Main content

Episode 1

Aleks Krotoski explores what computer gaming offers as a cultural medium and its blurring boundaries with other cultural forms.

Aleks Krotoski examines how computer gaming is affecting our culture – by creating genuine works of art, by altering our notions of storytelling, and by simple virtue of being the cultural medium many people spend most time attached to.

Computer or videogames have been around for 40 years, but the wider cultural implications have tended to be glossed over in favour of discussion of the size of the gaming economy and concerns about games' social impact.

Yet in recent years the artfulness of games has grown so much that the Smithsonian in Washington DC is now hosting a major exhibition of gaming art.

New technology and the spread of games to phones, tablets and PCs are creating millions of new users.

The immersive possibilities of this uniquely-interactive medium are just being explored.

You can discuss the programme on Twitter using #cultureofgames.

(Image: Chris Melissinos, curator of the exhibition The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum in Washington, DC. Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Available now

25 minutes

Last on

Mon 20 Aug 2012 01:05GMT

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from The Documentary

Broadcasts

  • Sat 18 Aug 2012 11:05GMT
  • Sun 19 Aug 2012 08:05GMT
  • Sun 19 Aug 2012 21:05GMT
  • Mon 20 Aug 2012 01:05GMT