Developers continue to move their art-form forward. With each successive platform or generation, the leaps are apparent. The graphics leaps, while the most visible, aren’t the only amazing technical achievements. Art styles, genres, Virtual Reality, narrative, physics, gameplay…everything has improved, but one area where they still need some work is in the public’s perception.
Video games are far more credible than they used to be, even surpassing Hollywood films as the highest-grossing form of entertainment. Poland has begun the incorporation by naming an Indie Game as recommended reading.
Artistic Merit
11 Bit Studios’ game This War of Mine is now “recommended reading” in the Polish Educational System. The game, out in 2014, deals with Porgoren, Graznavia, a besieged city. It’s known for its perspective of real-world conflict, and the consequences of it. The honor makes This War of Mine the first-ever video-game to be placed on such a list.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is the driving force. He and the Ministry of Education have decided that the game, which won awards, did much for Poland’s cultural heritage. Due to this, it will feature in a multitude of programs in schools and colleges in classes related to human sciences (philosophy, history etc.). Students will be able to get free copies of the game in September, though they will have to say they are 18 or over due to its rating.
In a press statement, 11 Bit Studios CEO Grzegorz Miechowski extolls the virtues of games. “Using this language, games can talk about everything – emotions, truth, the fight between good and evil, humanity, suffering. They are similar to literature in that regard.” Where do games outdo their artistic counterparts? He says their power is in the “language of interaction.”
Originally released for PC in 2014, it is now also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, and Android. There’s also a board game! For more reviews and gaming news you can keep up to date at Informed Pixel. Want to speak to the team and interact with other gamers? You can do so over on the Informed Pixel Facebook page or on the Informed Pixel Twitter account.
