, Stay Together", explores the expanding virtual reality (VR) world, accelerated by the growing synchronization between games and society, while looking at the possibilities and limitations of social experiences within games. Ram Han's new VR work, "Tutorial: How to uninstall my twin sister" (2023), raises intriguing questions about interactive video games' impact on our actions and decisions and how they affect others.
This video installation unfolds as a captivating VR game, where the central character is a female student with an eye problem. Drawn into a clinical trial conducted by a private company, she becomes the protagonist of the narrative, akin to the perspective in a first-person console game. As viewers, we are taken on a journey, seamlessly transitioning between the exhibition space and the virtual game space.
Drawing inspiration from her own personal experiences and memories as a twin, Ram Han intricately weaves together elements of personal narrative and video games. Through the lens of the protagonist's story, the work explores the competitive nature of twin sisters and the complexity of their relationship. The boundaries blur between the personal and the virtual, as the narrative unfolds, prompting viewers to question the nature of reality and the multi-layered facets of human experiences.
Through the VR game format, viewers step into the life of the protagonist, immersed in her world and emotions and the game becomes a journey through identity, memory, and the intricacies of relationships, interwoven with elements of fiction and personal history.
Alongside this, interactive games like Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley's "She Keeps Me Damn Alive" (2021), Cory Arcangel's "/rodeo/ Let's Play: HOLLYWOOD" (2021), and Lu Yang's large-scale video installation series "The Great Adventure of Material World" (2020) explore further this issue and the complex dynamics of communal experiences. This section also features classics like "Portal" (2005-2007) and "Pac-Man" (1980) from MoMA's collection.
It is worth noting that the exhibition aims for inclusivity by supporting the showcased video games with the Gaming Accessibility Controller developed by the Korea National Rehabilitation Center Assistive Technology Open Platform (ATOP) and Microsoft's Adaptive Controller for Xbox, ensuring that all visitors can partake in immersive gameplay.
Besides, educational programs and interactive web games expand the exhibition's theme and create an engaging experience for visitors, providing them with fascinating connections between contemporary art and games.
In conclusion, there is a lot to see and experience in this exhibition that leaves you with a message: in our world that seems increasingly bleak, immersing oneself in the realm of video games and embracing the vibrant "game society" can offer a much-needed respite from the anxieties, fears and stresses of daily life.
