Something a little different today. This blog usually focuses around novels, short stories and films. I think most would agree nowadays that films, like books, can be more than just entertainment but also an art form – but the field of video games is often left out of the mix. Rather than being considered art forms they’re reduced to pure entertainment. Here are a few games which challenge this assumption. As the games industry continues to rise and graphics improve games increasingly become more creative, immersive and challenging experiences.
Most video games have a plot (some more than others), with backstories, character development and core themes. These games show that the genre is more than just a film or a story but an interactive combination of the two where you play as much for the story and aesthetics as you do anything else.
1.Journey
Journey is well known to have blurred the line between
game and art. A simple game in many ways Journey is an interactive parable, the anonymous protagonist journeying through a vast desert to reach the mountain, the top of which is your ultimate goal. Silent other than the sublime score, Journey is predominantly visual (although there are of course still dangers the protagonist has to face). Scene of deserts, mountains, caves and ruins are breath-taking, and the lack of explanation about the protagonists motives or the world’s story allow for a mysterious and beautiful experience which is all about the Journey. (Click title for trailer)
2. Heavy Rain
A gripping thriller which blurred the lines between film and game, Heavy Rain created an interactive story as you hunt for the Origami Killer, your actions and choices impacting the result of the game which is both realistic and masterful to look at. Admittedly it starts off slow, but once you’re into the action Heavy Rain is addictive and extremely compelling.
A fairy-tale told through a creative medium and original 
in the way that it starts with a white slate which the gamer interacts with to discover the world around them. Full of surprises, sophisticated and unconventional The Unfinished Swan is just long enough to feel satisfying but short enough to not wear thin. Furthermore I think this creative gameplay has in part paved the way for new games coming out such as Dreams (for PS4 announced at E3 2015), where you literally create your own dreams and own worlds.
4. Limbo
Despite the 2D platform Limbo is more harrowing than most films. A black and white puzzle game we’re put in the role of a small boy travelling through a sinister world to try and find his sister. Challenging players with traps, monsters and dark forests you have to be quick thinking and brave to survive the journey – and if you don’t you have to watch a graphic image of the boy’s death. Although charming after playing for a while you feel genuinely tense and alone, unravelling the terrains dark secrets.
Another platformer, Child of Light is a fairy-tale story with an art-nouveau artistic style, giving the impression of stained glass in motion. Taking you into a mystical world you play Aurora, a princess trying to find her father. The characters also go a step beyond the expected, the young fragile looking girl taking charge and bravely battling whatever she comes up against, becoming the hero of the story. The lyrical dialogue further adds to the fairy-tale feel, and combined with exploration, combat and highly detailed surroundings Child of Light is warm, charming and truly elegant.
Bioshock Infinite makes the list both because of the splendour of the setting, in a city in the sky, and the intricacy of the plot which runs throughout the Bioshock franchise. I won’t even attempt to explain the plot in detail – it’d be like trying to explain a whole season of Doctor Who – but its really fantastic once you wrap your head around it. All I’ll say is the disgraced former detective Booker DeWitt, is sent to Columbia (a city floating among clouds) to find a girl, Elizabeth. From there onwards it gets a little more complicated…but I promise you trying to work out what the hell is going on will keep you interested.
7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This game was a revelation when it was released in 2011 
with graphics and a vast terrain better than anything we’d seen before, equalling the worlds of Tolkien (both in the films and in our imaginations.) The immense, immersive and lifelike fantasy world allowed players to create their own characters and pick and choose their own adventures; whether they want to play the campaign or just ramble, most players have several Skyrim accounts with different characters and choices. Dragons, magic and endless adventure, Skyrim is all around amazing.
Honourable mentions: Dreams, Beyond Eyes, Bastion, Ori and the Blind Forest, Life is Strange
The Readhead 