If evidence were ever needed of how culturally important games are these days, it's in the world of art. Between painters, photographers, comic writers and sculptors, the internet is packed to bursting with artists paying tribute to gaming and putting their own spin on our favourite iconography. Here's some of the best stuff we've found.
Two minutes. One video. Fifty-five perforated skulls.
Evil doesn't HAVE to be serious business...
When he started sharing his idea of an orchestra playing music from videogames, people thought the veteran composer Tommy Tallarico was off his rocker. It took him three years to convince publishers and developers that he was sane. “Imagine me making a call to Taito in Japan, asking them for the rights for the score of [1983 arcade hit] Elevator Action. “I’d like to play the theme tune to the game at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Hello... hello?’”
Why Sonic isn't a platformer and Final Fantasy isn't an RPG at all.
Stripped down to the bone, most videogames are about running errands: go here, kill that thing over there, bake a cake. There’s almost always a clear justification for them – save the world, get revenge, etc. – but usually, the real reason you do these things is simply because the game told you to. But can the game be trusted? Are you fighting for the right side? How can you be sure?
The secrets of their success in their own words.
Numbers. Man, there must be millions of ‘em. Seems like every other game on the shelf has a number in it. Boy, I bet you could count to a hundred using just videogame titles and related items. Let’s see if I’m right.
One Rapture-loving Radar editor hates the sequel already. Here's why.
We ranted, you replied. Now the discussion continues.