Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.
The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.
The NY Times ran a story this week, which discusses the artistic merits of the game and offers some insightful observations on the relationship between games and art. The article also quotes and links to a discussion about Pac Mondrian held here on WCG back in July.
But perhaps the best evidence of a ligature between games and art comes affixed as a price tag. Apparently the artists listed on Ebay four 4x6 "master postcard proofs" of the piece, which closed at around -- wait for it -- US$10,000. The arcade cabinet installation of Pac Mondrian will be on exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image from February - March, 2005. After the exhibition, the artists plan to auction off the cabinet too (click through below for the full press release).
What do you think, is this kind of game art sale a fluke, or is there a legitimate, ongoing market for original game-based art?
PRESS RELEASE
Pac-Mondrian nets $10,000 on eBay, US debut at NY's Museum of the Moving Image
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