The US National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has added videogames to its list of artistic projects eligible to receive federal funding. Starting now, potential developers can apply for grants of up to $200,000 dollars provided they use the money to create a game for non-financial gains, and they avoid rehashing the “videogames as art” debate every damn time they’re invited to hang out.
Recently, the NEA revealed it had renamed its old Arts on Radio and Television category to The Arts in Media – making grants that were once exclusive television, film and radio pursuits open to interactive technologies, as well as satellite and internet media.
The specific qualifications for the grant read:
Projects may include high profile multi-part or single television and radio programs (documentaries and dramatic narratives); media created for theatrical release; performance programs; artistic segments for use within an existing series; multi-part webisodes; installations; and interactive games. Short films, five minutes and under, will be considered in packages of three or more.
To be clear: this is free money to develop free games that are of legitimate value to society. We’re talking about games that train kidsavoid landminesor war simulations that help soldiersget some shut-eye, not gamesthat revolve around tossing birds at pigs orones thatrevel in dick jokes(even though theymay have a degree of artistic merit themselves). Those who dream of developing the latter should probably stick to pursuing the normal avenues for entering the game biz (i.e. hoping, praying, blackmail, bribery, etc.), while anyone who feels their ideasare noble enough to deserve federal funding for 2012have untilSeptember 1st, 2011, to apply for a grant.
[Source:Icrontic (opens in new tab)]May 9, 2011
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Recently, the NEA revealed it had renamed its old Arts on Radio and Television category to The Arts in Media – making grants that were once exclusive television, film and radio pursuits open to interactive technologies, as well as satellite and internet media.
The specific qualifications for the grant read:
Projects may include high profile multi-part or single television and radio programs (documentaries and dramatic narratives); media created for theatrical release; performance programs; artistic segments for use within an existing series; multi-part webisodes; installations; and interactive games. Short films, five minutes and under, will be considered in packages of three or more.
To be clear: this is free money to develop free games that are of legitimate value to society. We’re talking about games that train kidsavoid landminesor war simulations that help soldiersget some shut-eye, not gamesthat revolve around tossing birds at pigs orones thatrevel in dick jokes(even though theymay have a degree of artistic merit themselves). Those who dream of developing the latter should probably stick to pursuing the normal avenues for entering the game biz (i.e. hoping, praying, blackmail, bribery, etc.), while anyone who feels their ideasare noble enough to deserve federal funding for 2012have untilSeptember 1st, 2011, to apply for a grant.
[Source:Icrontic (opens in new tab)]May 9, 2011
US videogame trains Cambodian kids to detect and avoid land mines
Undercover UXO being adapted for use in other countries
War simulation games help real soldiers sleep
New survey sheds light on how soldiers’ nightmares differ between gamers and non gamers
Duke Nukem Forever “shrinkage” trailer is one (more) minute of explosions and dick jokes
Inventive elements concealed cleverly within layer upon layer of innuendo