Is call of duty an art?

[Haydyn]

Ahahahahaha! No, sweetie.

Art does not target the kind of crowd CoD draws. Art does not come out year after year getting progressively worse. What kind of artistic statement does it make? How does it make you view life differently? It's not trying to be art at all.

I don't mean to call out CoD specifically. I don't consider Halo Reach art, but I still enjoy it. I personally think Reach would be better without the campaign storyline. As a whole, you can't really classify all games as art or not. I can program Pong and a bunch of other basic games. Does that make me an artist?

Random Fact: Subway Employees are referred to as "Sandwich Artists". Art has so little importance any more.

 

[Darius Brogan]

Bit of a tricky question here.

CoD is most certainly not an art in any form, however, Video Game Design? THAT is an art, right there.

When the vast majority of people see a painting, they call it art, this is a false train of thought: The painting isn't art at all, no matter the quality. The effort that is put into the painting, from the carefully formed blades of grass, to the shading, to the average brush strokes; This is art, the subsequent painting is just tagging along for the ride.

The same can be said about a video-game. Graphics, Programming, Mapping, General Design; These are all art in various forms, and the resulting, playable work is the icing on the cake, so to speak. It is a tangible reminder of the effort, and artwork that went into the development process, but it, in itself, is not art.


Edit: Though I should note that the decreasing effort being put into more and more of this generations video-games is sad and appalling. Art, it may be, but it isn't great art, as it once was.

 

[Fiery Killer]

I would have to say "Yes."

I'm not a fan of the CoD series either, I grew old of it. However, it's as much of an art as any other game. Just think about the process that goes into making a game, character modeling are usually done from drawn pieces. Setting up environments and maps would be an art, and while I know most consider it a bad one- it does have a story and everything that comes with one. If film is an art, games, and CoD more specifically, definitely is.

CoD is just as much of an art as any other game. Just because it's a bad art, doesn't mean it's not an art.

 

[Aprilgold]

Nope, only entertainment.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

Film is art, yet would you call The Expendables art? Same principle.

Pretty much.

Call of duty is to fast and die action explosion to THE MAX as Majora's Mask is to donnie darkro, or Bio shock is to whatever, and so on.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Well, Call of Duty is art, but so is National Treasure, the Da Vinci Code, etc. Popular stuff or lowbrow stuff can still be art.

 

[HerbertTheHamster]

No. there is no such thing as art.

 

[Sinisterair]

Nope, only entertainment.

Just because its entertainment doesn't mean its not art......People haven't been painting, sculpting or making movies because its a job, they do it because they enjoy doing it. They find it entertaining as someone would playing or making a video game, And anyway just because you don't see deeper meaning in the game series in question doesn't mean its any less of a work of art.

 

[Bakuryukun]

I would like to ask all of you to think for a moment. Think really hard. Come up with a one paragraph reason why.

Art is completely subjective by it's nature, I'm not saying it would be impossible or even wrong for someone to believe Call of Duty and games of it's ilk are art, but the way I see it, in the realm of single-player most of the CoD style games are in tone comparable to a big, explosion filled popcorn action movie, and I would also not for the most part not consider those kind of movies art either.

On the subject of Multiplayer I am of the belief that the games are more akin to electronic sports than they are to any form of art, and that's not to imply there wasn't a lot of hard work and love poured into the multiplayer aspect of the game, I just think that by it's nature multiplayer has a higher wall to scale until it reaches the echelon of being considered an art.

In saying I don't think CoD is art, I am NOT trying to say that the game is inherently bad, or that little effort was put into is production. I have just as much respect for games and game developers that strive for higher art in medium and those who strive to make pure games for enjoyment sake.

 

[Moon_Called]

I would like to ask all of you to think for a moment. Think really hard. Come up with a one paragraph reason why.

Art is completely subjective by it's nature, I'm not saying it would be impossible or even wrong for someone to believe Call of Duty and games of it's ilk are art, but the way I see it, in the realm of single-player most of the CoD style games are in tone comparable to a big, explosion filled popcorn action movie, and I would also not for the most part not consider those kind of movies art either.

On the subject of Multiplayer I am of the belief that the games are more akin to electronic sports than they are to any form of art, and that's not to imply there wasn't a lot of hard work and love poured into the multiplayer aspect of the game, I just think that by it's nature multiplayer has a higher wall to scale until it reaches the echelon of being considered an art.

In saying I don't think CoD is art, I am NOT trying to say that the game is inherently bad, or that little effort was put into is production. I have just as much respect for games and game developers that strive for higher art in medium and those who strive to make pure games for enjoyment sake.

All fair points. Thank-you for treating the matter seriously.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

Yes. Look at the Nuke Scene for an example.
And there's another moment in Modern Warfare 2 that I think proves this.

You've spent the entire game shooting your way through the enemy, seeing them as nothing but an obstacle that's shooting at you, when you reach Afghanistan. You abseil down what I assume is a dried up Dam of some kind, lowering yourself down to two sentries at the bottom, as you drop onto one of them, you plunge your knife into his chest, something you've done countless times over the campaign.

And he stares you in the eyes.
The game has just reinforced that this is not some nameless henchman you have killed, but another human being, struggling as the light fades from his eyes.

 

[SinisterGehe]

Just that it is a game and games can be considered "art", it doesn't mean every game there is is art.
All music is sounds, but not all sound is "music"* (* By the definition of theory of music).
There are paintings that are aesthetic works instead of "art works".

Not every game has to be a art piece. I would hate if every game would be "art" because then we would lose "games" it their essence.

In my opinions, Games can be art, but CoD isn't art - nor does it have to. But if the makers of the game say there is "art" in it or it is "art" I will change my opinion. Since if artist makes something to be "art" then it is "art" - even if it couldn't be defined as art.

