Culture & Artistry
Cinema
An increasing number of games have been adapted to the cinema in recent years, thus making the big screen one of the first cultural areas where the creative value and innovation of video games has inspired another creative sector. Video games stories and characters are particularly suited for immersive storytelling and are often used as a breeding ground for the cinema.
Final Fantasy, Max Payne and Tomb Raider are just a few examples of how games can bring stories to another level of immersion.
Music
Theme songs composed by big names are increasingly common in video games. David Bowie was one of the first world-renowned artists to actively participate in creating a video game (The Nomad Soul, in 1999). This experiment inspired video game publishers and in 2001, Konami asked Harry Gregson-Williams, a composer renowned in Hollywood (Narnia, Shrek, The Martian, and more), to examine the now iconic theme of Metal Gear. On another note, Argentine Lalo Schifrin – to whom we owe, for example, the soundtracks of Bullitt, Dirty Harry and even Planet of the Apes – put his name to the music of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell for Ubisoft.
Video games soundtracks have been played in some of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe. Symphonic performances have been held in Cologne, Paris, London and Madrid to celebrate games and music.
Artwork & Artistry
Video games are being celebrated all over Europe and beyond in the most prestigious places. Games are an integral part of our cultural heritage:
- In 2018, Video Games Europe organised an exhibition in the European Parliament on the theme “Video games and cultural heritage: a retrospective” with support from the French agency MO5, specialised in retro gaming.
- 2018: The Victoria and Albert Museum in London hosted an exhibition called Videogames: Design/Play/Disrupt which explored the design and culture of contemporary video games
- 2017: Game, le jeu à travers le temps (EDF Foundation)
- 2016: Game exhibitions that have travelled across the world, Game on
- 2012: Game Story, Grand Palais, Paris