Proof that video games are art isn't just on the screen. Sometimes it can be right in front of you, in the form of an arcade classic that swallows a whole room or tricked-out gloves that let you throw a Street Fighter fireball. The video game art that viewers saw at the recent Babycastles Summit—along with a controversial hacked NES game that tackled racism and a Guitar Hero sequel that never happened— wasn't just manifested in button presses. It merged the physical and virtual worlds of play in a series of exhibits that sprang from the mind Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi.
"We have people playing each other face to face in our bar, they're high fiving, they're congratulatory, they're respectful, they're having a good time. When you play online, you just want to scream sometimes. [The arcade] is just a better experience."