"Art" is something that is made to be "art". Something is not automatically art - example, if the wall decorations I made and framed would be called art I would be insulted, since I did not make them to be art, so you calling them art would be defying its reason for existence and being created. The Meta-level idea of those decorations are meant to be aesthetic pieces to cover the wall and prevent it from radiating heat on my ass when I sleep.

In short:
If the creator of the piece says ' this is meant to be "art"!' then it is art. But if the creator says it is meant to be a 'game' then it is a game.

Art: "the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance."

Some game that millions of people buy and love and is one of the biggest and most known FPSes in gaming certainly falls under the "appealing" and "more than ordinary significance" categories, thus making it art...

Ah so, if the Dev's come up and say "This game is not art! It is not meant to be art, it is meant to be a game" It would still be art because people say it is art? That is rather rude in my opinion. Also I love that definition of how it differs of what I been taught in Academic education and it is nice how that definition of yours excludes writing, music and other forms of non-visual works from the real of art.

But anyway, my opinion stands and so does yours. Mine is not less right or wrong than yours. What I define as art is different from your, because of our different cultures, education and personalities. The fact that you give something a title of art, doesn't make it art. I can call myself a woman, but I do not turn in to a one, bu just calling myself that.

If you want something to help you understand the context that I am so babling about, you should study Wiggenstein's theories of language, specially the meta-level of language.

I still stand by this: IN MY OPINION, games can be art, but they do not have to be art, I do not count CoD as an piece of art - due to the fact it hold up to none of the criteria I have set to what is art, therefor by logic it is not art. You can argue about this, but rest assured that the fact that I would change my opinion (Or that you would change your opinion) will not matter at all, in anyway to anyone, since even if I would own your opinion, the fact that it is in my "head" and the knowledge of it's existing as an idea in my memory and in my understanding turn it in to my opinion.
My opinion is carrots are orange, you might think the same, but that doesn't mean you have my opinion.

(P.S Sorry it is rather late and I took my pain medication and didn't go to sleep. So Excuse me, please...)

 

[woodwalker]

I would say that most shooters are not art, but science. To clarify, I mean science in the sense that it is predictable and repeatable. I think that as long as the games are pushing the boundaries of the medium, then they are art, but it seems as though most shooters are just taking what is popular, and copying that instead of innovating.

 

[Bakuryukun]

I would like to ask all of you to think for a moment. Think really hard. Come up with a one paragraph reason why.

Art is completely subjective by it's nature, I'm not saying it would be impossible or even wrong for someone to believe Call of Duty and games of it's ilk are art, but the way I see it, in the realm of single-player most of the CoD style games are in tone comparable to a big, explosion filled popcorn action movie, and I would also not for the most part not consider those kind of movies art either.

On the subject of Multiplayer I am of the belief that the games are more akin to electronic sports than they are to any form of art, and that's not to imply there wasn't a lot of hard work and love poured into the multiplayer aspect of the game, I just think that by it's nature multiplayer has a higher wall to scale until it reaches the echelon of being considered an art.

In saying I don't think CoD is art, I am NOT trying to say that the game is inherently bad, or that little effort was put into is production. I have just as much respect for games and game developers that strive for higher art in medium and those who strive to make pure games for enjoyment sake.

All fair points. Thank-you for treating the matter seriously.

No Problem. I think that it's good that this debate is popping up more and more, because debate and discussion is very important for a medium to start being taken seriously as a possible art form. The fact that this topic is even a question speaks volumes for how far we've come as an industry.

 

[Pelgrims]

It's not art. Art doesn't mean it's good! Artsy movies are frequently the biggest waste of time you can imagine.

Games aren't art, Call of duty isn't art.


They are just awsome!

 

[mikev7.0]

If we were to get prickish and hypocritical about it - no.

If we were to judge it as the whole "games as art" argument should be judged - yes.

Call of Duty 4 is. Halo 1 is. Singularity is. These are art, and if we want to say that games are art then we need to include all of them, or we will just make our medium more confusing to people who are just trying to look into it. Do we really want to look even more like anti social nerds?

Also, for anyone that says shooters can't be art:

Spoiler

I won't pretend that I don't have several problems with it as a game, such as bad level design and having to take pictures of enemies to be able to even have a chance at beating them, but as art it's up there.

Good point about Bioshock and even though FPSs are not my favorite games it's a good point about Halo as well. Think whatever you will about the gameplay but even the first level has you walking through it and looking at what could only be called art, or created by an artistic process, so yes. I would also say Wofenstein would get the nod for art, and I'm sure someone by now has mentioned Mirror's Edge and hopefully Flow even more so.

 

[RoBi3.0]

If you call smearing shit on a piece of paper art, then yes it is.
But this is coming from someone who doesn't like the CoD series.

http://www.goofball.com/news/Feces_Painting_Divides_Art_Lovers

CoD must be art then.

Seriously though good bad it is all art.

 

[Warforger]

Like all of you, I try to preach about how games are an art as much as I can and am willing to debate it with the naysayers. But I always get a frequently asked question: what about all of duty or other first person shooters? people understand other games like RPG's because of the story or the innovation but what about FPS's? yes some games are mindless shooting but... those are still fun, and I will defend them. but how can I explain that first person shooter's are an art as well?

What's art isn't an inherent thing,it's just an opinion. You could argue the story part in CoD4 is art while the multiplayer isn't, but the term for art is so broad, the commonly accepted term is something that effects our emotions, but this makes genocide art as well.

Really I wouldn't care, video games being art isn't going to change anything about them and IMO it's an argument that would get you nowhere in anything.