What theatre can learn from video games

Dump the envy and bring the success of video games to the stage.
[This is archived content and may not display in the originally intended format.]

 Workshop for Heroes Must Die

The late, great Roger Ebert wrote a definitively-titled think piece, Games Can Never be Art, six years ago and it’s stuck with me since. Ebert argues that there are no examples in the medium yet worthy of artistic merit, but also that games in principle cannot ever be art because of the way you interact with them. Since then, Ebert went on to write with love and dignity, inspiring others to go out of this world with joy, and I penned some shows where dancing pirates’ swordfight a lot. But I never stopped thinking about this.

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Rick Stemm
About the Author
Rick Stemm is a playwright and game designer. He specializes in highly interactive, highly creative theater, such as his choose-your-own-adventure Sherlock Holmes play You've Ruined a Perfectly Good Mystery and the Bollywood-style panto Open Sesame! Rick's company Heroic Games focuses on story-driven games and multimedia. His current project "Heroes Must Die" combines games and theatre in new ways.