Back in 2009, Masive Black artist Jason Chan (who draws wonderful pictures and even Kotaku mascots) gave the world an adorable piece of art that, while not directly inspired by Left 4 Dead, certainly captured people’s attention at the time. Mostly because it looked like a Fisher Price version of Valve’s shooter.
If the zombie apocalypse broke out a few decades earlier than it did in Left 4 Dead, it might look a lot like this. (And no, this is not concept art for the Wii version.)
You can argue whether games end as art, but there’s no debating how they start. Behind every shooter, every action title, every role-playing game is an artist’s imagining, bits of art meant to inspire.