MUTEK.JP Pro Conference - Video Games, Art, and Worldbuilding: Legitimacy and Institutions

Speakers:
Sunny Cheung – M+ (HK)
Tomo Kihara – Artist and Game Designer (JP)
Escher Tsai – Hello World (TW)

Moderator:
Benoit Palop - MUTEK.JP / LAN Party (FR/JP)

Two decades after critics declared that games could "never be art," the debate has moved on, not through argument alone, but through institutions, auteurs, and audiences.

From major museums acquiring video games to landmark exhibitions in Europe and Asia, games have entered the art world. Yet their recognition raises new questions: how do you exhibit a world? Who is the artist when the player co-authors the work? Do games need the same institutional recognition in Asia as they do in the West, where museums have played a major role in establishing their artistic status?

In Asia, games often draw their cultural significance from popular culture, industry, and heritage. This panel brings together diverse voices to map where game art stands today, with worldbuilding as the medium's defining artistic contribution.