Poll: Are video games art?

[SpaceJam89]

After reading this post by Roger Ebert I started to think whether or not video games are considered art.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html

I just want to know the public's opinion on this matter and why they think video games are or aren't a form of art.

 

[FinalDream]

Posting is an Art, remember to search the forums first

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Video Games are not art, the graphics within it though, I do consider art.

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

There was a thread about that last week, search bar is your friend.

I think their art. Thei invole scrpits, concept art, graphics and music.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

After reading this post by Roger Ebert I started to think whether or not video games are considered art.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/04/video_games_can_never_be_art.html

I just want to know the public's opinion on this matter and why they think video games are or aren't a form of art.

Yes they can be and please use the search bar the next time and read the guidelines of the forum about such things before posting.

 

[SpaceJam89]

There was a thread about that last week, search bar is your friend.

I think their art. Thei invole scrpits, concept art, graphics and music.

I didn't know there was another thread but after reading some posts it seemed like it was geared toward opinions of Ebert. I just want to know why people think games are or aren't a form of art.

Video Games are not art, the graphics within it though, I do consider art.

But to create games it requires other arts to do so as Goncalves mentioned.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Just as a painter expresses himself by painting and so involving the audience emotionally in his work, game developers make that involvement more profound (and physical) by letting their audience express themselves in the games via the framework of a game. In that sense games can be seen as the very height of art.

Granted, just as most movies aren't art, most music isn't art and most poetry isn't art, most games aren't art either. That said, I'm not going to name the obvious examples, but some games are definitely artistic expressions.

 

[Manatee Slayer]

Depends on the game. I wouldn't hesitate to call Shadow Of The Collosus art wheras something like...Lesuire Suit Larry...

 

[Stoink]

if movies are art then so are video games there just interactive movies

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

There was a thread about that last week, search bar is your friend.

I think their art. Thei invole scrpits, concept art, graphics and music.

I didn't know there was another thread but after reading some posts it seemed like it was geared toward opinions of Ebert. I just want to know why people think games are or aren't a form of art.

Video Games are not art, the graphics within it though, I do consider art.

But to create games it requires other arts to do so as Goncalves mentioned.

....Touche' good sir, touche'.

 

[SpaceJam89]

Just as a painter expresses himself by painting and so involving the audience emotionally in his work, game developers make that involvement more profound (and physical) by letting their audience express themselves in the games via the framework of a game. In that sense games can be seen as the very height of art.

Granted, just as most movies aren't art, most music isn't art and most poetry isn't art, most games aren't art either. That said, I'm not going to name the obvious examples, but some games are definitely artistic expressions.

For me to consider a game art it would have to be more than just the graphics. I would need a decent storyline and characters that I may be able to relate to. I sort of need to feel that the developers put forth an effort to create a game for me to play.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Just as a painter expresses himself by painting and so involving the audience emotionally in his work, game developers make that involvement more profound (and physical) by letting their audience express themselves in the games via the framework of a game. In that sense games can be seen as the very height of art.

Granted, just as most movies aren't art, most music isn't art and most poetry isn't art, most games aren't art either. That said, I'm not going to name the obvious examples, but some games are definitely artistic expressions.

For me to consider a game art it would have to be more than just the graphics. I would need a decent storyline and characters that I may be able to relate to. I sort of need to feel that the developers put forth an effort to create a game for me to play.

Most certainly. Graphics are only a part of the whole. The overall mix of storyline (including characterisation), graphics and gameplay is what makes a game a game. Different developers have different ideas on how to balance that mix (much like other artists in their respective fields), which is what makes games a varied medium. However, all can be at the basis of how an artistic view is realised.

 

[InconceivableTruth]

I believe we have to look at this question empirically. I am not going to provide a ludological theory on how a game's narrative progresses while employing a high level of player agency, for I find this unnecessary for such a topic. If we agree on only ONE game possessing an intricate, deep narrative, then by virtue of this fact, we must agree the medium, itself, has the potential to express meaningful and thematically deep narratives. Of course, there are limitations within all mediums in terms of story-telling; for example, Alan Moore frequently states how he created V for Vendetta and Watchmen to be irreproducible in other formats. Similarly, games are able to employ many devices outside the scope of film and sequential art, but this also works the other way too (i.g., films and sequential art possessing commonly used devices outside the reach of games). However, we are looking at one facet of games: whether the narrative may be deep and meaningful. Yes, this is empirically proven and unfalsifiable. Granted, there is a subjective element, but to state a game cannot provide sociological criticism or thematic depth is absurd. Perhaps, prose may explore aspects of this universe more efficiently than interactive art, but interactive art should not be regarded as "poor man's trash for intellectual food".

