Art Games Have Always Existed

While "art games" and the idea that games have artistic value have become more popular in recent years, it isn't a new concept. For as long as video games have existed, there have been outliers and oddities that aimed to be artistic, literary, political, or just outside of the usual expectations of what games are. Some are good, some are bad, all are interesting artifacts of the medium's history. The list specifically uses 2010 as a cut-off date, as by that point the concept of "art games" was well established.

Suggestions/recommendations are appreciated, so long as they are from 2010 or earlier.

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Some notes:
This is adapted from a YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRmMOveppLGPAZZdzY5zCZab5fqj1v_tl

However, there are a few games on the playlist that are not yet listed on Backloggd. I will add them to the list once they're in the database. These include:
LOST SHEEP 4月~6月の物語 (1996) [Dante 98 RPG Maker game]
Lorna (1979-1983)
Paparazzi (1997, Galaxy Games)
Zenn (1998, Galaxy Games)

Additionally, here are some games not included either in the playlist or this list:
Deep Contact (1984, Lynn Hershman Leeson)
Uncle Roger (1986)
P.R.E.S.T.A.V.B.A. (1988)
Ginga no Uo: Ursa Minor Blue (1994, Macintosh)
Font Asteroids (1999, Esc to Begin)
Lullaby for a Dead Fly (2000)
Screen (2002)
Average Shoveler (2004, Carlo Zanni)
Alison Mealey's art made in the Unreal Engine

Games not on the YouTube playlist:
The Fire Tower (2004)

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Games I've considered adding to the main list:
I’m Sorry (1985) / Pu Li Ru La / D / Germs / Shenmue / The Silver Case / deSpiria / Jellyfish: The Healing Friend / Flower, Sun, and Rain / Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest / N.U.D.E.@ Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment / Katamari Damacy / Rule of Rose / Contact / Odama / bit Generations series / Endless Ocean / A Blurred Line (2000) [RPG Maker 2000] / The Line Narrows (2001) [RPG Maker 2000] / Anchorhead / Evocation: La Sfida (Evocation: The Challenge) (1993) / Heatseeker [C64] / Higurashi / Live a Live / Rags to Riches [C64] / Ace Combat 3 / Echoshift (2009) / Progress Quest (2002) / Sword of Kumdor / Funny Pizza Land / Anyworld by Acord games (1992) / La La Land series by Biggt (2006) / Quite Soulless by Vasily Zotov (2008) / Space Spy by Vasily Zotov (2009) / Refugee the Second Hearing by Vasily Zotov (2010) / Vanitas by Tale of Tales (2010) / The Terrible Whiteness of Appalachian Nights (2010) / Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors / Dwarf Fortress / Terranigma / Drakengard / Umineko / ActRaiser / Abenteuer Europa / Silent Hill 2 / XenoSaga / NationStates / Shattered Union / The Fourth Protocol / Active Worlds (1995) / Subete ga F ni Naru (2002) / Can Your Pet (2009) / Alice Is Dead series (2009-2010) / Ever17: The Out of Infinity (2002)/ Feel the Magic: XY/XX (2004) / Notpron (2004) / Penumbra (2006) / Drawn to Life series (2007-2009) / Super Chick Sisters & New Super Chick Sisters (2007-2009) / Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals (2008) / You Have to Burn the Rope (2008) / Lit (2009) / Little Wheel (2009) / Scribblenauts & Super Scribblenauts (2009-2010) / Super Press Space To Win Action RPG 2009 (2009) / You Only Live Once (2009) / Ad Verbum / Basho's Frogger / Achievement Unlocked / Tradewinds Odyssey (?) / Game, Game, Game, and again Game / Everybody Dies / Syberia / Real Lives (2001)

https://www.backloggd.com/u/MendelPalace/list/50-years-of-text-games-from-oregon-trail-to-ai-dungeon/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/jakobvongunten/list/xyzzy-award-winners/

Six Micro Stories
Six Micro Stories
Local Call for Death
Local Call for Death
Two Heads of the Coin
Two Heads of the Coin
His Majesty's Ship Impetuous
His Majesty's Ship Impetuous
Dragons of Hong Kong
Dragons of Hong Kong
Missile Command
Missile Command
Despite the vague sci-fi backstory, the game was specifically influenced by the nuclear anxieties of the Cold War. The game was originally going to be called "Armageddon," but management didn't think anyone would know what the word meant.

