Gaming as seen by an art critic: guest post for Aaronlee.co.uk

This is an article I wrote for the website of my journalism bro Aaron Lee. The introduction and editing are his handiwork. See the original post in all its glory here: http://aaronlee.co.uk/2012/07/gaming-as-seen-by-an-art-critic/

Mention the words ‘game development’ to anyone who doesn’t love or make games and watch their eyes glaze over, obscured by visions of complicated bleeps and bloops.

This is the reaction I (almost) always find when speaking to those oblivious to the joys of gaming. Yes, while my attempts to get friends to take the genius of Portal seriously still fall on deaf ears, more people might appreciate games if they understood at least some of the creative and artistic feats behind them.

In an effort to prove that game development can be just as critically entertaining as fine art, I asked Helen Crane, art journalist and self-confessed gaming sceptic, to cast her eyes over a selection of gaming artwork to see whether it changed her opinion of the creative process behind game making.

Here’s what she had to say: