Back in September, the Art Gallery of Ontario hosted a video game arts appreciation night, where visitors could play Canadian games, explore their art, and hear from developers about the creative process, design choices, and storytelling that go into making each game.
This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Over the last decade, Canada has become a major hub for the video game industry, including console, PC game development, and iGaming. Canadian developers have made significant contributions to both domestic and global gaming markets.
So it was about time that their art was recognised. That’s exactly what the video game arts appreciation night was all about: recognising the creativity and craftsmanship in video games, and giving support to developers and the broader gaming community.
But why does this show a new recognition for the medium, and what does this recognition mean for the Canadian gaming industry as a whole?
Why This Event Signals a New Recognition for Video Games
To understand why this event was special, it’s first important to consider the Art Gallery of Ontario itself. This is one of the premier cultural institutions in Canada, renowned for its extensive collection of visual art spanning a number of centuries.
Indeed, when you look at any traditional museum or gallery, the focus is always on painting, sculpture, photography, and other conventional art forms that have long been recognised for their cultural value.
With this in mind, the AGO’s decision to highlight video games represents a break from this tradition, acknowledging that creative expression can take many forms – including interactive digital experiences. After all, the experiences themselves can take any number of forms, offering anything from near-perfect verisimilitude to total fantasy. It should come as no surprise that names who have grown as well-known as Royal Panda CA or Ubisoft Montreal would come to be recognised for what they are: leaders in digital storytelling and creativity.
By presenting video games in the same space as celebrated works of art, the gallery is making a clear statement about the legitimacy and cultural significance of the medium – something which is still viewed with scepticism by some critics, traditionalists, and members of the broader art community who question their artistic ‘merit’.
What the AGO is saying is that games are worthy of study. They’re worthy of critique, analysis, and, as a result, appreciation, just like any other art form. For those who attended, they were encouraged to engage not only with the games themselves but also with the underlying design, narrative structure, sound, and visual artistry, all of which contribute to the overall creative achievement.
The result? A more resounding recognition that video games are not just entertainment. They’re a legitimate, multifaceted art form, capable of showcasing technical and creative mastery, and telling compelling stories that really evoke emotion – on par with any traditional form of art. Many gamers have known this for a long time, now! But it seems the rest of the world is still catching up.
What Does This Mean for the Gaming Industry?
So does this really change anything for the gaming industry in Canada? The short answer is yes. If anything happens that helps to elevate the cultural status of Canadian games and their creators, that then encourages investment in creative talent and experimental storytelling, which can lead to a vast increase in opportunities.
For developers across all regions, greater visibility for their work will open doors to new investments, funding, collaborations, and partnerships, while also attracting international attention to Canadian studios – something which can boost the industry further, bringing more revenue into the system for studios to reinvest in new projects.
It’s an exciting time for gaming developers and platforms in Canada, and with the AGO hosting a night like this, it’s only going to get more prominent. Because, make no mistake, the impact of this decision didn’t just last a night. It has the potential to last for decades.
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