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https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-command-dave-theurer
Zork
Zork
The Prisoner
The Prisoner
Warpitout
Warpitout
Prisoner 2
Prisoner 2
Alien Garden
Alien Garden
Lifespan
Lifespan
Beyond the Tesseract
Beyond the Tesseract
Mike Builds a Shelter
Mike Builds a Shelter
Suspended
Suspended
Worms?
Worms?
Moondust
Moondust
The Portopia Serial Murder Case
The Portopia Serial Murder Case
I, Robot
I, Robot
An early example of polygonal gaming. Mainly here due to "Doodle City" mode, "... a self-styled “ungame” where the player is tasked with doing nothing more than drawing things on the screen using the objects from the videogame as brushes, for when you’re burned out with mass destruction."
Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Okhotsk ni Kiyu
Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin: Okhotsk ni Kiyu
Deus Ex Machina
Deus Ex Machina
Mindwheel
Mindwheel
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Below the Root
Below the Root
Illusions
Illusions
Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451
A Mind Forever Voyaging
A Mind Forever Voyaging
Master of the Lamps
Master of the Lamps
The Dolphin's Pearl
The Dolphin's Pearl
Minton Keibu no Sousa File Doukeshi Satsujin Jiken
Minton Keibu no Sousa File Doukeshi Satsujin Jiken
The original PC-88 release specifically, circa 1985.
Web Dimension
Web Dimension
Balance of Power
Balance of Power
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Alter Ego
Alter Ego
Little Computer People
Little Computer People
Timothy Leary's Mind Mirror
Timothy Leary's Mind Mirror
Moonmist
Moonmist
The Ultimate Challenge from Beat Takeshi
The Ultimate Challenge from Beat Takeshi
Movie
Movie
Portal
Portal
Trinity
Trinity
The Sentinel
The Sentinel
La femme qui ne supportait pas les ordinateurs
La femme qui ne supportait pas les ordinateurs
iD
iD
Mind Walker
Mind Walker
The Warden Game
The Warden Game
The Colony
The Colony
Freedom: Rebels in the Darkness
Freedom: Rebels in the Darkness
Casablanca ni Ai wo: Satsujinsha wa Jikuu o Koete
Casablanca ni Ai wo: Satsujinsha wa Jikuu o Koete
Méwilo
Méwilo
Otocky
Otocky
Trust and Betrayal: The Legacy of Siboot
Trust and Betrayal: The Legacy of Siboot
Zaum Gadget
Zaum Gadget
Captain Blood
Captain Blood
Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse
The Manhole
The Manhole
38 Man Kilo no Kokuu File 1: A Day in the Life of 2049
38 Man Kilo no Kokuu File 1: A Day in the Life of 2049
Hidden Agenda
Hidden Agenda
3 In Three
3 In Three
Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel
Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel
Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle
Caper in the Castro
Caper in the Castro
Kult: The Temple of Flying Saucers
Kult: The Temple of Flying Saucers
Tao
Tao
Loom
Loom
Knights of the Crystallion
Knights of the Crystallion
Balance of the Planet
Balance of the Planet
Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition
Balance of Power: The 1990 Edition
Afternoon, a story
Afternoon, a story
ZZT
ZZT
Myst
Myst
Another World
Another World
Otogirisou
Otogirisou
Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo
Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo
The Madness of Roland
The Madness of Roland
Top Banana
Top Banana
Boppin'
Boppin'
J. J. Squawkers
J. J. Squawkers
Kamaitachi no Yoru
Kamaitachi no Yoru
Ihatovo Monogatari
Ihatovo Monogatari
Cosmology of Kyoto
Cosmology of Kyoto
Gadget: Invention, Travel & Adventure
Gadget: Invention, Travel & Adventure
Shining Flower: HikaruHana
Shining Flower: HikaruHana
Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse
Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse
Xplora 1: Peter Gabriel's Secret World
Xplora 1: Peter Gabriel's Secret World
The Seven Colors: Legend of Psys City
The Seven Colors: Legend of Psys City
Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou
Eastern Mind: The Lost Souls of Tong Nou
Alice: An Interactive Museum
Alice: An Interactive Museum
MazeBrew
MazeBrew
L-Zone
L-Zone
SimHealth
SimHealth
The Residents: Freak Show
The Residents: Freak Show
Prince Interactive
Prince Interactive
Commander Blood
Commander Blood
Panic!
Panic!
RenderOrgan
RenderOrgan
Kamikuishiki-mura Monogatari
Kamikuishiki-mura Monogatari
The Residents' Bad Day on the Midway
The Residents' Bad Day on the Midway
The Saboten Man
The Saboten Man
The Museum of Anything Goes
The Museum of Anything Goes

