When ever we play video games most of the time we dont consider the art of the game. Sometimes an artist will add something hidden or Express him/herself with the game. Are video games art to you?
some games are just games. like all the yearly releases from EA games. made to make money. and no real upgrades. i wont seen those games as being art whatso ever.
I believe you mean "Activision's Call of Duty". And save CoD 4, I would not consider any of those art.
Now, the first game I ever was like, "OMG this is art" was Mass Effect 2, which I beat on the midnight of my birthday, so yea, I was 16 for five minutes after I beat ME2 in my new Gamer Chair. The Story, the combat, the sound, it all came together into an experience that changed how I looked at games from then on. It was the game that turned me from an Achievement Hunter into a Games Enthusiast.
The ultimate question that arises from this is: "What's the point?"
Art, by itself, is such a terribly subjective term you won't ever have a 100% agreed on definition of it. So how could you ever decide on video games being art or not? I guarantee you'll get different answer each time.
And even IF (and that's a big if) you could agree on a universal definition of "art" and video games are determined to be such.....What does it matter?
Is Tetris suddenly better because it's "considered art"?
Something I fear is that this question often leads to games being "artsy" all the while forgetting the primary job of any video game - Entertainment (think of those "Art-Games", like interactive poems, that sacrifice gameplay to have some profound message).
Whether games are art or not, I don't see it making much of a difference in the long-run.
Whether games are art or not, I don't see it making much of a difference in the long-run.
My English teacher on Friday was prepping those of us who were to take the SAT's today by just throwing out a few extra tidbits of information. One such tidbit was him saying, "Remember all the experiences you have gathered, books, movies, anything that will help you make excellent connections in your essays." Now that was fine advice, but something still stuck in my head, "What about games? What about The Kid, and Commander Shepard, and Jade? They all have as much to share as Gatsby or Vito Corleone,"
This is why Games need to be legitimized as Art, to be able to be discussed as equals to books and film. When Games no longer become a meager child's hobby but an actual art form that has depth and meaning, and widespread recognition, that's when we, the Gamers, can be taken seriously when we relate morality and choice to our character in Fallout 3.
Games like Skyrim, Half-Life 2, Halo Combat Evolved, Bastion, Bioshock, Deux Ex, Skyward Sword, Minecraft, Shadow of the Colossus, ICO, hell, even the first Jak and Daxter show what this industry is capable of when it wants to create something beautiful that is also engaging and fun to interact with. They deserve better than just a Spike Video Game award, they deserve a spot in a museum, just like film and text and "icture" art. I've gotten a lot more out of those games than any book or film I've read (save The Dark Knight).
that's when we, the Gamers, can be taken seriously when we relate morality and choice to our character in Fallout 3.
For me a moral game will always be Fable I -- it was my childhood RPG, it was awesome with its classical aesthetic and light hearted wit with the ability to do most of what you want... and all the hidden things you could find as well. I appreciated that kind of exploration, the fun combat but furthermore the implications of morality -- something that is actually rarely seen in games, you get the choice -- not any moral implications shown out to you.
There was one brilliant Flash Game that held moral implications, and that was Mardek 2 -- also humorous but really shined out to me when a certain someone certain something'd by accident.
Stuff like this can very well raise the serious level of games -- as art would only be a recognition on that level, but the fact it's an art form does not really add to it in the sense of what it can provide, only how others will see it.
Also, you would put those games in the museum, but then you should have the "Evolution of Games" like, say, the Pokemon games for Gameboy.
And the first mario games, the ones that are considered classics. Zelda, Ocarina of Time if I remember correctly.
Pinnacle games that have shined out through time -- a recent playthrough of Super Mario 64. Other recent playthroughs you can quickly find by Chuggaconroy -- who is a baller.
This is, like I said, impossible to do unless you find a definition of what constitutes art and what doesn't. I'm pretty sure you'll find people willing to debate you on what makes a movie or book "art", and the same will happen for video games.
Just attaching an "art" label won't suddenly make a change in peoples heads after all.
And even IF you got everyone thinking of games as "a legitimate form of art", other problems could result from exactly this.
I can't help but notice that atleast half of those games on your list are centered around a story or "emotional impact" and other things like that.
What about games not centering around that? Why would both Minecraft and Skyward Sword be art if they don't have much in common at all? Are other games lesser if they aren't being considered "art"?
Just because a game isn't "art" doesn't mean it isn't good. But this there will undoubtly be people adopting this kind of thinking. Entertainment for as many people as possible has to be the first priority.
Not to mention, it could lead to self-proclaimed "artists" making games with the sole purpose of having a "deep and profound message", completely pushing away the importance of it being an entertainment product.
Stuff like this can very well raise the serious level of games -- as art would only be a recognition on that level, but the fact it's an art form does not really add to it in the sense of what it can provide, only how others will see it.
^ This. Which is why I've been saying answering this question won't change anything by itself.
And the first mario games, the ones that are considered classics. Zelda, Ocarina of Time if I remember correctly.
And that's EXACTLY the problem, as those games are considered classics for other reasons than a game like Mass Effect. If we apply the same definitions, retro games possibly wouldn't be considered "art".
I definitely think Video games are art. Some games take a lot of work and dedication. Does not matter how it is created, only the end result, and the beauty thereafter.
how can games not be considered an art, they combine the traditional art of drawings with the art of literature. Video games are an under appreciated work of art