There many games with deep, sophisticated narratives, and I will list them here:

1. Earthbound
Earthbound delves into these themes:
- Technological man vs spiritual man
- Aesthetic decisions
- Extreme hatred of capitalism
- Plays on American pop-culture
- Buddhist themes of self discovery and edification
- Subjectivity is the only weapon against objective evil:
- Definition and substance of humanity
- Anti-establishmentism
- Importance of childhood
Here is my friend's essay on my blog:
http://phoenixicsepehr.blogspot.com/2009/10/art-guest-essay-on-earthbound.html

2. Deus Ex
Deus Ex is a cyberpunk game dealing with a conspiracy. It starts with a prologue revealing a new disease, "The Gray Death", plunging the world into despair. Vaccine shipments are supposedly controlled by UNATCO (AKA "UN"), yet later in the game, the details are revealed to be vastly different. Furthermore, terrorist attacks are rampant, and the player will soon discover their true intent and reason. There are many allusions to real-life "events and groups", such as The Bilderberg Conference. Philosophical themes are intertwined into this conspiracy; for example, questions about human nature are pervasive as evident by this scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COwfIhvRtNw&feature=player_embedded

Ultimately, the game leaves it up to the player to formulate his own commentary from the events. In the end you have a choice to...

A) Plunge the world into a new dark age by destroying global communication networks, yet reveal the truth
B) Join forces with the Illuminati and influence world affairs from the background
C) Assimilate your mind with a super computer AI and rule the would as a benevolent dictator

Deus Ex does not condemn you for any of those choices with a moral spectrum implemented in the game's code.

3. Planescape: Torment

4. ICO

5. Killer 7
This is more of a political rather than philosophical piece. Granted, many people overlooked the message of the game. Suda 51 is a genius.

Here is a massive plot analysis courtesy of James Clinton Howell:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/562551/38193

I missed A LOT (e.g., Grim Fandango), but you get my point.

 

[Uber Waddles]

Video games are art, anyone who disagrees is, in this matter, wrong in my view. Thats how fond I am of them.

An art work is a piece that has meaning, that reflect the human soul (ideally).

There are games where you can tell hard work was put it to make the user FEEL. To THINK. To INSPIRE.

Now, there are some that are just made for money, no care at all. However, I like to think of art on a scale of finger paint to the Mona Lisa.

Games are art, of a varied degree. Meant for pleasure, at least, and to inspire at best.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

If THIS can be considered art

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vault_(sculpture)

then I rest my case!



P.S. Yes I live in Melbourne and am very familiar with the "Yellow Peril".

 

[chozo_hybrid]

Well, seeing as how anything can be considered art, I'd say yes.

 

[Arcticflame]

Nobody knows what the hell art is anyway.

So My answer is none of the above.

 

[Nohra]

Video Games are not art, the graphics within it though, I do consider art.

This statement really rankles me.

"It's not art unless it pleases my eyes"? Kinda a nutshot to everyone who works on a game who isn't a modeler, map maker, or texture artist. You probably wouldn't even thank the guys who wrote the engine, despite it being what makes all those pretties show up, huh?

I'm gonna go with Princeton's definition of art here: "the products of human creativity."

Do all games fall under the category of art? No. Games that extensively reuse and rehash concepts from other games aren't really creative. But we've also seen movies, books, and TV shows that do the same things and couldn't be considered "art" either.

I may be an idealist here, but I'd like to think that the guy who first figured out a microprocessor was some kind of crazy-ass Picasso putting an ear on a forehead.

 

[Firetaffer]

A movie is generally considered art, so can a game, and in my opinion more so.

According to a quick google search, the definition of art is

the products of human creativity; works of art collectively; "an art exhibition"; "a fine collection of art"

Bioshock and Half-life are probably the best examples I can come with, they have well developed story-lines that involve the player, they have pretty stylized graphics, the music and ambiance is spot on and basically the whole package is there.

An example to why games are art is

-The lighting, whereas in a movie you look at the light from a fixed perspective, the light in games must be seen at from ALL angles and still work.

-The gameplay, no one has perfected it, no one probably will. It takes a lot of creativity and thinking outside the box to create a good game, it must be fun and engaging too. Games like Serious Sam or Unreal Tournament, sure they have crappy 'everything else' but the gameplay is just spot on, well from what I've played of it. It takes a true 'artist' to make a game fun .

Edit: Actually, I am surprised why games aren't in schools yet and why we aren't learning them, instead we have to read books about kids on an island killing beasts or 'Animal Farm.' We have to study movies like Forrest Gump and Stand by me. Really we could just be learning games at school, looking at the processes put into them and how they are fun for the player. Looking at how the graphics work, at how F.E.A.R is scary and how Hellgate: London was a failure. We could be studying that . Aww I wish I was studying that for english instead of short stories.

 

[Nohra]

Stuff here

YOU KNOW WHAT...

Gimme back my brain. Gawd.