The Precipice, and Games as Art

I have often been asked what our hopes are for Monument Valley.

There is nothing quite like the feeling of releasing a game to the public. Months or years of hard work, battles we fought and lost, scheduling victories and creative concessions, all lead to one product - The Game. A game that will come under intense scrutiny - dissected, jeered at, forgotten - or to be explored, breathed in, reflected, celebrated. As a team, we stand upon the precipice, success within our grasp, and a dizzying chasm of failure below.

My hope for Monument Valley is that it might contribute to the argument that the medium of entertainment we call video games is in fact art.

But is it art?

What does it mean for video games to be described as art? It means recognising games as a medium of expression, a medium through which we can deliver moving experiences and convey ideas to each another. It means games have cultural significance - that through them we can understand some small part of what it means to be a living, loving, dying, feeling, thinking being. 

My ten years of experience making games and a lifetime of dreaming and drawing have all lead to this point. Monument Valley is shaping up to be the greatest work I have ever done, and I am so proud of this team and so grateful to have been given this opportunity. 

Standing on the precipice, proud of what we have created together, we have already won.