Abstract:
This essay will explore the existing definitions of art games that are currently being
used in the art game/art mod genre. It will identify the leading theorists within the
field, and take into account their definitions whilst at the same time establishing a
set of categories within which can be defined the dominant trends in the
development of the field. It will also situate art games within an historical context,
both within the commercial computer game field as well as the digital art field and
attempt to establish some sort of timeline within which we can see the development
and emergence of art games in relation to these two disciplines. Two examples of
art games, both from different categories will be examined and critiqued in the
context of Artistic Computer Game Modification – A 3D game called Escape From
Woomera and an art mod or patch called SOD. The art game as an entity will be
examined in relation to ideas of the ‘interactive’ and ‘play’, and the implications and
potential for fine art practice will be investigated.
