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ART IN VIDEO GAMES:
CREATIVITY,  COLLABORATION AND AUTHORSHIP

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ART IN VIDEO GAMES:
CREATIVITY,  COLLABORATION
AND AUTHORSHIP
Contact
Archive

This archive explores the creative history of video games through selected case studies.

 

Each entry focuses on a game and the people involved in its development, examining the creative decisions, collaborations and production conditions that contributed to its identity.

 

Rather than attributing an entire game to a single creator, we explore the different contributions that shaped its visual language, sound, movement, gameplay and overall experience.

 

The archive is an evolving research resource. Entries are developed through historical sources, interviews, game analysis and related materials, and may be expanded as new information becomes available.

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1980–1994 — Early Video Games and Creative Constraints

Exploring how individuals and small teams developed distinctive creative approaches while working within the technological and production conditions of early video games.

01
Pacman (1980)
Creative Contributors: Toru Iwatani and the Namco development team
Studio: Namco
Platform: Arcade

About the Game: A maze-chase game in which players navigate a character through a labyrinth while avoiding four ghosts with differentiated movement behaviours.

Research Relevance: Pac-Man provides an opportunity to examine how character design, movement patterns and gameplay mechanics contribute to a game’s identity. Iwatani’s documented involvement offers a starting point for investigating individual creative decisions within a collaborative production.

>>> Read More
02
Final Fantasy I (1987)
Creative Contributors: Yoshitaka Amano, Kazuko Shibuya and the Square development team
Studio: Square
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom)

About the Game: A fantasy role-playing game combining character development, exploration and turn-based combat within a fictional world.

Research Relevance: Final Fantasy allows us to examine the relationship between concept illustration and the visual language of early video games. The contributions of Amano and Shibuya provide a case study of how different artistic practices operated within the technical limitations of 8-bit graphics.

>>> Read More
03
Prince of Persia (1989)
Creative Contributors: Jordan Mechner, with David Mechner’s filmed movements used as animation reference
Studio: Broderbund
Platform: Apple II

About the Game: A cinematic platform game featuring fluid character animation, environmental obstacles and movement-based challenges.

Research Relevance: Prince of Persia demonstrates how animation techniques and technical constraints can influence gameplay. Mechner’s use of filmed movement as a reference provides a documented example of how creative decisions about character animation shaped the relationship between movement, timing and player control.

>>> Read More
04
Another World (1991)
Creative Contributors: Éric Chahi, with additional contributions including Jean-François Freitas (music and sound)
Studio: Delphine Software
Platform: Amiga

About the Game: A cinematic action-adventure game combining polygon-based graphics, environmental storytelling and minimal on-screen interface elements.

Research Relevance: Another World offers a case study of how programming, visual design and cinematic pacing can operate together within a game. Chahi’s documented creative and technical decisions allow us to examine how production constraints influenced the game’s distinctive visual language and interactive experience.

>>> Read More
05
Myst (1993)
Creative Contributors: Rand Miller, Robyn Miller, Chuck Carter, Christopher Brandkamp and the Cyan development team
Studio: Cyan
Platform: Macintosh

About the Game: An exploration and puzzle game set across interconnected environments, combining pre-rendered imagery, environmental sound and interactive puzzles.

Research Relevance: Myst provides an opportunity to examine how visual environments, sound and interaction contribute to the identity of a game. Its development illustrates how different creative contributions can work together to establish a coherent experience without attributing the result to a single individual.

>>> Read More
01 / 06
Pacman (1980)
Creative Contributors: Toru Iwatani and the Namco development team
Studio: Namco
Platform: Arcade

About the Game: A maze-chase game in which players navigate a character through a labyrinth while avoiding four ghosts with differentiated movement behaviours.

Research Relevance: Pac-Man provides an opportunity to examine how character design, movement patterns and gameplay mechanics contribute to a game’s identity. Iwatani’s documented involvement offers a starting point for investigating individual creative decisions within a collaborative production.

>>> Read More
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1995–2004 — New Technologies and Creative Identities

Examining how the expansion of 3D graphics, new platforms and increasingly complex productions influenced creative practices and the development of recognizable game identities.

