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This Art Exhibition on Video Games Breaks You Out of Your Comfort Zone

MargaretGames2025-07-0379915

As I wandered through the exhibition Difference Machines: Technology and Identity in Contemporary Art, my mind felt like it had been hit by several lightning strikes. This exhibition, currently at Chicago’s Wrightwood 659 gallery, showcases the work of 17 artists who have been working in digital spaces for decades, focusing on how the digital world has impacted our collective sense of identities, from race and gender to the surveillance state.

But what struck me were the artists using video games in their work. For decades, debates have raged over the role of video games in society: Are they art? Are they dangerous? Meanwhile, artists have been using video games in their work. Some artists create actual video games; others record films within a video game, creating movies called machinima.

Various artists have staged artistic interventions within games, and others still have used video game references in their art. And then there is the whole genre of fan art. And of course, there are video games that are art themselves.

However, it has taken the art establishment some time to catch up. Tina Rivers Ryan, curator of the exhibition and the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, explains by email that for digital art as well as video game art, “the art world continues to struggle with finding the aesthetic or cultural value (let alone market value) in digital art more broadly.” There are challenges with displaying video game art since “you have to consider questions that don’t come up with traditional artwork: What’s the appropriate scale for the work? Should the experience be individual or collective, private, or public?” Ryan says.

Slowly but surely, some institutions are starting to recognize the artistic value of video games. Notably, the Museum of Modern Art in New York has had at least two exhibitions (including the 2022-2023 exhibition Never Alone) on video games and began acquiring games in its collection in 2012, focusing on the design aspect. It has 36 video games in its archives and is aiming to get 40.

So the jury is in. Video games can be art. The better question now is how contemporary artists can and are using video games in their work.

In and Out of Your Comfort Zone

A.M. Darke, exhibiting artist and associate professor of art and design for games and playable media at UC Santa Cruz, explains that one of the powerful aspects of video games is that they “invest you as a participant and an agent in those stories.” You don’t just witness or consume games, especially interactive ones. You actively make choices in the game.

Darke plays with the “magic circle” of games in his art. The magic circle is a safe container where “certain things can happen that do not impact you.” For instance, if you see a friend play Grand Theft Auto, you don’t assume they will kill people and steal cars in the real world. “But I design pieces that intentionally break the magic circles, so that the actions you take in the game, the experiences, [the knowledge and perspectives] you're confronted with, is something that remains with you.”

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Haven

This video game-themed art exhibition is a compelling invitation to escape the mundane and engage with pixels in new, thoughtful ways. It truly breaks down barriers between reality & imagination.

2025-07-03 17:11:29 reply
Bea

ThisArt Exhibition on Video Games is a poignant and immersive experience that effortlessly pushes past its visitors' comfort zones, challenging assumptions about the artistry of gaming.

2025-07-07 13:34:50 reply
Bodhi

This Art Exhibition on Video Games transcends the boundaries of cumberland, inviting visitors to escape their comfort zones and explore an unconventional dialogue between technology's aesthetics & its impact.

2025-07-07 13:35:05 reply
Pearl

The video game-themed art exhibition successfully nudges viewers into their comfort zone's boundaries, fostering an immersive and thoughtful exploration of our digital realms.

2025-07-09 03:10:58 reply
Brady

The Art Exhibition on Video Games brilliantly crosses the threshold of conventional gaming experiences, propelling visitors out into imaginative realms that challenge their comfort zones and inspire new perspectives.

2025-07-09 03:11:13 reply
Celeste

This art exhibition on video games is a thrilling deviation from the norm, masterfully crafted to anticipate and challenge conventional limits of comfort.

2025-07-09 03:11:28 reply
Perry

This Art Exhibition on Video Games is a masterful disruption, taking viewers out of their comfort zones with innovative installations that challenge preconceptions about digital entertainment.

2025-07-10 02:46:49 reply
Calliope

This art exhibition showcasing video games shatters the boundaries of comfort, propelling visitors into new territories where imagination meets innovation in unexpected ways.

2025-07-10 02:47:04 reply
Faith

This Art Exhibition on Video Games is an immersive experience that effortlessly challenges viewers' perceptions, transporting them outside their comfort zones and igniting a dialogue about the deeper meanings beneath pixelated screens.

2025-07-10 02:47:19 reply
Marcellus

This Art Exhibition on Video Games is a refreshing escape from our gaming comfort zones, forcing us to confront the artistry and complexity hidden beneath pixels.

2025-07-14 16:18:34 reply
Calvin

This art exhibition on video games truly transcends the realm of局限于—it leaves us stepping out comfort zones, delivering an unparalleled immersive experience.

2025-07-14 16:18:49 reply
Patrick

This video game art exhibition does an excellent job of pushing boundaries, encouraging a taste beyond the comfort zone and fostering new perspectives on our beloved digital worlds.

2025-07-20 02:15:07 reply
Ariya

This Art Exhibition on Video Games reshapes perspectives and extricates viewers from their familiar comfort zones, offering a stimulating exploration into the uncharted expanses of our digital imagination.

2025-07-20 02:15:21 reply
Kyro

This art exhibition on video games truly subverts logic and pushes boundaries, encouraging visitors to escape their comfort zones with immersive installations that captivate both the mind and soul.

2025-07-20 02:15:36 reply
Taryn

The immersive art exhibition on video games is a daring dive into our digital fantasies, effortlessly transporting viewers beyond their comfort zones to explore new dimensions of gaming culture and creativity.

2025-07-21 02:11:30 reply

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