The Video Gamers Are Artists.

I feel as if I am in the middle of an artist group. Some are developers and others are players. Most are in the latter group.
PITTSBURGH—Can video games be art? That will be the topic of exploration when the School of Art at Carnegie Mellon University and its Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) host "The Art of Play" Symposium and Arcade, a two-day event, March 31 to April 1, that will explore games as an expressive medium. All events will be held on campus in the College of Fine Arts and Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall.

The symposium, organized by Heather Kelley, the Kraus Visiting Assistant Professor in the School of Art, brings together a diverse group of researchers, artists and game developers to survey the games that can inspire us with their creative vision, and to frame the medium moving forward.

Events include the Art of Play Arcade, a two-day exhibit in which attendees can check out — and play — groundbreaking art, and independent and commercial games. Kokoromi, a Montreal-based group that creates and promotes experimental game play, will curate the arcade. On March 31, guests can also see presentations by Randy Smith of Electronic Arts LA, Jason Rohrer of Arthouse Games, and Jesse Schell, a professor in the ETC.

On April 1, during the Poetics of Gameplay Master Class 12, Carnegie Mellon students will present games and receive feedback from symposium guests. The symposium finishes with a panel discussion and party. There will also be tours of the ETC. Transportation will be provided.

A complete schedule of events along with speaker biographies can be found at http://www.theartofplay.com/. For more information, call 412-268-2409 or email artscool@andrew.cmu.edu.

For a primer on the size of the video game industry, the process of producing games and the "Are video games art?" question, listen to a podcast with Kelley, Rod Humble of Electronic Arts and computer science student Gregory Peng at www.cmu.edu/cfa/labA6.html.

tag: Game Technology, video games, The Art of Play, game developers, Kokoromi, Electronic Arts, Arthouse Games, Gameplay