02
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
Creative Contributors: Ayami Kojima, Toru Hagihara, Koji Igarashi, Michiru Yamane
Studio: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Platform: PlayStation

About the Game: A Gothic action-adventure game combining exploration, combat and role-playing elements within an interconnected castle.

Research Relevance: Symphony of the Night allows us to examine how Kojima’s character illustrations provide a case study of individual artistic contributions within a collaborative production.

>>> Read More
03
Metal Gear Solid (1998)
Creative Contributors: Hideo Kojima, Yoji Shinkawa, Kazuki Muraoka and the Konami development team
Studio: Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Platform: PlayStation

About the Game: A stealth-action game combining tactical gameplay, cinematic storytelling and distinctive character and mechanical designs.

Research Relevance: Metal Gear Solid provides an opportunity to investigate the relationship between creative direction, visual design and interactive systems. Kojima’s direction and Shinkawa’s artistic contributions offer a starting point for examining individual authorship within collaborative production.

>>> Read More
05
Game: ICO (2001)
Creative Contributors: Fumito Ueda, Kenji Kaido and the Team Ico development team
Studio: Team Ico / Japan Studio
Platform: PlayStation 2

About the Game: An action-adventure game in which a young boy guides a companion through a mysterious castle, combining exploration, puzzles and environmental interaction.

Research Relevance: Ico provides an opportunity to examine how animation, spatial design and restrained storytelling contribute to an interactive experience. Its development illustrates the relationship between creative direction, collaborative production and gameplay mechanics.

>>> Read More
01 / 06
Super Mario 64 (1996)
Creative Contributors: Shigeru Miyamoto, Yoshiaki Koizumi and the Nintendo EAD development team
Studio: Nintendo EA
Platform: Nintendo 64

About the Game: A three-dimensional platform game introducing free movement, interactive environments and camera control within explorable spaces.

Research Relevance: Super Mario 64 illustrates how creative decisions about movement, spatial design and camera systems shaped early 3D gameplay. Its development provides an opportunity to examine collaboration between designers and programmers during a major technological transition.

>>> Read More
2005–2014 — Creativity Within Industrial Production

Investigating the contributions of artists, designers and other practitioners working within larger teams, established franchises and increasingly specialised production structures.

01
Bioshock (2007)
Creative Contributors: Ken Levine, Scott Sinclair and the Irrational Games development team
Studio: Irrational Games
Platform: Xbox 360 / Windows

About the Game: A first-person action game set in the underwater city of Rapture, combining exploration, combat and environmental storytelling.

Research Relevance: BioShock allows us to examine how art direction, narrative design and gameplay systems contribute to a coherent fictional world. Its development provides an opportunity to investigate creative decisions within a large, multidisciplinary production.

>>> Read More
01 / 06
Bioshock (2007)
Creative Contributors: Ken Levine, Scott Sinclair and the Irrational Games development team
Studio: Irrational Games
Platform: Xbox 360 / Windows

About the Game: A first-person action game set in the underwater city of Rapture, combining exploration, combat and environmental storytelling.

Research Relevance: BioShock allows us to examine how art direction, narrative design and gameplay systems contribute to a coherent fictional world. Its development provides an opportunity to investigate creative decisions within a large, multidisciplinary production.

>>> Read More
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2015–2024 — Independent Development and Cross-Media Practices

Exploring how creative agency operates across independent and large-scale productions, including collaborations between video games and other artistic disciplines.

02
Gris (2018)
Creative Contributors: Conrad Roset, Roger Mendoza, Adrián Cuevas and the Nomada Studio development team
Studio: Nomada Studio
Platform: Nintendo Switch / Windows / macOS

About the Game: A narrative platform game combining watercolour-inspired environments, animation and music to explore themes of loss and emotional recovery.

Research Relevance: GRIS provides an opportunity to examine how an established illustrator’s artistic practice is translated into an interactive experience. Roset’s contribution offers a case study of collaboration between visual art, animation and game design.

