Friday, May 2, 2014

Can Gaming Become Applied To Help Art Students?

By Robert Sutter


Anyone can make the argument that gaming is a form of art, which has quite a bit of support backing it as well. However, did you know that video games might be able to help those who have interests in certain fields, drawing included amongst them? It might seem hard to believe but there are actually a number of reasons as to why this is. With various examples seen in the realm of gaming, I believe that it is time to cover them with the utmost emphasis.

It's clear that there have been a number of video games that incorporated artistic elements into them and one of the earliest examples, in my view, was "Mario Paint." For those who do not know, "Mario Paint" was a Super Nintendo title from the early 90's and it included an actual mouse, which was cutting-edge at the time. The game itself included a number of smaller programs that included, but were not limited to, animation and music. It was less functional, yes, but it provided entertainment and educational value alike.

It goes without saying that, with the more recent series known as "Art Academy," Nintendo did not stop in its artistic pursuits during the 90's. For those who are unfamiliar with "Art Academy," it is a video game series that included many art lessons, which is important for those who simply want to get their start on the matter. One of the elements that I have noticed was that Nintendo was able to make the games surprisingly accessible for newcomers. Then again, this is one of the reasons why Nintendo's series are able to appeal to many demographics.

In fact, companies outside of Nintendo have decided to take a shot at tackling the subject of art as well. One of the more prominent examples of this is the uDraw gaming tablet, which not only promoted gaming but artistry as well. With well-known franchises like SpongeBob SquarePants and Marvel having released their own games compatible with the uDraw, it was clear that the focus was more on allowing children to become acclimated to this endeavor. It was an interesting device, to put it mildly.

I do not think that anyone can argue with the fact that video games and conventional art can come together. The examples mentioned before are just a few to consider and I do not think that anyone can argue with such a point, either. With titles like "Art Academy" being reasonably well-known in gaming today, perhaps you have given one or a few of these titles an attempt. For those who have not, perhaps they can prove more useful for your artistic endeavors than you could have imagined.




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