Just one more block - Immersion in art as explored through videogames.

That phrase "One more block" has become synonymous with the situation many gamers find themselves in, when they know they should finish their evening session but can't quite stop yet. For those wondering it comes from the game Minecraft, wherein the core gameplay loop -and the wider player motivated progress it shapes- revolve around the mining of blocks (insert crypto joke here).

In truth its indicative of a level of immersion first appreciated far earlier in gaming history. When Tetris first hit the handheld market people were missing busses and meetings because theyd become too immersed in their game. The solving of puzzles through patterns clicks neatly in to our minds, so neatly in fact that when we undergo prolonged exposure to these situations our mind replays them with enough veracity as to cause some to have partial visual hallucinations, therein lies the "Tetris Effect".

But to me the "one more block" phenomenon goes beyond this, in Tetris you play in rounds, pursuing incremental increase in score, provided with narrow constraints, you repeat a strict pattern aiming to do a little better whilst each line you clear drops some more dopamine on you. Minecraft doesnt have that, there is no score, no set round, the rewards in so much as they exist are largely contextual to the players motivations and personal journey.

This level of captivation, the resultant impact it has on our mind, the fact we become so fully immersed in these worlds as to see them pouring past our eyes when we close them at night, that truly speaks to something. So to have that same impact though through a world that is only defined by the players participation in it, a world with only the narratives being those you seek out and impart upon the code, a world with no goals but your own, that is truly fascinating.

Here we have a world with just enough structure and motion to give us solid ground to build on and draw our eye over to the next hill, yet a world that is truly endless in its boundaries, a world which reflects your impact but doesnt demand it. A world which fosters autonomy, one which can become the backdrop for everything from social lessons about teamwork, to a space where you can learn to build rudimentary circuitry. Whats more the world encourages this imagination lead play, by having few set beats, no pressing quests or rigid set pieces, it practically demands that the player actively think about their participation in it. By havcing the player place or remove each block by themselves it grants a level of autonomy which is rewarded by the players on goals. Through the joy play gives the lessons we find there are better imparted on us, reinforced by the positive structure in which we find them through play.

It is easy to dismiss videogames, especially ones like Minecraft, as nought of true artistic value, they're cartoons, films for kids, captivating through bright colours and basic manipulation. Yet Toy Story pushed forward technical artistry whilst delivering a narrative that resonates through generations, it is all those things that people use to dismiss videogames and yet its artistry is undeniable.

By this same measure minecraft as a piece of experiential art, an interactive digital instillation, is an outstanding work of art. Show me another artwork thousands of individuals have spent millions of collective hours with. Find an instillation that has seen this level of immersion, that allows this level of participation.

In ym time I have read a slew of artist statements about work that holds space for the audience, work that only exists through audience participation, art that changes based on the individual... All of those goals, those statements and embodied and achieved by Minecraft to a level beyond which i saw in those artworks.

And this is just one, albeit incredible, game. We haven't touched on the narrative impact that Red Dead Redemptions world building delivers, we've not even mentioned the unique way in which "It takes two" delivers emotional family literacy through forced co-operative play. Those alongside a wave of others will have to wait for another day, lest i keep you too long from your next "block".