Images: Art of the video game

Pictured is "Titan's Head" by Eduardo Gonzalez. It was the artist's ticket to a job in a games unit at Sony, but the art never appeared in the "God of War" title for which it was created because the game play it needed could not be delivered with existing technology.

Tyler West's "Rooftop" from Electronic Arts' "The Godfather" game appears to be a run-of-the-mill aerial view of a building. But a closer look reveals a man looking from a rooftop to a man dead on the street below.

"In the Garden of Eva," by Japan's Yuji Shinkawa, recalls Japanese wood-block prints and ink drawings in a piece inspired by Konami's "Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence" game.

The jury's 16 selections this year showcased game artists' work from the U.S., U.K., Japan, Poland, Germany, France and Canada. Some of the works appear in actual games; others were just inspired by them.

Dylan Cole created "Alin Glass Desert" for the game "Rise of Legends." Video game artists have put their stamp on everything from films and advertisements to toys and emerging art forms.

"Into the Fray," by artist Daryl Mandryk, was inspired by Buena Vista Games' "Turok."

Brian Dugan, aka Chippy, created "Darkness," for the game "B-Boy" by FreeStyleGames. This year's ITP collection featured a breadth of genres, including single-figure character art, landscapes and fantasy.

"The Road" by Damian Bajowski. The current mandate for digital artists is to turn out "hyper-realistic" graphics that are a key selling point for Microsoft's new Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.