ideo games are like a cake. No matter how you approach it, there are certain things a developer needs to bake a warm, tasty interactive dessert. One of the most important ingredients is art. From concept art to bump mapped rocket launchers, the visuals have become such a staple for video games that companies spend millions of dollars just telling people that their graphics are the best. But in an age full of particle effects and bloom lighting, there is a rising force in the art world to remind us of the day’s ruled by sprites and pixels. i am 8-bit is the showcase for these artists and the mastermind Jon Gibson is pushing these great art pieces into the main stream.  For the third straight year Game Informer Online brings you the exclusive first look at what will await show-goers to the latest i am 8-bit exhibit.

Classic gaming may appear to be a trend to the untrained eye. Walking through the mall, one can easily find shirts with NES controllers on them or 1-Up mushroom patches for a backpack. But if you think back, the 8 and 16-bit generations have always remained in the spotlight and our hearts in one sense or another. The art of i am 8-bit is clear proof of the enormous impact that the humble beginnings of video games has had on pop culture.

Donkey See Donkey Do | Dave Wasson | Mixed Media | Donkey Kong (arcade)

Although everything in the art world can be debated, it would seem as if most artists draw inspiration from their surroundings. From the earliest cave drawings to the works of the Renaissance masters and all the way into current greats like Nigel Evan Dennis, what the artist has seen or sees is pretty easily observed in the art. The same can be said for this new generation of artists. Video games were a way for them to interact with another person’s imagination and help them build upon their own. It is then later in life that they reflect back and interpret those memories in their own creative way.

Jon Gibson’s own personal passion for art and games inspired him to go above and beyond to create the i am 8-bit art show in Los Angeles. Now in its third year, the show’s popularity has sky rocketed and artists from all over the globe have been kicking down his door to get their classic game inspired art pieces shown to the masses. We took a few minutes and talked with Gibson about 8-bit’s past, present and future.

Game Informer: For our readers that don’t already know about i am 8-bit, can you give a little history on what you have been doing?

Jon Gibson: Um, let’s see. I was a lowly journalist hitting the cultural beats in the gaming sector. I started losing interest in just doing reviews and previews like everyone else, so I began digging for stories about the people in the industry — and the fans doing really cool crap. Then ideas of my own started brewing, and I realized that if I created my own cultural event, I had enough friends in the industry that I could probably spread the word effectively. That’s how i am 8-bit was born. It was a combination of my love of the burgeoning young artist scene and an undying passion for all things old-school gaming. We launched the first show in April 2005, and it’s since turned into a lifestyle label of sorts — a book, “limited edition” T-shirts, vinyl wall decals from Blik, and even some upcoming housewares. Actually, there’s a lot more to come.

GI: Now that the event has become so well known, are you getting knocks at the door every day from artists wanting to submit?

Gibson: Hell yes. But it’s both a good omen and a horrible repercussion at the same time. It’s awesome to discover new talent and give someone a shot, but at the same time, it’s impossible to put every, single person in the show, so saying “Sorry” is pretty hard sometimes.

Mario's Lament | Reuben Rude | Collage and Acrylic on Board | Donkey Kong (aracde)

GI: You have stated that MySpace has been a powerful tool for you in the past. Are you still getting a lot of feedback and notoriety through the powers of social networking?

Gibson: Much like Dane Cook, but on an insanely smaller scale, MySpace has proven to be an awesome way to spread the word. It’s often better than someone just blindly searching for 8-bit related goodness on Google, because if you see the i am 8-bit logo on one of your friends profiles, you immediately click on it, because someone you know has already vouched for it. You think, “Hmmm, maybe I’ll like this too.” But not only does it prove useful for just awareness, but a lot of artists find the show through MySpace… and I’ve found a lot of artists just by surfing other established artist profiles. In fact, there’s this guy from Japan that I was tracking for a year, sending numerous pleas, before he finally responded and agreed to be in the show. I would have never found him otherwise.

GI: The idea around i am 8-bit seems to be focused on classic games. Is there a cut-off point for you in terms of what you consider the right subject base?

Gibson: Nothing 3D-inspired, unless it was a cool, vector-based game from the old-school area. Or, more specifically, pretty much nothing after 1995. Most people stick to the 80s, which is the most fertile soil for this kind of show — you have the widest selection of classic characters, whereas something from SNES has lesser notoriety. Absolutely no Lara Croft! No way!