New VR game lets you walk around inside a Van Gogh painting

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THE NIGHT CAFE (PC)
BY BORROWED LIGHT STUDIOS

The point of going to a museum is to gain a more tactile understanding of a piece of art. Being in front of a picture allows you to see the minute details of creation—the brush strokes and oil drips. Yet, museums keep you at a literal arms length from the art. But a VR Van Gogh experience titled The Night Café hopes to correct this discontinuity. Inviting viewers to step inside the swirling vibrancy of Van Gogh’s Le Café de nuit, it allows you to explore the painting as a 3D environment. Last year, Kill Screen writer David Rudin described how “each frame of The Night Café is a painting in its own right.” Leaning in to the tension between traditional art and interactive art, The Night Café turns viewers into more active participants of the piece, allowing them to frame and experience the work as they see fit.

Perfect for: VR junkies, artists, museum lovers

Playtime: 10 minutes or forever

The Night Cafe