Over the years, games have evolved or been recreated in different forms of art. From the first ever game called “tennis for two” in October 1958 which later inspired the game Pong, to more modern games like Skyrim, cyberpunk or even shadow of tomb raider. Many games have improved the art form by creating a more life-like game. Each of these games became masterpieces in their own way, and with their design and visual fidelity they have elevated the art form.
Assassin’s creed is a long running game franchise with many installments, based on the premise of a technology that allows people to explore the memories of their ancestors as if they were there themselves. It is a series of 24 games, starting in 2007 and continuing to the present day, set all across the globe from London to Egypt to the Carribean to Imperial China. Assassin’s Creed:Unity is one of the biggest games of the saga, and a clear indication of how graphics can make a game more realistic, enhancing it as an artform. One of the biggest draws of the series is the developer’s efforts in mostly accurately recreating historical cities, with great attention to detail given to important buildings, such as Notre Dame Cathedral in Unity, The Duomo in II and the Pyramids of Giza in origins. Several recreations of real-life buildings featured in the game have so much detail put into them that it is almost indistinguishable from the real building. The creators of the game went to considerable effort to scan the locations they use and create a highly accurate 3D model featuring near every detail from the arches to the great stained glass window that is an iconic feature of the parisian cathedral. Another impressive aspect of the games is that the creators de-aged the building, looking over its history and making sure that it’s accurately represented for both the periods of 1163-1345 and 1789 during the revolution which fantastically demonstrates the building’s construction over the years. On the 15 of April 2019 when fires consumed Notre Dame, Ubisoft in a charitable gesture offered a helping hand to the reconstruction effort by making their models and scans available and thanks to the highly detailed design, they were able to recreate the whole interior. This in addition to donating a large sum of money, and making Assassin’s Creed: Unity free for a week so that people could see Notre Dame how it originally was.
Left image: Figure 1, “Paris, Notre Dame”, taken from streetview googlemaps.com Right image: Figure 2 “Unity” Taken from https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/apr/17/assassins-creed-creators-pledge-500000-notre-dame-restoration
Another good example of art in video games can be seen in the best selling title, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In the game, the player assumes the role of the mythical “Dragon Born”, a wandering individual with the power to consume the souls of immortal dragons, and through it learn to use their most potent magic: Shouting. Over the course of the game, the player explores the vast fantasy land contained within the game at their own pace, choosing when to progress the story, or going off and having small adventures in every corner of the map. While the game is set in another world with magic, dragons and mythical creatures, itcan at times seem almost real thanks to the extreme detail present,from heavy snow fall, to the burn marks left by lightning magic, to the simple feeling of freedom through exploration. This game is often beautiful and immersive enough to, on occasion, make the player feel like they are really there,, which is something games of the past could not generally do, as they were limited by the technology of their time. Improving even further upon the game’s immersion, it’s VR release and subsequent graphical improvements greatly improve the feeling of “there-ness” that it invokes. All this combined comes together to make a truly great piece of art.
Figure 3, “Mountain view” Image taken from: https://www.deviantart.com/ignis-et-ultio/art/Skyrim-Mountain-Landscape-1-364865165
Although the creation of most games involve a high level of creativity and dedication, several older games have been improved by graphical remasters, combining their timeless gameplay with updated graphics, making it more accessible for a whole new generation of gamers
By Steffan James Hendrick
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