Art games can be a fun way for children and adults to develop their artistic and creative skills. Art games can include those that teach art techniques or explore different media, as well as those that teach art history and artists from a specific time period, as well as those that promote creativity and divergent thinking. Online searches, websites dedicated to making online interactive art games available, and books on art technique, art projects, and teaching art can all provide inspiration.
Some art games that teach artistic technique require the participant to imitate the technique of a famous artist. Injecting the student’s own interpretation or adding a creative twist can add an extra creative edge. Other students can try to figure out who the artist is looking at the final product. Some art games encourage students to experiment with different media, such as charcoal, paint, or collage, requiring them to create an art project with a common theme that incorporates multiple media. There are also interactive quizzes available on the internet that assess a student’s understanding of artists or media.
Quiz games and puzzles that require a student to match periods in art history with the corresponding artist work well with the study of art historical periods and famous artists. Art students can use flash cards to match works of art to their creators. A crossword or seek-and-find puzzle can be created using artistic techniques and technical terms.
Developing divergent thinking and creativity is perhaps the broadest category of art games. Although many creative games are not specifically artistic in nature, the creative thinking skills they foster are beneficial to any artist. Players in a popular charade-style game must make their teammates guess a word drawing it on paper. This aids in the development of conceptual thinking and open-ended ideas. Another art game starts with a random brush stroke or shape and asks artists to fill in the blanks with animals, faces, or other real-life images.
Some art games aid in the development of visual memory and observation. This category includes games like shape memory games and figure copying games, which can be found on many art game websites. The common puzzle, which consists of two images that appear to be identical, is another game that helps develop visual acuity. Closer inspection reveals very subtle differences that can only be seen under close scrutiny.
Art activities should help develop technique, ways of seeing, or creative thinking skills, so parents and teachers should choose art games that are more than just fun. Games that appear to be entertaining may not be educational. Coloring pages and their electronic point-and-click equivalents, for example, can be found on many websites but don’t always promote creativity.