35 Comments


2 years ago

Do good art games exist yet

2 years ago

yeah, takeshis challenge
I added Web Dimension,iD,The Madness of Roland,Shining Flower,Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse,Ultra Resort Keroncuel,MindGym,Incarnatia,Escape From Woomera,Darfur Is Dying and September 12th to database.
And The Saboten Man is arleady in database.
Added Warpitout, Laurie Anderson's Puppet Motel, ScruTiny in the Great Round, Pink Gear Collection and Mission Sunlight to database
Added Lifespan, Mike Builds a Shelter, Trigger Happy, The Intruder, Tropical America, Pac-Mondrian and Rendition to database.
I suggest adding The Marriage, Coil, Aether and Gravity Bone to the list.
And also Passage
Here are some more games that I think would fit this list.
Kamikuishiki-mura Monogatari (Not sure about this), Connections (Not sure about this), Aisle , McDonald's Video Game, Against all odds (Not sure about this), Soviet Unterzoegersdorf: Sector I, Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, Yume 2kki, Mondo Agency, Hush (2008), Soviet Unterzoegersdorf: Sector II, Gravitation, Between, The Graveyard, OFF (Not sure about this), Akrasia, Braid, BRAINPIPE: A Plunge to Unhumanity, The Void, Every Day the Same Dream, Fatale, .flow, Flower
Here are a few more
Seaman 2, The Museum of Anything Goes (Not sure about this),Full Pipe, Outcry
Here are few more. Again.
Amusement Planet Phantasmagoria, Worlds.com, The Quest For The Rest, flOw, PixelJunk Eden, Machinarium
Added "Afternoon, a story", Necrobius, Popol Maya, Wordimagesoundplay, The Warden Game and Foobar Versus the DEA
And Six Micro Stories is arleady in database.
Recommend adding :
PainStation (2001)
Horde of Directors (2004)
Okami (2006)
The Night Journey (2007)
Echochrome (2008)
This comment was deleted
Recommendations (Chronologically only by year, not by month & day):
J.J. Squawkers (1993)
robotfindskitten (1997)
Xenogears (1998)
Bad Milk (2000)
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
Mother 3 (2006)
Global Conflicts: Palestine (2007)
Revenge Of the Sunfish (2007)
Global Conflicts: Latin America (2008)
The Majesty of Colors (2008)
I wish I were the Moon (2008)
A.V.G.M. (2009)
And Yet It Moves (2009)
Don't Look Back (2009)
Guru Meditation (2009)
Blueberry Garden (2009)
Judith (2009)
Windosill (2009)
Air Pressure (2009)
The Path (2009)
Deadly Premonition (2010)
Limbo (2010)
Take a Walk (2010)
Norrland (2010)
Coma (2010)
Cow Clicker (2010)
Thomas Was Alone (2010)
The Infinite Ocean (2010)
One Chance (2010)
Added: Patchwork Girl, left to my own devices, SOD (by JODI), Untitled Game (by JODI), Everything I Do is Art, But Nothing I Do Makes Any Difference, Part II, Queue, The Nerve Game
Recommendations: ArsDoom (1995), Loved (2010), Hummingbird Mind (2010), A House in California (2010)

1 year ago

Amazing list! Thank you for making this!

1 year ago

Scorn should be here

1 year ago

Scorn would probably be included if I was including games from the present day, but I have a cut-off date of 2010 for this list since the main point was to highlight "art games" that came before the term was widely accepted and indie games had a wider audience.

1 year ago

What about Live a Live and Higurashi? I think they would be good in this list.

I would say Hotline Miami too but it came out in 2012.

1 year ago

Hotline Miami is definitely too late to be included, but I'll give the other two some thought. Thanks for the suggestions!

1 year ago

I am going to suggest a list of games, I think they would be good in this listing

Terranigma
Drakengard
Umineko
ActRaiser
Abenteuer Europa
Silent Hill 2
XenoSaga
NationStates
Shattered Union

1 year ago

maybe ace combat 3?

1 year ago

@tarnkappe why ace combat 3? no offense the question just makes me curious

1 year ago

i believe the game's art style and atmosphere has artistic value

1 year ago

Hong Kong 97 is truly the pinnacle of the medium as an artistic expression

10 months ago

woahhhhb :oo thank u so much for this !!!

9 months ago

This comment was deleted

9 months ago

A few suggestions:
Active Worlds (1995)
Real Lives (2001)
Subete ga F ni Naru (2002)
Bars of Black and White (2009) - Not on IGDB
Can Your Pet (2009)
Alice Is Dead series (2009-2010)

9 months ago

Some more game suggestions in my head:
Ever17: The Out of Infinity (2002)
Feel the Magic: XY/XX (2004)
Notpron (2004)
Penumbra (2006)
Drawn to Life series (2007-2009)
Super Chick Sisters & New Super Chick Sisters (2007-2009)
Cooking Mama: Mama Kills Animals (2008)
You Have to Burn the Rope (2008)
Lit (2009)
Little Wheel (2009)
Scribblenauts & Super Scribblenauts (2009-2010)
Super Press Space To Win Action RPG 2009 (2009) - Not on IGDB
You Only Live Once (2009)
Art Academy (2010)

9 months ago

Thanks for the recommendations @meowthed25! I'm gonna be doing some updates to this list soon and I'll definitely consider adding these. Some of them definitely fit the bill!

7 months ago

amazing list!!!


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