Works of Game on the Aesthetics of Games and Art Pdf

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Mar 08, 2016 Malcolm rated it really liked it

Although in that location is a long tradition of accounting for and recognising play equally a characteristic of (high) fine art, and some caste of recognition of digital and other games as having artistic characteristics, John Precipitous has ventured into a less common human relationship in this brusk just extremely stimulating book. His focus hither is on artists, not gamers as such, to consider the ways that what is conventionally seen every bit the (low) art of gaming and (high) art do interrelate in work typically carried out those Although there is a long tradition of bookkeeping for and recognising play every bit a feature of (high) art, and some degree of recognition of digital and other games as having artistic characteristics, John Sharp has ventured into a less common relationship in this curt just extremely stimulating volume. His focus here is on artists, not gamers as such, to consider the ways that what is conventionally seen equally the (low) art of gaming and (high) art practice interrelate in work typically carried out those we would consider 'artists'. It's the sneer marks throughout those sentences that suggest just how problematic these distinctions are.

The impressive thing is just how rich and sophisticated Sharp'south discussion of the 'art'/'games' dynamic is, with its theoretical bases that combine the notion of 'affordances' (then widely used in applied science studies but too in play studies) with contemporary work on participatory art. When woven together through a series of case studies of the 'games'/'fine art' interface the event is a work that challenges us to look more carefully at ideas of aesthetics, of play, of games and of art.

Sharp is working with two theoretical triads. In the first, the notion of affordances as the aspects of a thing that suggest its significant is applied to the way think about cultural forms and practices through the apply of conceptual, formal and experiential affordances: these are different aspects of what nosotros might think of the ontological characteristics of a matter or practice (in a sense, its 'thing-ness'). This triad of means of doing affordances is put alongside a 2d triad, in this case where games, game art and art games to allow Sharp to deploy different aspects of the 'games'/'art' human relationship. The really impressive matter is that these ideas are complex, but Sharp deals with them all in a cursory (17 page) introduction.

The substance of the volume is three chapters of iii case studies each. In the first, 'Game Art' Sharp explores the ways artists brand utilize of game imagery and technology in making art considering those who 'paint' with game, those who appropriate games and nigh delightfully for me those who disrupt games. 'Artgames' are where gamers appoint with and build 'creative' games ('Pong' is a classic artgame). Information technology is hither that Sharp's experience in art history and curatorship has a specific belittling impact, as he ties many of these pieces (again, there are three case studies) to conceptual art (a movement focussing on ideas). Despite the political or cultural power of some of these pieces (Brenda Romero'southward games of complicity being the virtually apparently and then), Sharp notes that they are relatively naïve in art terms. In doing and then, he highlights for me the most obvious limitation of these two sets of games considered to this stage: they are made by people who are appropriating or borrowing from traditions and techniques, practices and discourses from outside their areas of expertise, so in either game/play terms of art terms the pieces themselves are limited; this is not to say they practice not pack a punch, just to suggest (this is not necessarily Precipitous'southward case) that these works lack a degree of multi-vocality or complexity.

Sharp'southward category 'Artists' Games' takes on a different dimension, in part considering this includes a return of art to its more comfortable domain of playfulness and disruption, where a caste of surrender is required for the viewer (or player) to appoint with the art works. Some of the pieces explored – such as Nail Theory'southward 'Uncle Roy All Around You' crave a adequately complex ready up, while others – by both Mary Flanagan and by Nathalie Pozzi and Eric Zimmerman can be site specific. It might be that I am more than comfortable with the ideas hither, but this department encapsulated a more rewarding set of ideas about art, play and playfulness. They are similar to those discussed by Liesbeth Huybrechts in some of her work on participatory art, although she is less explicit almost playfulness. There are likewise some not bad ideas here that link to pieces in 2 contempo collections I take had a hand in – Catherine Homan's essay on playful spectatorship in art setting and Tim Stott'south art installations designed to be played on. (From the sections I have read, Stott's recent Play and Participation in Gimmicky Arts Practices is as well valuable.)

There is, therefore, a powerful gear up of ideas and rewarding analysis in this open, engaging and attainable text. It could have been stronger had Sharp washed two things better. First, I would take liked better signposting to affordances throughout. The opening discussion was really clear and explicit, but the idea of the affordance is a difficult i at the best of times, let along in a multi-practice discussion such equally this one applying the idea in a fairly new arena. Second, the conclusion did not clearly link back to these ideas from the introduction, then I was left with bit of a and so-where'south-the-coherence question. Information technology is there, but for a text that is seeking to address ii audiences non used to talking with each other I would have liked information technology to be clearer.

That said, at that place are some fabulously rich ideas hither that I'll be developing (read: appropriating) for use in my own instruction, and if nothing else I am grateful to have been reminded of the usefulness of 'Exquisite Corpse' as a teaching and disquisitional appointment tool. This is a great argument for taking playfulness seriously, and for treating games as much more sophisticated than the epitome of spotty boys with commencement person shooters allows.

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