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)
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 / 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 / Game, Game, Game, and again Game / Everybody Dies / Syberia / Real Lives (2001) / The Desolate Room / Iffermoon / :the game: / QWOP / raitendo's games (?) / You Find Yourself In A Room / depict1 / SOUP (2007, listed as TBA here)
a LOT of doujin games on FreeM
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/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/deiv/list/art-games-reaaallyin-progress/
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)
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)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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 / 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 / Game, Game, Game, and again Game / Everybody Dies / Syberia / Real Lives (2001) / The Desolate Room / Iffermoon / :the game: / QWOP / raitendo's games (?) / You Find Yourself In A Room / depict1 / SOUP (2007, listed as TBA here)
a LOT of doujin games on FreeM
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/
https://www.backloggd.com/u/deiv/list/art-games-reaaallyin-progress/
321 Games
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."
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.
https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-command-dave-theurer
https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/8/15/4528228/missile-command-dave-theurer
39 Comments
"Art games". Do you also drive an automobile car? Do you eat food pizza?
@HurtingOtherPPl Food Pizza is my favorite type of pizza.
Hi, I’d like to give some suggestions here if you don’t mind
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy (preferably VI, VII, IX, and X)
The Max Payne games
Symphony of the Night
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy (preferably VI, VII, IX, and X)
The Max Payne games
Symphony of the Night
Majora’s Mask and Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne too, can’t believe I forgot about those.
scott cawthon's The Desolate Room for sure, maybe Iffermoon too
:the game:
i'd argue qwop was radical enough to be considered part of the movement even if it ended up as a meme
raitendo has a ton of these kinds of games in his back catalogue but most of it is too parodical (i'm guessing that's why You Have To Burn The Rope isn't here?)
if the end of 2010 is the cutoff, You Find Yourself In A Room and depict1 have gotta be here
there are a LOT of these kinds of doujin games on FreeM, when i finally go on another igdb adding spree i'll lyk. SOUP (2007, listed as TBA here) is one of the ones on the site
:the game:
i'd argue qwop was radical enough to be considered part of the movement even if it ended up as a meme
raitendo has a ton of these kinds of games in his back catalogue but most of it is too parodical (i'm guessing that's why You Have To Burn The Rope isn't here?)
if the end of 2010 is the cutoff, You Find Yourself In A Room and depict1 have gotta be here
there are a LOT of these kinds of doujin games on FreeM, when i finally go on another igdb adding spree i'll lyk. SOUP (2007, listed as TBA here) is one of the ones on the site
oh, and DEFINITELY Paparazi (1997)
@inbox Thanks so much for the recommendations. I've been meaning to make some additions/updates to this list for a while. I'll definitely keep this in mind when I do so. Paparazzi wasn't even properly logged on IGDB/Backlog when I last updated this (no data/info), so I'm glad to see that's been updated.
walkingincircles (2002)
Rogueliker
9 months ago
Grim Fandango
Full Throttle
Day of The Tentacle
Psychonauts
System Shock 1 (2 is somewhat debatable)