When the argument 'Videogames are Art' comes up...

[Thaius]

Video games are art. Meaning that any game, good or bad, is a work of art. To deny that is to deny that bad art exists, which makes no sense.

But were I to name one of the best examples, it would depend on exactly what we're going for. For different kinds of art, I would go for Mass Effect series (for non-linear, player-centric storytelling), Final Fantasy VII (for traditional linear storytelling), Shadow of the Colossus (for uniqueness, visual beauty, and symbolism), Bioshock (for one of the best examples of interactivity in the context of a linear story), Okami (for absolute beauty on all counts), Clannad (for romantic value and many, many tears), and The World Ends with You (to display games' ability to convey positive messages).

All at the very top, but all for quite different reasons. Video games are an extremely diverse artistic medium, moreso than any other.

 

[WorldCritic]

I'm gonna go with something I haven't said before, Panzer Dragoon Saga. I've heard a lot of people call Princess Mononoke art as a film, and it that's the case, then PDS is art as a game because whenever I think of one I instantly think of the other. Vagrant Story also had a nice artistic look to it, for a PS1 game anyway.

 

[Raiha]

Okami. it reminds me that art doesn't need to take itself deathly serious all the time. we can have fun and smile while appreciating it.

 

[Soushi]

Portal, Mass Effect, Halo (to a certain extent), Dragon Age (again,to a certain extend), Shadow of the Collosus.

The thing is, a lot of games have artistic parts and potential, but they also have to be fun and interesting enough to shell out $60 for. I mean, i am sure that "The Road" was a great artistic movie, but if i shelled out as much money for it as i did for a copy of say, Dragon Age, i would literally have to go banana loopy.
Games can be art, iti s just difficult sometimes. I guess the problem comes when you try to seperate "art" from "looking pretty". BOth aspects are great in thier own right, but when they get surplanted for one another, then things get difficult.

 

[Alade]

Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2

 

[Assassin Xaero]

Mostly BioShock...

 

[boholikeu]

The first game I think of is usually either Braid or SotC, though I think there are many more depending on your definition of art.

I don't think of games, I think "My god, this person is an idiot."

Fair enough, the feeling is mutual when I hear a response like the above. =)

None. Yeah, I'm that guy.

If it eases anyone from sending me hate mail, you can add a 'yet' to the end of that.

Nothing wrong with that. I am curious about your reasons, though.

 

[CleverCover]

First I go into rage mode and have to force myself not to slap the offender and try to calmly go into why Mass Effect is just as much art as your favorite movie.



It's actually kind of sad how often this happens to me.

 

[Timeslament]

Okami, hands down

 

[brainslurper]

Portal
Fallout: New Vegas
Grand Theft Auto IV
Red Dead Redemption
Halo: Reach
Assassins Creed I
Assassins Creed 2
Call of Duty: World at War
Mercenaries 2

 

[geldonyetich]

Knowing what I do about modern art, probably The Path [http://thepath-game.com/]:


([sub]Because modern art is weird exactly like that.[/sub])

Another good one to bring up is Today I Die [http://www.ludomancy.com/games/today.php?lang=en].

 

[Naheal]

Multiple. Here, I'll link cover art.

Spoiler: Heavy Rain

Spoiler: Shadow of the Colossus

Spoiler: ICO

Screenshot will have to do for this one.

Spoiler: Flow

Edit: I missed Okami.

 

[Romblen]

And Yet it Moves, it has a very unique art style, the entire world was made of what looked like torn pieces of paper. I usually hate the games are art argument as I find it pointless, but And Yet it Moves is probably one of the exceptions. The gameplay is actually fun as opposed to today's artsy games.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

To be honest, I have not played a game that strikes me personally as being art. That said, there have been painfully few pieces of literature, painting, music or movies that meet the criteria.

There have been plenty of games that have had a strong narrative or had an appealing or interesting visual style, and even times when the totality of the game managed to craft what could only be called an experience. But it never has had the emotional impact I expect from art.

As is often said, I don't really know what art is, but when I see it I instantly know that it is art.

 

[willsham45]

Okami, beautiful looking game.

But really all games, and artist has to model all the characters and textures and stuff, all animations need to be made or programed...all these things are used in film making and are all preserved as art, why does doing the same thing only where the user adds something to the mix have to change anything.

You could take many screen shots on a game and post them as art, some games have amazing vistas, the halflife games for example with the tower and the portal thing at the end of episode 1 and beginning of 2

 

[Veylon]

My take on it is that to accept video games as art, they have to succeed artistically as video games. It's gameplay that has to count first and be the art. Otherwise, if we're praising the cutscenes or music or voiceacting, the game isn't being judged by it's core attribute, that which makes it a game.

 

[Velveteen]

This thread makes me really happy.It makes me really really want to break out Shadow of the Colossus.

I'm on my first playthrough of Final Fantasy VII now (I know, I know, I've tried many times, it's so good *happy tear*) and it's the first gaming I've done in a while, so this thread will also be a good resource to plumb so I can just stay in amazing games only.

Oh, and my answer is Symphony of the Night.

 

[biGBum333]

Shadow of the colossus.
the story of a man who tries to save the woman he loves and must put his faith into an unknown being and hunt down 16 creatures as old as time itself for what he believes to be the greater good. along his way he physically and emotionally become more corrupt but still trusts the omnipotent being. at the end of his journey he is no longer considered human and is killed then possessed by the one he believed was his only friend. after his seeming death his love awakens and finds the hero reverted back to his childhood as twist of fate to give him a second chance or possibly the being still resides within his body and is waiting to exact revenge.
in the end it gives the message that killing the innocent to break fate is never a good idea and shows that no matter how painful your life is to just move on and not put your faith in false gods.

gee, a spoiler alert wouldve been nice... thanks

 

[OrokuSaki]

..............the art in a game is utterly based on how all the gameplay elements mix to form one whole experience. For instance, FFVII was art because the soundtrack matched the tone, and the graphics (stunning for their time) managed to breathe life into an otherwise dreary combat system. And the story was interesting and driven by decent characters.
While FFXIII clashed on almost every level and really wasn't so much a GAME as a mildly interactive cutscene.

This said, i've yet to see a game utterly perfect enough to be called a masterpiece, but every game is a work of art in its own way....... but I did love Portal like almost everyone on page 1.

 

[biGBum333]

all games are art to a certain extent.