Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Stardew Valley Eric Barone fan portrait
Simulation Games 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.
Hardware This tiny Atari console is naturally great for Pac-Man, but I use it to play one of the most cursed retro games from the '80s
A screenshot shows Hello Kitty staring off into the distance.
Xbox The $10,000 Hello Kitty Xbox Crystal is one of the rarest consoles in the world, and my search to find it 20 years later ended in complete disaster for video game preservation
Best SNES games: a screenshot of an SNES console with a Mario figure next to a collection of games.
Games The best SNES games of all time
Luigi running from ghosts in Luigi's Mansion
Games The 25 best GameCube games of all time
Resident Evil Village
Games The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
DS
Games The 25 best DS games of all time
  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
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms Mobile Gaming
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
Stardew Valley Eric Barone fan portrait
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.
This tiny Atari console is naturally great for Pac-Man, but I use it to play one of the most cursed retro games from the '80s
A screenshot shows Hello Kitty staring off into the distance.
The $10,000 Hello Kitty Xbox Crystal is one of the rarest consoles in the world, and my search to find it 20 years later ended in complete disaster for video game preservation
Best SNES games: a screenshot of an SNES console with a Mario figure next to a collection of games.
The best SNES games of all time
Luigi running from ghosts in Luigi's Mansion
The 25 best GameCube games of all time
Resident Evil Village
The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Latest in Games
The Last of Us Part 1
Former PlayStation boss says $200 million AAA budgets mean publishers greenlight fewer games: "Something that has to be done"
Star Fox
Nintendo employed "so many incredible people," even a legendary Star Fox and Zelda dev had an "inferiority complex" during his 32-year stay at the company
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Ingenious Tears of the Kingdom player spends 3 glitchy hours bringing Purah, Paya, and a fake Zelda from across the map all for the perfect photo for Link's wall
Game Pass
Dishonored and Prey studio founder thinks Xbox Game Pass "is an unsustainable model" that's been "damaging the industry for a decade"
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Season 2 is officially happening with CDPR and Studio Trigger back for the "standalone 10-episode story from the world of Cyberpunk 2077"
With Helldivers 2 coming to Xbox, hopium for a Halo crossover is at an all-time high even if some divers are really against the idea
Latest in Features
Alexej Manvelov as Akram Salim in Dept. Q
I’ve seen countless crime dramas, but Netflix’s Dept. Q and Poker Face season 2 are rewriting the sidekick archetype for the better
Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw as Sofia and Rose in Hot Milk
Sun, sea, and strained relationships: Andor's Fiona Shaw and Barbie's Emma Mackey play a mother and daughter on the brink in new drama Hot Milk
Two menacing gingerbread men look intimidating while a candy person waves from a cage
I didn't expect to like the latest D&D book, but after an utterly stupid adventure I'm all in on Dragon Delves
Mion and Rena look uneasy in the classroom in Higurashi: When They Cry
The Silent Hill f writer's debut game was basically the original Doki Doki Literature Club, and it's still terrifying me 23 years later
Promotional image showing the Everdark Sovereign version of Gaping Jaw in Elden Ring Nightreign.
If Elden Ring Nightreign wants to keep me around to buy DLC, it needs to lean into Dark Souls so much more
Quantum Witch screenshots
This stunning 2D "plotformer" is the ultimate cottagecore fantasy with an extra dose of mystery, sapphic witches, and a giant lady who fights you
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...