This week we’ll be discussing the relationship between the visual arts and gaming. Here I do not mean the graphic design of a game but rather how might gaming influence the artist in us all or perhaps increase our appreciation of the arts. My guest is John Sharp, who is with the Savannah College of Art and Design as well as Metagame (http://www.metaga.me). As an avid gamer himself (http://www.etc.cmu.edu/etcpress/content/drop-7-john-sharp), he brings a unique combination of backgrounds to this discussion. I was intrigued by his talk the “Secret (Art) History of Games” at a recent gaming conference. Dr. Sharp, an art historian, and I had a wide ranging conversation speaking about how gaming can increase our appreciation of the classic arts. We also addressed the use of visual art elements in games (http://www.youtube.com/user/GeorgiaTech#p/c/A117E9FF1B8C375D/9/p4m3Vl1DexA). In this show you’ll learn the challenges of including the arts in gaming as well the opportunities. We talked about two current art reality shows, “Work of Art” and “Face Off” and how they may signal an increased interest in the arts in popular culture.