What is "art game"

n. (context video games English) A video game designed to convey an aesthetic and provoke a reaction, rather than to provide a traditional diversion with set goals.

An art game (or arthouse game) is a work of interactive new media digital software art as well as a member of the "art game" subgenre of the serious video game. The term "art game" was first used academically in 2002 and it has come to be understood as describing a video game designed to emphasize art or whose structure is intended to produce some kind of reaction in its audience. Art games are interactive (usually competitive against the computer, self, or other players), and they are the result of artistic intent by the party offering the piece for consideration. They also typically go out of their way to have a unique, unconventional look, often standing out for aesthetic beauty or complexity in design. The concept has been extended by some art theorists to the realm of modified (" modded") gaming when modifications have been made to existing non-art-games to produce graphic results intended to be viewed as an artistic display, as opposed to modifications intended to change game play scenarios or for storytelling. Modified games created for artistic purposes are sometimes referred to as " video game art."

Art games are often considered a means of demonstrating video games as works of art.

There are several ways in which the field of art intersects with video games.

The term art game is often used in the following contexts:

• Video games as art - The concept of video games as a form of art
• Art game - Art house video games that emphasize art over gameplay or that primarily serve as a medium to make artistic statements

The term game art is often used in the following contexts:

• Video game art - Art made from or related to video games (e.g. physical sculptures, game mods, game-based operas, etc.) and art created using non-game games (like paint programs or music creation software)
• Game art design - Traditional art within the video game
  • Video game graphics - Graphical art within video games
  • Video game music - Music within video games
  • Game design#Narrative - Storytelling within video games