"EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE IS REAL." -- PABLO PICASSO
Is gaming art? This age-old question has been the topic of discussions for a long time. Some like the famous film critic Roger Ebert, believe games are nothing else but entertainment. In a piece on his blog titled “Video Games Can Never Be Art,” he states, “No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, novelists, and poets.” I don’t think he ever played games like Zelda Ocarina of Time, The Witcher 3, or Red Dead Redemption 2; which I think are masterpieces in their own right. They have intricate and personalized experiences that some classical art couldn’t even dream of.
I think gaming has always been synonymous with art. The very act of creating something beautiful from scratch that resonates on a personal level with others is the very essence of art. Gaming is unique in the sense that it is the most dynamic medium of art, allowing players to experience art through a personal connection. Chris Melissinos from Time Magazine said, “I believe that video games will prove to be one of the most important mediums of art that humanity has ever had at its disposal”.
I don't think he could be more right! Video games create whole worlds with beautifully narrated in-depth stories. Something a static work of art could not dream of doing. Don't get me wrong, static art is beautiful, but video games take art to a whole new level. Whether it is the in-game art design, the concept art, or the story itself; all the art surrounding games are an exciting way to engage with the games we love.
Here at Capitol Underground we are passionate about art and gaming, and to honor this relationship we are working with local artists to create our new Art x Gaming collector’s series. This series will be dedicated to displaying the talented work of up and coming artists while bringing the creativity of gaming to life.
Our team works extraordinarily hard to bring new innovative and creative concepts into reality. So we're super excited to announce the first design in the series was done by the talented Briana Xiomara Izquierdo. A talented up and coming artist from Gaithersburg, Maryland that has a smooth and exotic art style. Her colorful psychedelic design perfectly captured the timelessness of gaming and the nostalgia of some of the best consoles from the last few decades.
In honor of our new series we will be selecting 1 lucky gamer to be the first to receive a custom Capitol Underground collector’s edition T-shirt! Be the first in the world to have this creative design and be the envy of…well, everyone.
Entering is easy, just follow this link, follow the instructions, and boom you're done. So simple!
The drawing will run from 5/18/20-7/20/20!
Artist Spotlight
We sat down with Briana to learn about her creative processes, her outlook on art, and how she came up with this design.
Trevor: “Each artist has a different approach and process to how they go about creating. What is your process?”
Briana: “I don’t really have a process. All my life I’ve doodled. I would be in school always doodling on my papers. Everyone always said they loved my art, but I would always just say, “I’m just doodling.” I still feel like I am just doodling because when I start a project I never know where it is going to end. So, my process doesn’t really have a form. I just go with it. By the time I am done I finally look at it and think, “wow, I did that!”
Trevor: “Too many people art can be subjective. Some people don’t believe games are art. What do you think art is?”
Briana: “As for what art means to me it’s just freedom. That is, art can be so many things. I hate when people find out I am an artist and assume I paint. I mean I could be a sculptor, or photographer, etc. I really don’t like painting at all. I don’t think I’m good at it. But a pen in my hand feels right. I have never thought about gaming as art but like I’ve said before art can be many things!
So, I am sure it’s art for many people. I mean, I’ve thought about graphic design/gaming design before and how that’s really cool. I’m not tech-savvy at all. I wish I was. All my stuff is hand-drawn. However, I feel like a lot of things are being digitized nowadays and the fact that I only do everything by hand is kind of special.”
Trevor: “When looking for an artist we wanted someone who would push the boundaries of creativity and incorporate our passion for gaming. How did you come up with the design?”
Briana: “I don’t really have a strict form to the way I create. So when it came to the design for Capitol Underground, I didn’t really know where to begin of course. I started with drawing consoles and went from there. Eventually I liked the idea of drawing a cord around the elements to bring everything together. And I had fun with the colors. I always want my drawings to be bright and colorful.”
Do you think video games should be considered art? Let us know in the comments below. If you want to keep up with our series you can create an account here.
If you enjoy Briana’s art, you can find more of her great designs here.
If you’re an artist and would like to work with us feel free to contact us!
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