Games as art.

[JellySlimerMan]

Games are not tools

U sure about that?

https://twitter.com/meta_gear/status/300975623059410944?uid=535688170&iid=6bd3a76e-1952-40f7-82a6-10fe102f596c&nid=4+248

 

[Atmos Duality]

To be honest I'm not looking to start a discussion here. Instead merely to put to words my thoughts on the matter.

This is something of a pet peeve of mine, so I apologize if this seems harsh in advance, but if you were really just trying to sort your thoughts out, why post it on a game discussion forum? Let alone some place where the public can read and comment on it?

That said, I'm going to comment.

It seems when discussing games as an art form, many use examples of games that are similar
to films in the way they deliver a story (Mass Effect series, The Witcher II, Uncharted and more) or merely experimental (many indie titles ect, Journey, Flower, ect). Critics of course say games are not art because they cannot deliver emotion like films.

Well, those critics are obviously full of shit and I need not say why.

Though I should note that a video game does not need to be obtuse, "artsy" or "deep" to deliver an effective experience, or comment on something beyond the realm of entertainment.

Going on my experience with film, most "art films" I've seen are little more than exploitations of surreality and have little of value to say openly; relying on "Stare into the abyss" logic and obscurity more than substance.

I'm not eager to see games follow suit, but I wouldn't complain if that sort of nonsense appeals to someone else out there.
Still, maybe there is value in the experimentation with the usual "artistic" tropes.
Eventually someone is going to stumble onto pure genius that doesn't take a Doctorate in Abyss Staring or Bullshitology to appreciate.

 

[Jimmy T. Malice]

If 120 bricks arranged in the shape of a larger brick can be art, then anything can.

 

[DioWallachia]

We may already have a winner on this debate:

 

[Pat]

I think its just the result of a medium that is experienced through sound and visuals. We automatically compare games to films because we see images and hear sounds simultaneously. There's no other medium to compare it to really.

I thought that The Walking Dead games were a step towards games being art. Probably because it was completely character driven. The actual plot wasn't particularly original or special but the thing that made the game exciting was seeing how the characters reacted to whatever happened. You could have seen a mile off that Lee was a doomed man from the start but his death was still incredibly affecting and just really sad.

If we had more games like Walking Dead and less COD and Gears the gaming world would truly be a less boring and uninspired place.