The Victoria & Albert Museum, a bastion of high culture, is increasingly finding itself… a venue for glitchy electronic music and erotic puzzle games. This isn’t a sign of the apocalypse, but a fascinating, and frankly overdue, acknowledgement of video games as a legitimate art form worthy of museum space. The V&A’s Friday Late series, in collaboration with the London Games Festival, isn’t just about letting people *play* games; it’s about forcing a cultural reckoning with them.
- The V&A is actively re-establishing itself as a space for games culture after a period of inactivity.
- The events deliberately blur the lines between player and performer, audience and participant.
- The juxtaposition of games with historical artifacts challenges conventional perceptions of both.
For years, the games industry has been fighting an uphill battle for respect. Too often, coverage focuses on revenue streams and controversies, obscuring the artistic merit of the medium. This event, and others like it – including the Now Play This festival and events in the Netherlands and Berlin – are crucial in shifting that narrative. The V&A isn’t simply hosting games; it’s *curating* them, placing them in dialogue with centuries of art and design.
The inclusion of titles like the BAFTA-winning Thank Goodness You’re Here! and the… uniquely titled Sex With Friends is particularly astute. These aren’t AAA blockbusters chasing mass appeal; they’re independent titles pushing boundaries, and the museum setting amplifies their impact. The reported “weirdly wholesome” atmosphere surrounding a game about consensual digital encounters speaks volumes about the power of context. It’s a brilliant subversion of expectations, and a smart PR move for the developers involved – a museum endorsement carries significant weight.
Curator Susie Buchan’s observation about players becoming performers is key. This isn’t passive consumption; it’s active participation, a communal experience. Jamie Brew’s “Robot Karaoke,” generating lyrics from Glassdoor reviews, further underscores this performative aspect. The V&A is essentially turning its galleries into stages, and the games into prompts for collective expression.
The long game here is clear: to normalize games as a vital part of our cultural landscape. As senior curator Kristian Volsing states, it’s about presenting and critiquing video games as “a major, serious part of our culture.” This isn’t just about appealing to existing gamers; it’s about reaching a broader audience and challenging preconceived notions. Expect to see more institutions follow suit, recognizing the untapped potential of games to engage, provoke, and inspire. The industry, often preoccupied with its own internal metrics, should be paying close attention – this is how you build lasting cultural capital.
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
