a Grethe Mitchell and Andy Clarke quote

"Mod art has sometimes been described, derogatively, as 'parasitical' as it relies on commercial videogames, but this description ignores both the practicalities and aesthetics of digital art in general. It, too, is reliant upon proprietary applications (such as Flash or Photoshop) and likewise has elements of appropriation (with or without manipulation) which although they have been around since Duchamp - if not earlier - have come into their own with digital technologies. Digital art presents inherent problems if judged by traditional aesthetic criteria (particularly those which emphasize 'originality', 'uniqueness' and 'the hand of the artist'). This does not mean, however, that digital art is invalid; instead, it means that the criteria of assessment need to be re-thought when applied to digital works (including videogame art).
So rather than regard mod art as 'parasitical', we feel it is more correct to describe it as a virus that produces mutations in its host. Mod artists have found ways to subvert and modify every aspect of the game. They have placed themselves in the game (as in Feng Mengbo's Q4U); they have turned games into abstract patterns (Jodi's Untitled Game series) or musical instruments (Julian Oliver's QTO); they have created virtual galleries (Fuchs and Eckermann's Virtual Knowledge Space) and recreated real galleries (Bernstrup and Torsson's Museum Meltdown series)."

from:

VIDEOGAME ART by Grethe Mitchell and Andy Clarke
http://www.transitiontradition.com/magazine_article.php?article_id=75