Iconic Video Game Artist Mick McGinty Passes Away
When it comes to iconic video game art, the many editions of "Street Fighter 2" have managed to come with some truly memorable pieces. The artist behind the cover art for the game, Mick McGinty, was also the genius behind a large number of recognizable pieces of artwork in the gaming world, including all of the "Zoo Tycoon" games and "Streets of Rage 2." On Sept. 18, 2021 the artist passed away from cancer.
The news was shared with the world in a Caring Bridge post by McGinty's son, Jobey. The post documented McGinty's last few weeks and allowed Jobey an opportunity to talk about how grateful he was to have a dad like Mick. The comments section below the post was filled with people posting their own memories of McGinty and how he impacted their lives.
McGinty had a huge impact on the gaming industry, particularly in the 1990s. Video game historian VGDensetsu pointed out many of his most popular works in a Twitter thread, including a bit of box art for "Kid Chameleon," which McGinty had his son pose for. Other Twitter users were quick to share memories and words of admiration regarding the iconic artist.
Mick McGinty was well-loved
The post from VGDensetsu garnered a great deal of attention from retro console gaming fans, and many people had a lot to say about McGinty's work and life.
One user shared some words of encouragement to fellow artists that McGinty had once posted on his own website. In short, McGinty encouraged people to stop comparing themselves to others and to realize that progress comes in the form of growing into your own style rather than getting better than others. At the time, McGinty wrote, "I kept at it, and now 50 years later I'm still trying to improve my creative process."
A previous coworker of McGinty's mentioned that McGinty was one of the nicest and most hardworking people they've ever worked with, going as far as to say that his attitude was able to motivate an entire team.
There were also plenty of people sharing their favorite pieces of artwork from McGinty. His artwork had a major influence on a lot of gaming fans in years past, and it's having the same impact now. One user even argued that his artwork and sense of style should be a goalpost set for Western games. It's clear that McGinty's work will be celebrated by fans for years to come.