Video Games as Art--Literally

RetroVertigo

July 31, 2010

hat old wind-bag Roger Ebert may have gotten under your skin when he stated that video games were NOT art, but here's a way that you can get back at him. Literally turn your old, classic games into artwork!

Here are some of the things we used for our Atari 2600 shadow box art:

Video game content (box, manual, disc or cartridge, etc.)
Shadow box (we used 10x10 and 8x8 for our artwork)
Model cement and/or spray adhesive, depending on the weight of the content you'll be mounting in the shadow box.

I'm not going to tell you how to assemble it, as that can vary drastically depending on what you're trying to create.

atari_2600_art_Berzerk (20K) For our Atari 2600 artwork, we obtained the games via Goozex.com. The shadow boxes were bought at Wal-mart, and the model cement and spray adhesive were purchased at a local crafts store called, "Michael's."

Make sure to measure the size of the content you're interested in mounting and buy the appropriate-sized shadow boxes. Bigger is always better.

The model cement was used specifically to adhere the cartridge and box so that they wouldn't slide or fall, and the spray adhesive was used to keep the manual in place.

Before using any bonding materials, plan your layout carefully! Also be aware that the frame of the shadow box might overlap some of your content.

After you've bonded the material to the shadow box, give it about an hour to dry.

Assemble it all and voila! Your video games ARE art! Take that, Roger Ebert!