Video Games: A Gateway to Art
Art is everywhere, by intention or not. It is almost impossible to look around and not find it, even more so now that the word art itself has been used in diverse contexts with different meanings. However, just because art is everywhere, that doesn’t mean that being exposed to it will automatically send you off on a quest to become a member of its world. No. There needs to be something, a catalyst, that leaves an impression on a person for them to want to participate in artistic crafts. For some people, this catalyst comes in the form of people they admire. Perhaps there was an uncle or cousin with artistic tendencies, and the person in question chose to emulate them out of admiration. For other artists, their origin story comes from direct interaction with artworks themselves. Maybe they were given an illustrated book, or they listened to a song that pulled at their heartstrings and they chose that that was what they wanted to do as a career or hobby. The origin story of every artist is a unique experience that is worth exploring when one wants to learn about the how’s and why’s of their craft. Such an understanding could even expand the way you see their art, catching details that were previously invisible to you. And in the hopes of becoming a more transparent artist, I will be sharing my origin story with you. I will relate how my journey into the world of art was influenced and shaped by videogames.
A Nintendo Entertainment System
It began with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). My first game was the classic Super Mario Bros. and I was ecstatic. Having control over someone else that jumped and ran, as opposed to my static toys and figurines, revolutionized the way I engaged with entertainment. I fell in love with video games ever since, and as I grew up, I played a great diversity of titles across several systems. At first, the enjoyment came from the gameplay and the colors, but with maturity, my interests changed. I began to pay closer attention to the elements that brought these games to life. The way music connected to specific scenes, and the art within the animation frames became key-points for me to explore. By falling in love with videogames, I fell in love with art. At some point, I was pretty adamant about my game selection. I chose specific genres that spoke to me, and eventually, identified the titles that embedded in me the desire to create. Games like Monster Hunter, The Legend of Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, and Jak & Daxter led me to the decision that I wanted to be an artist. But it wasn’t enough for me to say that I wanted to be an artist in general. My passions were focused in writing, music and visual arts.
As with many artists, my entry into the world of art came with adversity, which led to me having to study something more “lucrative”. However, my love for videogames never waned. I kept playing in my free time, and when I decided to keep working on my art, I used them as a tool for research and inspiration. Like any beginning, my early work was obviously derivative of games, but I managed to develop my own style and kept at it. My circle kept discouraging me, with exceptions of course, but I already knew what I wanted, and it was all thanks to the games I played.
Today, I barely have time to play games or keep in touch with what’s hot and what’s not. But I still make some time to have fun and, more importantly, to take ideas from new and old titles. It may not be the way other artists began their journey, but it certainly isn’t the “wrong” way. It worked for me, and surely it has worked for others. At the end of the day, the “right” method or thing that gets you moving towards becoming the a better version of yourself is more than enough, and that is all we need to get started.
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