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  1. Games

Classic gaming moments, lovingly recreated in MS Paint

Features
By Maxwell McGee published 12 November 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The still life

The still life

Famed American novelist and all around cool dude Herman Melville once wrote, "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme." Sage advice, true, but I believe Melville's scope was too narrow. Might I suggest, "To produce a mighty work, you must choose a mighty theme." Countless works of sight and sound have drawn upon universal themes that speak to the soul of our species.

I believe we can do better, thanks to the power of video games. Never since the invention of the theater has one creative discipline combined art, sound, and audience participation into a single, harmonious whole. And while gaming is still in its infancy, there remain dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of moments that have left a lasting impression in our minds. Drawing from these moments - these mighty themes - we have set upon the digital canvas and given them form. If you're having trouble seeing that form, don't forget you can click the expand arrow in the top right to get a better view.

Image source

Page 1 of 13
Page 1 of 13
"Boy with Tail" by Henry Gilbert (2014)

"Boy with Tail" by Henry Gilbert (2014)

Page 2 of 13
Page 2 of 13
"Magical Sprite Shower" by Justin Towell (2014)

"Magical Sprite Shower" by Justin Towell (2014)

Page 3 of 13
Page 3 of 13
"Forbidden passion" by Andy Hartup (2014)

"Forbidden passion" by Andy Hartup (2014)

Page 4 of 13
Page 4 of 13
"Futility" by David Houghton (2014)

"Futility" by David Houghton (2014)

Page 5 of 13
Page 5 of 13
"Jason: An elegy in button X" by Artist Unknown (2014)

"Jason: An elegy in button X" by Artist Unknown (2014)

Page 6 of 13
Page 6 of 13
"the looking glass" by Anthony Snyder (2014)

"the looking glass" by Anthony Snyder (2014)

Page 7 of 13
Page 7 of 13
"Forever in your arms" by Ashley Reed (2014)

"Forever in your arms" by Ashley Reed (2014)

Page 8 of 13
Page 8 of 13
"The Master" by Jann Jones (2014)

"The Master" by Jann Jones (2014)

Page 9 of 13
Page 9 of 13
"rivalries" by Maxwell McGee (2014)

"rivalries" by Maxwell McGee (2014)

Page 10 of 13
Page 10 of 13
"On the importance of teamwork" by Lucas Sullivan (2014)

"On the importance of teamwork" by Lucas Sullivan (2014)

Page 11 of 13
Page 11 of 13
"Tragedy in motion" by UK contractor Sam (2014)

"Tragedy in motion" by UK contractor Sam (2014)

Page 12 of 13
Page 12 of 13
What speaks to you?

What speaks to you?

Now you have seen our very souls laid bare upon the digital page. What does this stir within you? Will you follow in our wake and give form to your own thoughts and passions? Sing. Draw. Create. Whatever it is, make your voice heard.

If the fine arts aren't your thing, you could also check out 5 obnoxious ways to be a troll in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare or Halo 5 beta: Hands-on with new modes, maps, and game-changing Spartan abilities.

Page 13 of 13
Page 13 of 13
CATEGORIES
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Maxwell McGee
Maxwell McGee
Maxwell grew up on a sleepy creekbank deep in the South. His love for video games has taken him all the way to the West Coast and beyond.
See more Games Features
Read more
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Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone receives the highest honor possible: Big ConcernedApe, a gigantic in-game portrait one fan made with 20 hours of painstakingly arranged items
Atari 400 Mini on woodgrain desk connected to Dough Spectrum Black OLED monitor and Pac-Man on screen.
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A screenshot shows Hello Kitty staring off into the distance.
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Best SNES games: a screenshot of an SNES console with a Mario figure next to a collection of games.
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