This PhD research project studies how artists shape the aesthetic, visual, and experiential dimensions of video games across time. The focus is artistic authorship and collaboration, especially cases where artists bring a distinct creative practice and visual language into development contexts and leave a clear imprint on a game’s identity. The project treats games as cultural works rather than only products or technical systems, and asks how artistic decisions, made under real constraints, help certain titles become culturally iconic and influential beyond gaming. It also considers how video game culture circulates into wider creative fields and public life, where iconic games inform visual culture, inspire other media, and shape the sensibilities of entire generations.