Gaming And Art

One of the main issues facing modern gaming development is that too many developers have forgotten that games can, and often should, be art! Gaming is arguably one of the most powerful artistic mediums on the planet. It melds every other artistic field together into a fully interactive experience. Granted gaming isn’t for everyone. But the point still stands that video games can be art.

There are two key elements to becoming a successful and skilled artist. The first is, of course, practice. If you aren’t creating then you’ve already failed at the first hurdle. But the second key element is to consume as much art as possible. Writers should read a lot of books. Filmmakers should watch a lot of movies. Painters should frequent galleries and exhibitions. And game developers should play a lot of games.

But you shouldn’t limit yourself. You can become a better writer by going to art galleries. You can become a better painter from watching movies. And video games can, overall, make you a better artist. No matter what your chosen field is. And we are going to explain how.

A Delicate Balance

Video games are one of the most difficult forms of art to get right. Because you have to contend with so many variables all working together to create a finished product. And we aren’t just talking technically. The visuals, lighting, sound, music, graphical design. They all have to work together seamlessly to create something spectacular.

And this is the first lesson games can teach you. How one artistic medium can compliment another. Take the game Disco Elysium. The world design in this game is stunning. But what really sells it is the soundtrack. Each area of the game has its own unique sound. And the music features a soundscape that you don’t reaslie isn’t actually part of the overworld. Blending the music into the scenery in a way that transcends what you expect from a video game.

Games can also show you when to hold back. Dark Souls uses silence to a masterful effect. The game features some of the most epic boss music in gaming history. But, in the sections between the bosses, there is no music. Instead you are left with the sounds of the world. This is done to instill a sense of loneliness. To drive home how bleak and lost the world is. Except for one area of safety in the game. Here you are stranded with a melodic tune that invites you to relax. To let down your guard.

Artistic Games

Video games aren’t always about going on grand quests or fighting waves of zombies. There are thousands of amazing art based games out there. Games like Jackbox, which engage your imagination in a social setting. Or Chicory: A Colorful Tale, which is similar to those adult paint by numbers kits you see everywhere.

These games can provide you with a more practical method of improving your artistic skills without having to waste resources. And a lot of these games have thriving online communities where you can share your art and learn from skilled individuals. They are also a great way to unwind after a stressful day.

Environmental Storytelling

One thing that gaming teaches very well is environmental storytelling. This is something that can be applied to nearly every artistic medium. The idea of ‘Show don’t tell’ is a primary one when it comes to writing and filmmaking. And you will see this idea applied a lot in games. Particularly RPG’s or open world games.

The idea is simple. Using the environment of a scene to provide your audience with primary or secondary information. In visual mediums such as film and paintings this is called the mise en scène. Games like Fallout, Skyrim, Dark Souls, and The Witcher are great examples of how well a game can utilize environmental storytelling.

When done right, environmental storytelling will elevate your art to the next level. It will force you to think about new ways to provide information to your audience. And it will also ask you to put more trust in them too. Trusting that they will pick up on what you are hiding in the background.

Browser gaming was once the highlight of the PC gaming community. It took a while for PC games to reach the level of complexity they now sit at. Consoles were the heavy hitters of the gaming world for the longest time. But PC gamers weren’t without during this period. Far from it. They had access to some of the most interesting titles out there in the form of browser games.

So many of the most popular browser games helped form my gaming identity. And I feel it is time I gave something back to the titles that meant so much to me during my youth. So I have penned this love letter to the browser games that made me who I am today.

A Social Escape

We are lucky to live in an age where gaming is considered cool. But, back in the day, gamers were the outcasts of society. The people who were often less popular at school. Who spent their weekends inside rather than out partying. Browser games offered a social escape for many isolated gamers.

Habbo Hotel is one of the perfect examples. More akin to a chat room than a game. You created a virtual avatar and built your own hotel rooms. You could purchase digital furniture to decorate the rooms with. Players let their imaginations run wild. Creating minigames, clubs, bars, role-playing spaces, and so much more. Habbo was the ultimate virtual escape for young people.

