Video games are becoming an significant force in today's younger generations and as a result there has been much debate as to whether this facet of culture has been detrimental or positive. Video games and digital technology warp reality and abstract it creating new interactive worlds in which users can explore and become enveloped in. Video games have potential in the realm of art but due to the corporate and economic stranglehold that has tied its hands around video games producers of games tend to sell products that will make money. Today's video game market is flooded with items that sell solely on their use of violence and sex simply because violence and sex sell; look at the grand theft auto series or the call of duty games which seem to be tools for propaganda used by the military to desensitize and romanticize the effects of war.
Natalie Bookchin brings all of these ideas to the forefront with her piece entitled The Intruder. Even though this piece was completed in 1999 it still holds relevance and is still a poignant reminder of the essence behind video games. This piece is an interactive video game that combines literary sources with odes and references to older video games such as Space Invaders to create a "grim tale of prostitution, jealousy and violence against women." This piece is overtly political and as a result is a scathing indictment of the video game industry. It does however hint at the wealth of potential that lies untapped at the hands of video game makers. Video games can become an artistic medium when they are constructed and configured in a manner that separates the sex and violence from the product. When video game makers learn that they have the capability to create pieces analogous to movies and photography and how these two mediums present us with images and ideas then maybe then video games to can transcend the superficial and become art.
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