Poll: Games - Art or not?

[KezzieZ]

There weren't any answers I was entirely satisfied with on the poll, so I chose "A piece of art that deserves recognition for being so."

I think there are definitely games that can, as a whole, be considered art.
Others, I think have a lot of art and hard work put into them, which I think deserve recognition whether or not the plot or tone really deserve the art level.
Then, there are even more that I don't care about (the shovelware sort of stuff that probably had a minimum of work put into it).

Actually, scratch that. Art is subjective and I think, since so much work, imagination, and more "traditional" artistic methods are used over the course of a game's development, that means that games should be acknowledged art (though the definition of which games are actually art can be up to the individual, as with most art).

 

[Thaius]

Art is boring, games are not. Any book or movie considered art is boring. The good books and movies (such as The Wheel of Time series and Fightclub) are not considered art as far as I know, but The Wheel of Time is a great epic story of the modern time. I would say that it's in same league as Tolkien. Fightclub is a well crafted movie that I think everyone should watch. Still this isn't art.
Don't get me wrong when I say that video games in a whole is not art. It's not because I hate video game or consider it a dull, bland or generic experience. It's because I consider art a bland and boring experience. Spending two hours in an art museum wont give you the same satisfaction as half an hour with a good game. Games are entertainment, and may they never become art.

All books and movies are considered art. Literature and film are art forms. Your idea of art is rather sad, to be entirely honest; you seem to be looking at art as some sort of high-brow category to which only pretentious and boring works belong. No. Art is the product of creativity and skill, whatever that is, whatever it may be about, and whatever it may end up as. Fight Club is a movie, an example of the art form of film, and a very good one too, and thus is art. The Wheel of Time is literature, and thus is art. You shouldn't be judging video games as an art form until you understand what art is.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

As with any medium, some video games are art, and some are purely entertainment. It's not right to blanket the entire medium with one of those two terms.

 

[Nifarious]

The art question is stupid. It should rather be how can we think about (and be made to think about) games in interesting ways analogous to art, film, literature...How do games engage us in new ways that other media cannot? How can this be expounded upon?

All that capital A Art bullshit needs to be thrown out, and nothing more than "Are video games Art?" demonstrates that.

 

[inFAMOUSCowZ]

All are art, while some are better then others. Bioshock is high quality, well Call of Duty would be low on the "art" scale. But that doesn't mean each isn't fun.

 

[EGtodd09]

Some are art, some are not art. Take Mortal Kombat for example, so obviously not art, but still a very enjoyable experience. Mass Effect 2 on the other hand is definitely art, it's like a 30 hour open ended interactive movie -art.

 

[DMac the Knife]

In my opinion (and I've said this before) I don't think any medium as a whole can be art, a finger painting is not art because it is a painting but the Mona Lisa is art but not just because it is a painting, because it is actually art. There are films that are art whilst Con Air is not art and is a film. Ico is art in my opinion, Modern Warfare is not. Just because something's a painting doesn't make it art, just because it's a video game doesn't make it not art, it matters what it is.

Well said. Video games have the potential to achieve art, but there is a lot of garbage existing in today's games that was never to be.

 

[Tharwen]

They can be. It's all down to what the creator puts into it and the user gets out of it. You cannot define an entire medium as being or not being art, because it is so varied and capable.

Obviously, there are examples for each side of the argument. Some games can be considered artistic expression by very few people. Some are just trying too hard to be artistic, and some are genuinely evocative. It's up to you to interpret each one as you want.

 

[Racecarlock]

I think it all comes down to what you consider art and what art you most prefer. This is even true in the painting world. Do you prefer Andy Warhol, or Da Vinci? Do you prefer Michelangelo, or Picasso? That guy who painted the cisteen chapel, or Jackson Pollack? In the movie world, do you prefer Fast and Furious, or Citizen Kane? Marvel Comics movies, or American Beauty? Sucker Punch, or Dukes of Hazzard? These are basically the same kind of comparisons, and I don't think there is one superior way of telling a story, and anyone who thinks there is is an asshole.

 

[Dark Harbinger]

I think it all comes down to what you consider art and what art you most prefer. This is even true in the painting world. Do you prefer Andy Warhol, or Da Vinci? Do you prefer Michelangelo, or Picasso? That guy who painted the cisteen chapel, or Jackson Pollack? In the movie world, do you prefer Fast and Furious, or Citizen Kane? Marvel Comics movies, or American Beauty? Sucker Punch, or Dukes of Hazzard? These are basically the same kind of comparisons, and I don't think there is one superior way of telling a story, and anyone who thinks there is is an asshole.

Do you believe then that all games are inherently art but vary on the scale of quality according to your preferences?

 

[Racecarlock]

I think it all comes down to what you consider art and what art you most prefer. This is even true in the painting world. Do you prefer Andy Warhol, or Da Vinci? Do you prefer Michelangelo, or Picasso? That guy who painted the cisteen chapel, or Jackson Pollack? In the movie world, do you prefer Fast and Furious, or Citizen Kane? Marvel Comics movies, or American Beauty? Sucker Punch, or Dukes of Hazzard? These are basically the same kind of comparisons, and I don't think there is one superior way of telling a story, and anyone who thinks there is is an asshole.

Do you believe then that all games are inherently art but vary on the scale of quality according to your preferences?

Yes, yes I do. I prefer fun, but I don't think it's better than every other method, I just know that it's what I prefer. Sure the people that enjoy thought provoking games will call me stupid, but hey, that ironically makes them the close minded ones.

