What is Game Appreciation?

Music educators have long understood how important music appreciation is for musicians to expand their creativity and composition skills.

Music appreciation is a division of musicology that is designed to teach students how to understand and describe the contexts and creative processes involved in music composition.

Game Appreciation follows the same philosophy. To builder better games, you must study and appreciate the art of game making.

Why is Game Appreciation Important?

Now, consider for a moment how many in main stream culture perceive people who play video games. The stereo-type of the teenage-boy, in his mom's basement, wasting his time 'playing video games'.

Those of us who teach game design and development should formally stress the importance of Game Appreciation.

Listening or playing music is ironically far more respected as a legitimate past-time in our culture.

Respecting the Art of Making Games

Imagine for a moment that you are in a job interview. Your future boss casually asks you if you have plans for the evening.

How are you perceived if you tell your employer you plan to attend a jazz concert versus telling that same potential employer you intend to play Video Games with your friends? 

Game Appreciation is critical for the game industry to thrive, grow and become the respected art form it deserves to be.  

Unless you are applying for a job in the game industry, many people will judge the fact you are playing video games as a leisure activity.