And if we are talking about social browser games we have to talk about Club Penguin. Disney’s iconic MMO game that is still popular to this day. The game inspired such love from the community that, when it was shut down in 2017, the fans recreated the game and brought it back from the dead. A testament to just how impactful this game was.

Gaming Dedication

Not every gamer was looking for a purely social environment. I definitely fell into this camp. I wanted a game I could really sink my teeth into. For a lot of people some of the most fun online games are those that push you to achieve greatness. Runescape is the prime example of this ethos.

The game is one of the best MMORPGs out there. Providing a huge social space alongside all the hallmarks of a RPG. People often overlook Runescape because it is very grindy. Leveling up all 18 skills to maximum is hard work. But, for fans of the game, it is this grind that is so appealing. The satisfaction of reaching your goal. The joy of completing a complex quest. The fun of showing off your latest rare cape or weapon to your online friends.

Browser games like Motherload offered a similar feeling on a smaller scale. With a clear end point in the form of a final boss. Motherload was and still is a staple of the browser gaming genre. With hundreds of games paying homage to it to this day.

Unfiltered Wackiness

Browser games offered gaming developers a chance to really let loose and be as wacky or creative as they wanted. They didn’t have to meet a sales target or appeal to a mass audience. And this meant that a lot of browser games offered you something you just can’t get in modern gaming.

Stickpage and Addicting Games were two of the best sites for browser games back in the day. They both boasted a huge catalog of wacky titles like Classroom and Interactive Buddy. While Newgrounds was the true frontier of the browser gaming industry. It was here that you would find the newest and most innovative games. Alongside a wealth of amazing animations.

The wackiness of browser games isn’t something that has died out either. Modern gaming websites like Playwards and CrazyGames are filled to the brim with ludicrous titles that are sure to have you in stitches.

I remember spending endless hours trying to beat the Impossible Quiz. Trying to navigate through the questions clearly designed by a madman. But the creator had the freedom to do this as they had no investors or customers to appease. They were free to make a game for the sake of it. Something that a lot of modern developers have lost sight of.

Thank You Browser Games

Gaming has changed a lot over the last few decades. In a lot of ways for the better. In many ways for the worse. But it wouldn’t be where it is today without browser games. These small titles helped shape the gaming landscape. They meant so much to me and millions of other gamers. They will always have a special place in my heart.

Several research based on different people’s opinions have been made to ascertain whether video games can help you become a safer driver. Based on the research, some people are positive that playing video games helped them become safer drivers, while some strongly disagreed.

Some practical research has also been conducted to determine if playing video games can help a person become a safer driver. Professional gamers and non-gamers were put to test and the gamers performed better than the other party And several tries. The result clearly proved that gamers drive better than non-gamers but it is not enough to come to the decision that video games can help you become a safer driver.

The gaming world has advanced in so many ways, especially when it comes to creating realistic video games. A realistic driving game can help you become more alert while driving, and even help you reduce some of the fears you may feel while driving on a highway. Notwithstanding, playing a video game can hardly be compared with real life driving.

Real Life Driving Advantages for Gamers

Driving in video games is not the same as driving in real life but it has certain influences on it. Read on to learn about some of the advantages gamers have when it comes to real life driving.

• Little or no driving fear

Fear is a constant experience for most first drivers. Based on how real the current video games are, a gamer may likely experience fear and tensions when playing driving video games for the first time. After playing the video game for a while the gamer conquers the fear and tension and gets used to the adrenal rush. Several studies have shown that gamers perform better in their first driving test than non- gamers and this may likely be as a result of their video game experience.

