In the mid 2000s, a range of technological advancements such as increased access to broadband, the rise of social media, and the development of smartphones, radically altered how video games were designed and played. This exhibition takes that moment as its starting point, looking at the evolution of the medium over the last decade. It includes rarely seen materials, used by leading designers to create blockbuster games, alongside the more modest tools of independent designers, in a broad overview of the field. Other sections of the exhibition explore the manner in which game designers have engaged with sociopolitical debates in recent years, before looking at the increasingly hands-on role of fans and players with an array of fan art and an investigation of online player communities. Find out more from the V&A’s website.
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‘Blue Sky Concept’, from The Last of Us™ (2013), created and developed by Naughty Dog LLC. © 2013, 2014 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC

Character sketch, from The Last of Us™ (2013), created and developed by Naughty Dog LLC. © 2013, 2014 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC

Le Blanc Seing (1965), Rene Magritte. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

2017 World Championship Finals Stage at Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China on 4 November 2017. Courtesy Victoria and Albert Museum

Winterfell, Westeroscraft, from Minecraft. © Minecraft
Making art behind bars can be its own form of release