 

[CarlsonAndPeeters]

I answered "a piece of art," but obviously this isn't true for all games. Many games don't set out to be artistic, and thats fine--I love a great deal of "just plain fun" games. But because some games, like Shadow of the Colossus and Limbo, are so clearly works of art (to me), the industry has to be defined as an artistic one.

The doodles in my notebook might not be art, but that doesn't mean that you can't draw a masterpiece.

 

[Dark Harbinger]

I think it all comes down to what you consider art and what art you most prefer. This is even true in the painting world. Do you prefer Andy Warhol, or Da Vinci? Do you prefer Michelangelo, or Picasso? That guy who painted the cisteen chapel, or Jackson Pollack? In the movie world, do you prefer Fast and Furious, or Citizen Kane? Marvel Comics movies, or American Beauty? Sucker Punch, or Dukes of Hazzard? These are basically the same kind of comparisons, and I don't think there is one superior way of telling a story, and anyone who thinks there is is an asshole.

Do you believe then that all games are inherently art but vary on the scale of quality according to your preferences?

Yes, yes I do. I prefer fun, but I don't think it's better than every other method, I just know that it's what I prefer. Sure the people that enjoy thought provoking games will call me stupid, but hey, that ironically makes them the close minded ones.

Not necessarily, while I enjoy the subtle noir tones of L.A. Noire, the emotional pull of Mass Effect and the powerful Heart Of Darkness themes in Far Cry 2, I have plenty of time for The Duke and Kratos for sheer mindless fun. In some ways, even the mindlessly fun games are an art of entertainment, they certainly provoke gleeful cries of joy and merry laughter.

 

[Chelsea O'shea]

when you consider all the work involved in making them,they are no less an art form then music or films

 

[loc978]

...

art/ärt/Noun
1. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
2. Works produced by such skill and imagination.

So yeah. Even ET for the Atari 2600 is art. So is a pile of sticks that a kid with OCD arranged just so. This bickering over a simple, cut-and-dried definition that has already been set forth by every authority on the English language is completely unreasonable.

Errr...ET might be stretching it a bit. XD

not at all. If a child draws a line on a wall with a crayon, it's technically art. Beauty and emotional power are entirely subjective things. Even a wood plank sitting in a desert is moving to some.

 

[Dark Harbinger]

...

art/ärt/Noun
1. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
2. Works produced by such skill and imagination.

So yeah. Even ET for the Atari 2600 is art. So is a pile of sticks that a kid with OCD arranged just so. This bickering over a simple, cut-and-dried definition that has already been set forth by every authority on the English language is completely unreasonable.

Errr...ET might be stretching it a bit. XD

not at all. If a child draws a line on a wall with a crayon, it's technically art. Beauty and emotional power are entirely subjective things. Even a wood plank sitting in a desert is moving to some.

Of course you are right, it's just....ET was pretty terrible XD

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Strictly speaking, no. Games can exist without being art. Art is not a requirement for something to be called a game. That doesn't exclude them from being art, but, if a game can't first entertain, it's a shitty game no matter how much it may merit the title of art.

You could tell the Odyssey on the side of a vase, but if it can't hold water, it's not a good vase.

 

[Yopaz]

All books and movies are considered art. Literature and film are art forms. Your idea of art is rather sad, to be entirely honest; you seem to be looking at art as some sort of high-brow category to which only pretentious and boring works belong. No. Art is the product of creativity and skill, whatever that is, whatever it may be about, and whatever it may end up as. Fight Club is a movie, an example of the art form of film, and a very good one too, and thus is art. The Wheel of Time is literature, and thus is art. You shouldn't be judging video games as an art form until you understand what art is.

Our school system is very particular on the definition of art, but you do make some good points. I guess after so long with analyzing books, pictures and movies considered art I just got a distaste for the word itself. That's a distaste I don't want on my games. I guess I can say that video games may be an art form, but not that all video games are art. Video games are just as capable to carry a message that you can reflect on just as much as movies and books, probably more than paintings. Still I've become too used to having a negative impression on anything labeled art to even want games to be considered art. Maybe it is though. By your definition it is art without a doubt.

 

[Dark Harbinger]

All books and movies are considered art. Literature and film are art forms. Your idea of art is rather sad, to be entirely honest; you seem to be looking at art as some sort of high-brow category to which only pretentious and boring works belong. No. Art is the product of creativity and skill, whatever that is, whatever it may be about, and whatever it may end up as. Fight Club is a movie, an example of the art form of film, and a very good one too, and thus is art. The Wheel of Time is literature, and thus is art. You shouldn't be judging video games as an art form until you understand what art is.

Our school system is very particular on the definition of art, but you do make some good points. I guess after so long with analyzing books, pictures and movies considered art I just got a distaste for the word itself. That's a distaste I don't want on my games. I guess I can say that video games may be an art form, but not that all video games are art. Video games are just as capable to carry a message that you can reflect on just as much as movies and books, probably more than paintings. Still I've become too used to having a negative impression on anything labeled art to even want games to be considered art. Maybe it is though. By your definition it is art without a doubt.

Any particular games you feel that carry an important message?

 

[Strazdas]

Some games are art, and some are toys.

This. Some are art, some are toys, some are mindless fun, some are a challenge. Thats what i love about games, diversity, all the situations you get in and the ways.
I chose technological achievement, because lets face it, to put a game that is good nowadays takes a whole lot of technology. Also since i regard gameplay as the number 1 priority for games, and gameplay is dictated basically by how good your programmers are, its all about technology for me.