Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Joy of Painting: The Video Game

I'm not sure this is an official sign that the-end-is-near, but the foundation in charge of the late Bob Ross's intellectual property has announced that they plan to make a video game out of the master's teachings. Such a product could only represent the beginning, or end, of capital-A art.
Link via Joe Picioni's Nintendo Friend Club.
A quote from one of the developers follows:
"I grew up watching Bob Ross on PBS and was always in awe of how quickly and smoothly he made these beautiful paintings, which helped inspire my creativity. There are generations that know Bob Ross and his painting techniques, and I want to share his talent with future generations in a new medium. The Bob Ross game will utilize the unique inputs that the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Revolution have that can truly immerse the players while they learn to paint like Bob Ross and can play the addictive and fun games that we have planned for the title. I believe that Bob Ross Inc's and AGFRAG Entertainment Group's similar beliefs in independence, creativity, and teaching others will benefit how the game is developed and how the players of all ages will be able to enjoy this game. I want the community to share with us their favorite Bob Ross shows, painting techniques, and what they’d like to see in the NDS and Revolution games. We want to keep the brush going."

2 comments:

Mr. Alex said...

DOOOOOOOM!!!

Ryan said...

I don't see this as a problem at all really. The kind of painting that the late Bob Ross was engaged in, though entertaining, is not included in a context of contemporary art . The fact that their is a video game about City Planning Simulation has no relation to anyone having played Simcity actually having credible skill in planning "real" cities.

On the technical side of it. How will a Bob Ross game be any different from Photoshop (with Happy Little Cloud Filters and Effects). Photoshop has not become the dominant medium for artists (even with its ability to create realistic lens flares or spherize objects.)

My only questions I guess would be, Is there really a market for a Bob Ross Painting Game? And Why is there a market for a Bob Ross Painting Game?

In the same way one could ask, why are there fishing video games or games about being a convenience store king, or a game about hitting a block back and forth between to rectangles...

okay, enough B.R. trashing, One could also come to the conclusion that the reason they're making this game for a market of virtual pastoral landscape palm painters is that there is some confusion or if you like, ignorance about art looks like nowadays. What I mean is either Art Education is not getting through, is not doing a good enough job of informing people about the issues that confront artist's today (and why Bob Ross Paintings do not enter into the realm of the Contemporary Art discourse, and shouldn't BTH*.)
OR,
"someone" else is missing their mark.
I will elaborate on this point, but maybe I will post it in a new discussion.