>>> Read More
04
Kentucky Route Zero (2013)
Creative Contributors: Jake Elliott, Tamas Kemenczy and Ben Babbitt
Studio: Cardboard Computer
Platform: Windows / macOS / Linux

About the Game: An episodic narrative adventure combining surreal environments, interactive dialogue, music and theatrical storytelling.

Research Relevance: Kentucky Route Zero illustrates how writing, visual art, music and theatrical influences can interact within game development. Its extended production provides an opportunity to examine interdisciplinary collaboration and the evolution of creative decisions over time.

>>> Read More
05
The Artful Escape (2021)
Creative Contributors: Johnny Galvatron, Arden Beckwith, Josh Abrahams and the Beethoven & Dinosaur development team
Studio: Beethoven & Dinosaur
Platform: Xbox One / Xbox Series X|S / Windows

About the Game: A musical platform adventure combining psychedelic environments, guitar performance and a narrative about artistic identity.

Research Relevance: The Artful Escape provides an opportunity to examine how a musician’s creative practice develops into a collaborative video-game production. Its distinctive presentation illustrates the relationship between illustration, music, animation and technical implementation.

>>> Read More
01 / 06
No Man's Sky (2016)
Creative Contributors: Sean Murray, Grant Duncan and the Hello Games development team
Studio: Hello Games
Platform: PlayStation 4 / Windows

About the Game: A space exploration game featuring procedurally generated planets, ecosystems and environments within an expansive fictional universe.

Research Relevance: No Man’s Sky allows us to investigate creative agency within procedural generation. Its development raises questions about how artists and programmers establish visual rules and technical systems that produce environments beyond individually designed assets.

>>> Read More
2025 Onwards — Emerging Creative Practices

Considering how artificial intelligence, automation and other technological developments may transform creative roles, production processes and questions of authorship in video games.

Other works under review
01
AI Dungeon (2019)
02
A Short Hike (2019)
Adventure (1980)
03
Adventure (1980)
Adventure (Colossal Cave) (1976)
04
Adventure (Colossal Cave) (1976)
05
Baba Is You (2019)
Breakout (1976)
06
Breakout (1976)
07
Carto (2020)
08
Crusader Kings III (2020)
Day of the Tentacle (1993)
09
Day of the Tentacle (1993)
Donkey Kong (1981)
10
Donkey Kong (1981)
11
Dreams (2020)
12
Dwarf Fortress (from 2006)
13
Eastshade (2019)
Elite (1984)
14
Elite (1984)
15
Fez (2012)
Firewatch (2016)
16
Firewatch (2016)
Flashback (1992)
17
Flashback (1992)
18
Flower (2009)
19
Gorogoa (2017)youtu
20
Grim Fandango (1998)
Heavenly Bodies (2021)
21
Heavenly Bodies (2021)
22
Hyper Light Drifter (2016)
23
Inside (2016)
24
Jet Set Radio (2000)
25
Katamari Damacy (2004)
26
Killer7 (2005)
27
Little Big Workshop (2019)
Lunar Lander (1979)
28
Lunar Lander (1979)
29
Manifold Garden (2019)
30
Minecraft (since 2009)
31
Mirror’s Edge (2008)
32
Monument Valley (2014)
33
Neva (2024)
Never Alone (2014)
34
Never Alone (2014)
35
NieR. Automata (2017)
36
Night in the Woods (2017)
37
Norco (2022)
38
North (2016)
Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee (1997)
39
Oddworld Abe’s Oddysee (1997)
40
Okami (2006)
41
Panzer Dragoon Saga (Azel) (1998)
Pong (1972)
42
Pong (1972)
43
Portal (2007)
44
Proteus (2013)
Resident Evil (1996)
45
Resident Evil (1996)
46
Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)
47
Roadwarden (2022)
48
Sable (2021)
49
Shadow of the Colossus (2005)
Spacewar! (1962)
50
Spacewar! (1962)
51
Stray (2022)
Tetris (1984)
52
Tetris (1984)
53
The Path (2009)
54
The Witness (2016)
Unravel Two (2018)
55
Unravel Two (2018)
56
Valiant Hearts The Great War (2014)
57
What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)
Wipeout (1995)
58
Wipeout (1995)
01 / 58
AI Dungeon (2019)
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