HISTORY OF GENERATIVE ART - Video games & Art
In our History of Generative Art series, today we explore the development of the relationship between video games and art. From their early stages, video games have used elements from artistic traditions and have also influenced contemporary visual culture. Over time, improvements in hardware, software, and the spread of the internet have expanded the tools available to developers and artists from early platforms like the Atari VCS to later consoles such as the PlayStation 3.
Jason Rohrer, Passage, 2007, Source: MOMA
The first experiments with video games took place in the 1950s and 1960s. Projects like Tennis for Two (1958) and Spacewar! (1962) used simple graphics to create basic interactive experiences. These early games were developed in research environments and were not made for a wide audience. Although they were limited in technology and purpose, they showed the potential of computers for interactive entertainment and helped set the foundation for later development of video games as a medium.
Video games began to develop in the 1970s and 1980s alongside the rise of digital technology. In the early 1980s, personal computers and consoles from companies such as Atari, Mattel, Coleco, Commodore, and Apple became available for home use. Although these early systems were technically limited, they introduced a unique visual language. These games used simple graphics, limited colors, and minimal sound. Games such as Pac-Man, Pitfall!, and Zaxxon became icons of early digital design, with stylized environments and abstract forms that required players to interpret elements beyond what appeared on the screen.
Tennis for Two, 1958, Source: wikipedia.com, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL)
Pac-Man, 1981 (Atari VCS), Courtesy Bandai Namco
After the early boom, and even though arcades and personal computers thrived, the home console market crashed in 1983 due to an oversaturation of low-quality, rushed, and poorly designed games. In 1985, new home consoles from Nintendo, Sega, and Commodore were introduced which led to a renewed interest in the market. These systems used 8-bit microprocessors and introduced a distinct graphic style with a blocky, hand-drawn look, now referred to as pixel art. Developers worked with strict resolution limits, so each pixel had to be used carefully. Games like The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. 3 created well-known characters and settings using simple and efficient visual design.
By the early 1990s, personal computers had become common in many homes. During this time, consoles like the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo competed by highlighting technical features such as resolution, memory, and sound. Improvements in these areas such as higher resolution and expanded color palettes made it possible to show more detailed characters and environments, which supported more visually complex games. Developers were able to create more expressive visuals and experiment with different styles, for example, the unusual animations in Earthworm Jim or the painted look of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Super Mario Bros. 3, 1988 (Nintendo Entertainment System), Source: romhacking.ne
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, 1991 (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Source: ign.com
In the late 1990s, video games began moving from 2D to 3D environments. New hardware and the use of CD-ROMs made it possible to create larger and more detailed game worlds. Games like Super Mario 64, Tomb Raider, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time introduced new ways for players to move through and view space. The blocky textures and angular models of this time showed the technical limits of early 3D games but also represented a move toward more cinematic and structured game design.
In the 2000s, as the technology improved, games showed more realistic graphics, told more complex stories, and created larger worlds often shaped by player choices. Titles like Shadow of the Colossus, BioShock, and Uncharted 2 combined storytelling with player exploration. During this time, motion-capture, dynamic lighting, and detailed sound became important parts of the visual experience. Video games were able to support many different artistic styles, from the simple design of Okami to the open-world creativity of Minecraft.
In the 2010s, museums and cultural institutions began to recognize video games as a form of art. In 2012, the MOMA in New York added 14 video games to its collection, including Pac-Man, Tetris, and Portal. The Smithsonian American Art Museum also presented an exhibition called The Art of Video Games, which focused on how games developed visually and emotionally over the past 4 decades.
Today, technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and online spaces have given artists new ways to work with ideas like space, interaction, and storytelling. Video games have also had an impact on both culture and contemporary art. The visual style developed through them over many decades is now appearing in areas such as digital art, installations, and performance.
The Art of Video Games, Exhibition at Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2012, Source: wikipedia.com (Blake Patterson from Alexandria, VA, USA)