GTA and Tomb Raider design heralded

British Design Quest recognises games

The highly popular videogame franchises GTA and Tomb Raider are both included on 25-strong shortlist, comprised as part of the Great British Design Quest. Being held by BBC2's The Culture Show, the 'quest' aims to uncover examples of British design with a profound contribution to modern culture. Creations such as the London tube map, the E-type Jaguar and Concorde, also make the list. Culture Show producer Eddie Morgan revealed that the programme worked with the Design Museum to create the list, and justified the inclusion of games in an interview with UK industry website GamesIndustry.biz.

"It's a big, mixed eclectic list that goes from 1900 to the present day, and the Design Museum felt that some of the biggest success stories of the last 10-15 years weren't just about things like the Dyson vacuum cleaner, but were things like Grand Theft Auto and Tomb Raider," Morgan explained.

Morgan added that the contribution of videogames to modern culture should not be undervalued, and also said the quest was an excellent way of highlighting that fact that Tomb Raider and GTA both originate from Britain. "We know that about the Routemaster bus, the Sergeant Pepper's album cover and so on, but I think generally people are surprised that Tomb Raider and GTA - in large part, at least - are creatively British."

On the controversy surrounding the adult nature of GTA's gameplay, Morgan remained unphased: "It would be strange to rule out areas of excellence even though they're controversial, and pretend that culture doesn't include things as eclectic as that."

Morgan concluded, emphasising the fact that that observers of modern culture shouldn't just focus on the 'arts', but also acknowledge the important role gaming plays as a major part of British culture. You can vote in the Great British Design Quest, should you wish to, by visiting the BBC Online.

By Luke Guttridge