What’s that you ask? Are video games art? Of course they are. At least sometimes. Stop being a jackass.
The painful reality is, though, that most art is terrible (and yes, my turtleneck and beret donning friend over there in the corner, you can keep that brow furrowed, as that very probably means your art as well). Video games still being an incredibly young medium – as well as one involving myriad “moving parts,” and mountains of minutiae to traverse along the road from inspired, or even cynical, concept to overpriced thing – are triply susceptible to humanity’s inevitable lapses into incompetence and mediocrity. One recurring problem in recent years, and one that has contributed to the perception that games are an inferior or lesser medium, is that some game developers have taken to clumsily pawing away at traditional narrative, trying to impose a cinematic structure and scope upon games, in an attempt to compete head to head with films and television. To date, the majority of these attempts to earn emotional involvement, or even simply tell a vaguely interesting story, have come up well short. While genuinely compelling immersive and interactive entertainments are very likely on our horizon, we are probably some years away from a video game with plot developments, statements, or metaphors so poignant that they would make the average – or even especially sensitive and perceptive – player break down sobbing, or question her or his life (“I knew after BioShock, man, that it was time for me to reconcile with my father…”). The best video games are usually among those that don’t apologize for being video games in the first place, or if they do attempt a story, they do so in such a willfully ludicrous way that they hardly invite unfavorable comparisons with other media.
The best games also, however (and regardless of all that), stand as some of the developed world’s most imaginative, inspired, and bold creative works of the past 40 years. Which brings us to our point today. The men and women behind these works are deserving of credit and celebration. Not necessarily parades, or national holidays, but a PeekScore list seems not entirely out of line.
Although it’s hardly timely, today’s PeekScore list was inspired by a poll which was taken of over 9,000 game developers, around the world, back in 2009. In this poll, these developers were asked to name their game development heroes (definitions of heroism will vary, of course). Below are the top ten people named in this poll. Here, without their knowledge, we’ve volunteered this noble decemvir to participate in our own, somewhat crude in presentation, but frightfully sophisticated in execution computer game; The PeekScore List Ranking Thingie.
We provide this list today as an olive branch, extended to a meeker segment of our readership, and one perhaps alienated by the content of some recent posts. We also provide this list to clear up some wild misconceptions about the character of PeekYou, in general.
Make no mistake: We are not a company of jocks or bullies. We are a company populated by poets, singers, bongo players, lovers, and generally sensitive, caring sorts, of all conceivable genders and orientations. Sure, we can hold our own in a fight, but we’ve never gone looking for one. We are letting this be known now, as it’s been brought to our attention that some have accused us of bashing “nerds.” Rest assured, docile and bookish PeekYou reader, that while cinema’s Ogre may startle you when you flick past him on cable, he can’t hurt you here. He is a fiction, PeekYou is the real thing.
That settled, now let’s get on to the matter at hand, these extraordinary men and their (mostly) amazing games.
| Picture | Name | Bio | PeekScore |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Peter Molyneux | The man behind such “God games” as Dungeon Keeper and Black & White, he’s also responsible for the Fable series of games. | |
|
|
Shigeru Miyamoto | While number 2 here, as the main genius behind Nintendo’s Mario and Zelda franchises, as well as countless other beloved games, Miyamoto’s probably the best known game developer in the world. | |
|
|
Jonathan Blow | Created the platform/puzzle game Braid, and is releasing The Witness later in 2011. | |
|
|
Will Wright | Best known for his involvement in all things Sim: The Sims, SimCity, SimAnt, and so on. | |
|
|
John Carmack | Behind such incredibly influential games as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. | |
|
|
Mike Morhaime | The president of Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind the notoriously life-sucking MMPORPG known as World of Warcraft. | |
|
|
David Braben | Best known as the co-writer of the apparently seminal Elite. | |
|
|
Sid Meier | It’s a little known fact that Sid here was the man behind Sid Meier’s Civilization. | |
|
|
Masaya Matsuura | Founder of J-Pop band Psy-S, Matsuura is also behind the incredibly influential PaRappa the Rapper. | |
|
|
Dave Jones | Created Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto. |