Is call of duty an art?

[Mad1Cow]

Everything has artistic value because people perceive it as they want.

However, was it intended to be artistic in anyway shape or form...nuh-uh...not at all...

 

[funguy2121]

Why does it matter so much? You don't see sitcom fans and "claymates" begging that their beloved Everybody Loves Raymond and Clay Aiken music are art.

 

[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.

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.

Exactly. You have no idea how excited threads like this make me. The generation we live in, where gaming is finally becoming an art, is a really fantastic time. As an artist and a gamer, I'm really proud to be a part of this movement.

 

[F_Murphy]

I dont think you really can defend games as an art. Us gamers think they are, but if someone disagrees chances are they will never take our point of view

 

[jbchillin]

oh a graphic base yes there is art. as a whole no the game is not art. not all games should be considered art.

 

[Mad1Cow]

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.

Well really we shouldn't be fighting for Video Games to be Art in my opinion. No, first we tackle the small problem of making it mainstream, so that everyone and their mum is playing games and don't care if it has any risks. Instead of making Video Games even more niche, we should be focusing on making them widely accepted in society. The problem with this is, FPS's don't do this job, sure they're fun for you and me, but for the casual observer, it ain't half off-putting. This is why I'm always hesitant to support CoD clones and the like, because they're just not helping ¬_¬

 

[SimpleJack]

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTT! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! OHOHOHOHOHO!!!!

No, it's not. Not in the slightest. However there are other games that are much more qualified to be art that are also fps'.
I think it's mostly because call of duty has attracted the two groups of gamers that people hate the most.

Little kids, and really angsty and over-enthusiastic teenagers.

 

[David Hebda]

The problem with this topic is art itself. A few years ago artist = painter, sculpture and that is about it. Now everyone is an artist, Musicians are artists Authors are artists people waring stupid shit and marching for a cause are artists, if you do anything "creative" you are labeled an artist. And if a jar of piss with a cross in it are considered art by the national endowment of the art I challenge you try to say CoD isn't art.

Art is subjective and it's modern definition is... nonexistent. I can best describe it as something that makes you feel an emotion, pull at your heart strings, inspires you. I haven't played any CoD games since Allied Assault years ago, and it did pull at my emotions a little at the end, MW 1 and 2 did a lot and if anything is art I would call them art as well.

 

[dosp5]

The word art is a opinion it self. I lot of people are saying no, but I will say yes for argument's sake. It creates a depiction of war the is idealized by the american public (I guess).

 

[C95J]

Whoooa hold on a sec, so people will happily agree that games are an art form, but when it comes to a game they don't like, suddenly everything is different.

Sounds a bit hypocritical to me...

 

[JochemDude]

I don't really agree with games being art. Their just a medium of entertainment. Their solely made for profit, that kinda puts it in the entertainment box for me. Art is self-expression of the author and since (nearly) every game lacks that. No, to me games aren't art.

 

[qeinar]

well anything can be viewed as art. espcially shit..

 

[DPeteD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvdf5n-zI14
In my opinion the old ones could be called art cause effort went into em, but isnt art just what someone likes

 

[inFAMOUSCowZ]

It is art, it may be the crazy painting thats fun to look at, but its art.

 

[2012 Wont Happen]

Call of Duty 4 is. Halo 1 is...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?

There is no form of media in which its hardcore fans refer to every piece within it as art. By trying to say that all games are art we're not avoiding looking like anti-social nerds, we're looking like we put media form above message and emotion in determining what is and is not a work of art.

OT:

I wouldn't say Call of Duty is. It doesn't really have a message and, while some of the newer games try to play at emotions, it doesn't handle it very well at all. One could make an argument that the Halo series is art because of the whole "religious extremism will be the death of literally everything" message. Debatable, but you could hold that up as an example of a shooter that is art.

Or, if you really want to be original, just go on about how awesome Half Life 2 is. I'm certain nobody is sick of hearing that as an example of an art game by now.

 

[Malkavian]

I don't understand why so many people are trying to drag gaming into the pretentious art world.

Are you embarrassed that you play games and wish to legitimise adults playing games by calling it art? I just don't understand.

How about we all just play the games and have fun, instead of debating what we call it.


Honestly, I would rather video games be associated with a childish hobby than a pompous pursuit of art

Yes, some of us would like our hobby not to earn us ostracizing stares.

Also, there's of course the matter of indie developers. You know, in the states they just made games a recognized artform. That means they can get federal funding. Which means smaller developers can get money behind their unique project.

Getting gaming recognized as art, will help the medium evolve, and potentially get out of the mire it is stuck in right now.


Also: Why is it not okay to call CoD a work of art? Surely, it might not be a GOOD work of art, but tastes vary, just as quality goes. Someone earlier mentioned the Expendables. It IS art. Just not very good art.
Art is a product meant to instill emotion and communicate a message to the individual, yes? Well, CoD does that. As does almost every other game ever made. It might not mean it is worthy of the Louvre, but hey, I have a friend who paints, and while I would call it art, it certainly isn't a Guernica. Nor should it have to be, to be considered art.

 

[Abengoshis]

Some paintings are utter crap, doesn't mean they're not art, right?

 

[penguindude42]

Short answer: Oh, hell no.

Long answer: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

~tom</3

 

[pope_of_larry]

in much the same way some action move is.