Indie Games Get a Mainstream Closeup

In its “All New” issue, discussing the cutting edge of trends in American culture, New York Magazine lauds four indie titles for “ushering in a golden age of smart, beautiful, and really weird games.”

Singled out for praise in a feature titled “If Jackson Pollock Were a Gamer” are De Blob, World of Goo, Echochrome and Flower, coming out soon on PSN.

“Independent, low-budget movies changed Hollywood. Niche cable shows revolutionized television. Digital music toppled record labels. But for decades, console video games have remained overwhelmingly corporate,” New York mag writes. The drop in development costs and the opportunities presented by digital distribution have given rise to art houses “unshackled from the blockbuster-or-bust mentality of the big corporations,” and free to deliver “a new golden age of smart, beautiful, and really weird games.”

High praise indeed. Chalk down another one for the serious discussion of video games as an art form.

The New Art Form: If Jackson Pollock Were a Gamer [New York Magazine]