This War of Mine, 11-bit studios‘ award-winning survival game is being added to New York’s Museum of Modern Arts. It will feature as part of the gallery’s Never Alone: Video Games and Other Interactive Design exhibition and be on view through July 16, 2023.
The Never Alone exhibition is looking to further understand video games through the tools and the techniques that designers bring to their projects. Video games can be so much more than simply a game, the time and work that goes into their creation takes dedication and creativity. Truly many video games are a form of art, so it is fitting they could find a home at the Museum of Modern Arts.
This War of Mine is a worthy title to be considered as a work of art with its atmospheric survival themes. The title has won various awards including Best of PAX and Games4Change best gameplay and people’s choice award. The game is inspired by the real-life Siege of Sarajevo, the longest city siege since World War II.
Recognising games as art
While the themes of the game can seem dark, war is something that the world is all too familiar with and This War of Mine draws the focus on what innocent civilians have to endure in these times. The game was also used as learning material in Polish schools due to its relevant themes.
Collection specialist, department of architecture and design at MoMA and co-curator of the exhibition commented on the game saying “There is often a conversation about games as fun, games as a diversion, but I think that there’s an increasing range of games that ask more of the players. When I played This War of Mine it made me sad, it made me afraid, it made me very tense, and in the end, it left me with a very changed understanding of what it is to be playing in a war space.”
This War of Mine was acquired by MoMA in 2012 along with 35 other video games as part of the Museum’s permanent collection. This allows for the Museum to study, preserve and exhibit video games as part of its Architecture and Design collection. In addition, the game is also intended to be part of the War Games, an exhibition that explores the message about conflicts that are conveyed by war-themed games. This will be at the Imperial War Museum in London.
Last year we saw a VR museum experience that featured various artworks and creations that were in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Paige Cook is a writer with a multi-media background. She has experience covering video games and technology and also has freelance experience in video editing, graphic design, and photography. Paige is a massive fan of the movie industry and loves a good TV show, if she is not watching something interesting then she's probably playing video games or buried in a good book. Her latest addiction is virtual photography and currently spends far too much time taking pretty pictures in games rather than actually finishing them.