• Alertness

Driving games require full attention and quick reflex abilities as obstacles can pop out at any time during the course of the game. With this in mind gamers are bound to have better reflexes when driving. The increasing rate of accidents on the road shows that some drivers get easily distracted and also lack reflex abilities. The number of personal injury cases keep increasing each year and this is due to the high rate of negligence by drivers. Unfortunately, not all insurance companies or default parties are willing to offer the right compensations to the injured parties hence, the need for exclusive MVA leads to help with the personal injury cases. Alertness and quick reflex are two necessary qualities for all drivers. Implementing these two factors at all times while driving can help prevent road accidents.

• Better understanding of what driving entails

Several gamers have claimed that their driving test was not so difficult due to their Prior experience with video games. If you have played any of the current driving games you can attest to the fact that the visuals are quite realistic. Gamers may not know how to control a real car but they understand how driving works.

Can Video Games Really Help You Become A Safer Driver?

This is one of the most constantly asked questions online and the answer is YES and NO. Are you confused? Don’t be! Based on the advantages mentioned, you can see that video games have certain influences on the actual driving. It is safe to say that video games can help you enhance your driving skills and this can make you a safer driver in certain areas.

On the other hand, driving a car based on your video game experience is a bit risky. Driving games usually have little or no rules. A gamer can easily get carried away while driving and apply the same recklessness driving in real life which can lead to fatal accidents.

Secondly, controlling a car in a video game is not the same as controlling one in real life. For example you can not have the real experience of using the throttle, matching brakes and accelerators or even changing gears in video games. You need more than a video game experience to use all the mentioned controls adequately.

In conclusion, video games can help enhance your driving skills but you need more advanced learning in real life to help you become a safer driver.

When you think of gaming the first thing that pops into your mind is probably video games. The reality is that while this is the most popular form of gaming, we have currently there has been a massive spike in interest when it comes to tabletop games. Whether you’re talking about Settlers of Catan, dungeons, and Dragons, or Connect Four these are all types of tabletop games that have earned a name for themselves over many decades. With this spike there is an increasing demand for people can sell those games since more often than not they are pretty hard to come by. If you are both interested in gaming and in potentially taking advantage of this lack of offer you might be thinking about starting your very own gaming store. Well, 2024 is the best time ever to do so. So let’s take a look at why and how you can go about making your business a success once you decide if you want to do it or not.

The State of Gaming in 2024

First and foremost it’s important to address the fact that table talks while being very popular are still very much in niche hobby compared to video games. That much becomes even more apparent when you look at the actual numbers. My number is we are of course talking about the sales figures and the estimated growth of each industry year by year. While board games are estimated to become an around $3 billion industry by 2027 the video game industry is currently at around 190 billion in 2024 with numbers rising every year even with the post-COVID negative numbers. Despite these very big sales figures it’s important to understand that both industries are currently facing a bit of a culture shift as many people are starting to focus their attention on independent products because of the behavior of massive companies. This is especially positive when you think about the fact that independent companies offer products of generally greater quality for lower prices which can be a great place to start when opening a store.

The Logistics

When we talk about opening a store, we are not necessarily talking about opening a physical store by itself. Generally, the best way to do it especially when you are planning to sell things that are appealing to obvious who are generally well-connected to the online culture is to simply open an online store and have your merchandise stored in a storage unit. This not only allows you to sell easily online but you can also avoid having merchandise piled up in your apartment. Storing your product in a storage unit also is a cheaper and safer way to keep your goods all in the same place. This way you have less risk of your merchandise getting damaged or stolen since most storage companies have security cameras and can monitor units using a web based self storage software. If you are looking to build a business online the best way to do it is of course to have the least number of things to pay so you can make as much money as possible from your sales of online products.

As you can see running a gaming store in 2024 is a great way to make some profit for yourself and is also pretty easy once you figure out all the basics that you require. If you are obvious yourself, you will find some great opportunities to both enjoy your hobby as well as share it with people who are also interested in said hobby. It is even easier than ever considering that many platforms exist to help beginners create their online stores as well as learn the basics of marketing when it comes to starting a company. So don’t be afraid to take a risk and do something that you enjoy that could potentially bring you a lot of great opportunities business-wise.