{"id":22415,"date":"2020-05-10T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-10T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fbdm-mcaf.ca\/?page_id=22415"},"modified":"2020-05-16T17:06:22","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T21:06:22","slug":"video-games","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fbdm-mcaf.ca\/en\/comic-arts-festival\/past-editions\/the-festival\/exhibitions\/comics-and-arts-exhibition\/video-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Comics & Video Games<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The youngest member of the arts family, video games <\/strong>can be broadly defined as electronic games with an interactive interface and a visual video display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comic Books and video games share many structures, notably that of sequentialism. One of the key elements of the comic book is the work done by the reader to connect a story\u2019s individual panels into a cohesive whole. We can see a similarity with the common structure of multiple \u201clevels\u201d in a video game, which the player either narratively connects on their own, or frequently are connected by \u201ccinematic cut scenes\u201d that introduce additional plot elements and characters (another example of a mixing of multiple art forms in a single work). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
\u00a9 Scott Pilgrim t. 1,<\/em> Edgar Wright (2010, Milady), visual<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\u00a9 Scott Pilgrim t. 1,<\/em> Edgar Wright (2010, Milady)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The creative process of creating video games also borrows much from the general traditions of the comic book, with drawn characters acting out a fictional plot line in richly imagined locales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


We also find frequent borrowings of specific \u201ccomic book\u201d codes in video games, such as the use of bold onomatopeias like \u201cBiff! Bang! Pow!\u201d This of course goes both ways; the Canadian graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim<\/em> by Brian Lee O\u2019Malley is explicitly modeled on the structure of a video game. The eponymous hero falls for the beautiful Ramona Flowers and, to prove his love, must defeat her \u201cSeven Evil Exes,\u201d who serve as \u201cboss fights\u201d and are rendered in a style that hearlens to vintage \u201cbeat-\u2019em-up\u201d games. Scott Pilgrim<\/em> went on to be adapted into both a film and a purposefully \u201cold-school\u201d video game, bringing the references full circle.


<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interactive Comics and Escapist Universes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The Witcher, <\/em>developed by CD Projekt (2007, Atari Inc.)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the burgeoning field of interactive comics, the reader takes on a more active role that will be familiar to players of video games, guiding the hero through a series of decisions and creating the storyline. This format has been promoted by a variety of media outlets, including France 24\u2019s Iranorama<\/a>, <\/em>in which the player takes on the role of a journalist during a presidential election in Iran, and Anne Frank au pays du manga, <\/em>published by Arte, <\/em>which uses an interactive narrative to draw parralels between the Holocaust and the droping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other end of the spectrum, we often find that video games and comics are both frequently interested in escapist entertainment, with a focus on the sci-fi and fantasy genres, a version of the classic \u201cquest narrative,\u201d spectacular fights, the hero\u2019s journey. While no one would suggest that comics and video games are limited only to these subjects, the enduring appeal of this classic formula in both mediums speaks to their linked aesthetic sensibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n