Exponential Backlogs, or a Short Game Manifesto

To celebrate the release of Issue 4 of the VGA Reader, we will be featuring one article from the new volume with every zine for the foreseeable future. Click through to see the first article, currently hosted by Amherst College Press and available open source on fulcrum.org. This piece is by our own Director of Exhibitions Chaz Evans:

“The combination of an increase in game production and increased gameplay time per title results in a staggering number of options for how players of video games spend the finite budget of gameplay time they may have. The problem of gameplay surplus has led to some novel approaches for consumers to manage these options.”

VGA QUESTION ZONE: Barnaba Mikułowski

“I think that many people associated with fine arts still associate games only with a new form of entertainment. And it is true that most of the games released on the market are just for entertainment and de-stress after school or work. Fortunately, many people have noticed that games can also be a great carrier of content and provoke important thoughts. And this is the domain of contemporary art.”