Gamers often feel a need to defend their passion. My mom used to question the value of the stuff I played while growing up. I eventually convinced her that games were worth a damn when I explained the Civilization series to her over the course of two hours. It would’ve been a lot easier and quicker to just show her the work of artist Kathryn DeFeo (known as Juuhachi).
DeFeo and her fellow artist PaperBeatsScissors created a Tumblr blog to showcase their What Video Games Have Taught Us series of prints. Take a look:
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“Video games are just starting to shake off this bad reputation that they’ve acquired over the past two decades,” DeFeo told GamesBeat in an interview. “People who are not familiar with games or gaming culture are finally learning that they’re not all about violence and sexism and that they can actually have a profoundly positive impact on an individual. Personally, I’m using visual art as a way to let people know that video games aren’t all that bad after all.”
Many of the lessons represent the types of things that any parent would hope a child would get out of their favorite pieces of media. Although, it can be hard for a mom or a dad to see through the confusing technology and flashy graphics. That’s something that Defeo says she dealt with.
“My parents never really understood how crucial video games were to my creative development as a child,” Defeo said. “However, they supported my decision to go to art school and still support my decision to pursue a career in illustration, so I hope these little drawings will help them understand. To me, video games are the pinnacle of visual storytelling.”
If you like the images so far, DeFeo is announcing plans to continue work on more.
“I got to meet Hideo Kojima at PAX Prime last weekend, so I’m thinking of featuring Metal Gear in the next one,” DeFeo said.
Check out RedBubble if you’re interested in purchasing any of these works. You can find more of Juuhachi’s work at her portfolio website, and PaperBeatsScissors’ portfolio at his.