For a long time, art was considered to be something that belonged in a frame and was painted by classically trained folk with enough free time on their hands to depict a landscape or still life.

These days, however, art comes in many forms and some of the most exciting artworks are those that break boundaries and exist outside of commonly accepted genres.

Some of these include graffiti, protest art, and of course video games.

Putting New Twists on Existing Art Forms
While most of the games on this list are considered to be art in their own right, there are other video games both old and new which simply take great inspiration from artists of the past rather than trying to lay claim to being art themselves.

Some of the best of these are slot machines, with some wonderfully themed games existing both offline and online.

Some of these include Mona Lisa Jewels, Pablo Picasso, and Reel Crime 2: Art Heist, the latter putting you in the shoes of a crafty villain out to loot precious works of art. All of these games can often be played for free with online bonuses and are full of excellent little artistic surprises and references. But there's more to it than just the theme or concept of a game.


The pixel is to modern digital artists what the watercolor paint or pastel crayon was to the artists of yesteryear

Lacing Games with Artistic Scores
Although art in video games is generally thought to involve graphics and gameplay, one aspect of gaming that is too often forgotten is the music and sound effects.

Over the last few decades, there are some true video game sound art masters who have emerged to spearhead an art movement all of their own making. Some of these include Masato Nakamura who created the score for Sonic the Hedgehog and Manami Matsumae who put music to the legendary Mega Man.

Do Not Forget the Graphics Maestros
Last but not least we come to those video games whose graphics have them stand out for their ingenuity and sheer beauty, just as much as any Warhol or Turner masterpiece in a gallery or museum does.

Certainly, there are plenty of contenders out there for this category, with the likes of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus ranking right up there with the best. But new titles come out every month, which makes the thing all the more exciting.