The invention of the computer is perhaps the critical achievement in the technological evolution of the human race. Through computing (and the internet) we have brought the world – and the peoples of the world – to our very fingertips. And the power and flexibility of computing has adapted itself to every application—especially entertainment: Just as the television rapidly became “must-have” entertainment in every home, computers have become our most engaging and captivating playmates.

Almost from the very beginning, computer games have played a crucial role in bringing astounding computing power to the common people. The yearning for better entertainment has fuelled a race for not only more powerful CPUs every year, but more sophisticated graphics and sound cards—both of which are necessary for the best and most immersive experience in what are increasingly complex and realistic game worlds. Even so, rarely can contemporary hardware realize the latest game’s audio and visual potential to the fullest.

(That said, there is an interesting movement among very small ‘casual games’ such as those produced by SandLot Games, to combine an excellent game with excellent game art, but without requiring the staggering computing power necessary for 3D animation, thousands of details, and attention to physics. An excellent example is Tradewinds Caravans, which uses a library of hundreds of beautifully illustrated male and female characters).

Increasingly sophisticated computer graphics and animation software and technology have also allowed man to realize their flights of fancy in a way that was once the sole province of movies and television, and share it worldwide. Early game art  involved static pieces of art, little more than scanned artwork to represent people, places, and things– though the artwork is of much higher quality and produced by veteran artists under strict art direction (such as Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and especially Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI–which boasts almost 1,000 beautiful historically inspired illustrations of male and female warriors, courtiers, and commoners in a feudal China setting). Since then, video games have quickly taken imagination and player engagement to new levels with lifelike animation and attention to light, shadows, gravity, and other laws of physics.

Science fiction and fantasy has always captivated adults and children alike, and video game makers have cashed in on the ability to vividly represent in digital art and digital animation what was once described in words and left to vague imagination. Where once words in books had to excite our minds to fill in the blanks, now computer games challenge us to take in all the sights and sounds. And the truly original and innovative game art and concepts in some games expose us to new sights and even new ways of thinking.

Fantasy stories have enthralled us for centuries with magical and supernatural themes, creatures, and settings; and timeless favorites drawn from mythology and classic stereotypes continue to be re-envisioned in countless ways by different artists and in different games, making the familiar at once identifiable yet new again and again.

With the computer to bring fantasy artwork to life with digital art, video game makers were quick to realize that all the beautiful and incredible artwork could only be enhanced with compelling, touching, thrilling stories. And with the interactivity a computer allows, game players can feel they are part of the story, and indeed determining its outcome with not just choices, but with varying combinations of strategy, strategic and fast thinking, experimentation and problem solving, and of course (but not always) good hand-eye coordination – typically with escalating levels of challenge, forcing the player to grow and improve.

Throughout this evolution, however, the highest quality in digital art and sound for the most vivid experience of fantasy artwork and fantasy game worlds has been foremost. Perhaps as never before, people judged books by their cover, so to speak.

Storytelling combined with increasingly realistic digital reproductions of human protagonists have tried to catch up with the sense of identification and investment we have when we are caught up with the characters in a well-written novel. The lifelike characters – how they move, how their faces display emotion, how they wince with pain – all contribute to an immense involvement on the player’s part, and many games were quick to adopt a first-person point of view for even more immersion when 3D became mainstream.

And combined with the interactivity and choice available in computer games, people could participate in a story as never before. In such games as Heroes of Might and Magic V, players from all over the world engage in discussions of how to best ‘build’ a powerful or simply interesting character, combining considerations such as game play strategies and innovative and unexpected combinations. And some games offer much more choice in how the heroes develop, sometimes orders of magnitude more. All further enhanced by dynamically changing the character in the game with artwork for weapons, amour, and other equipment.

As in movies and television, art and story direction is an invisible component that affects us immensely even though we may not be consciously aware. Even in the early days of computing, the better games showed strong art direction, and with storytelling and the visual experience increasingly important, the art departments of larger video game companies are typically overworked and must outsource simpler or less critical artwork. Just as on the static covers of fantasy novels you can expect to see fantasy art involving unrealistically gorgeous and buxom women, and ruggedly handsome men with flat abs. In a computer game there will need to be more variety to populate the game world with more than just heroic-looking protagonists, however, and in fact, in some games (such as Spellforce), players can choose an “atypical” look for the character they will control. In Spellforce, the game developers were careful to add a mix so that your hero can be old, scarred, and even balding – not necessarily the most traditional look in a starring role – adding to the sense of control, involvement, and “ownership” of the game experience.

Even if you do not play computer games, you can still at least experience and enjoy the beautiful artwork through screenshots and fantasy art wallpapers. Women fantasy art predominate, of course, but also popular are “cool” looking characters of all sorts — typically characters decked out in a stylish combination of fantasy weapons and armor. And as with contemporary fantasy artwork that finds its way onto the covers of novels, there’s a gratuitous amount of bare skin, enough to be sexually evocative, and sometimes just a skimpy piece of clothing away from soft pornography.