Game Designers & Software Artists

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Staging and Self-Conception of Artists at Electronic Arts, 1983—1988

At the beginning of the 1980s, there were more and more home computers. This led to the emergence of a growing computer game development scene in the USA, which became increasingly professional. The company Electronic Arts influenced the staging and self-image of the game developers of that time. They were not only faced with the challenge of defining, designing and realizing the computer game as an object, but also saw themselves as artists who were making a new medium their own. Created as an exhibition catalogue, the beautifully designed and content-rich volume provides a general historical insight into this early phase of commercial computer game development, its aesthetic considerations, technical limitations and artistic ambitions. At the same time, it also asks about the role of game collecting in a private and public context.

With contributions from: Winfried Bergmeyer • Björn Blankenheim • Hugh Falk • Winnie Forster • Stefan Höltgen • Cynthia Kempe-Schönfeld • Andreas Lange • Jimmy Maher • Sebastian Möring • Christian Ullenboom

Catalogue for the exhibition of the same name, first shown in the Schriefers Design Collection, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, from 8 to 31 August 2019.

Edited by Björn Blankenheim Paperback/Softcover, 21.9 x 21.9 cm, 388 pp., full color (except appendix) Dec. 2020, ISBN 978-3-86488-150-3, 34.80 € (D) Table of contents: click