Gun Ballet: the Aestheticization of Violence in Video Games

Violence has a ubiquitous presence in video game history. This exhibition explores why this characteristic is so appealing among gaming demographics. It also examines the various styles of violence -- ranging from extremely graphic to the acrobatic and balletic -- that serve various expressive goals on the part of studios. The title of this exhibit is a reference to the work of filmmaker John Woo, who directed Chicago-made Midway Games title Stranglehold in 2007, the spiritual sequel to Woo’s classic Hong Kong action film Hard Boiled (1992). 
 

Photo Credit: Krista Wortendyke's (re):media_014, digital inkjet print, Courtesy of the artist and VGA Gallery.