Do you think that video games are now considered art? With modern gaming technology and better and better graphics will games like Portal and Journey be considered an art form like painting or drawing?
Is Video Gaming Art
- Thread starter Michael McCahey
- Start date
Recommended Videos
I think that some games could definitely be considered art, but not all of them. Games with fantastic narrative or conveyance of plot through the gameplay certainly are some that qualify. Games like "The Last of Us", "Portal", and "Journey" are some examples. However, I don't feel that the graphics necessarily are a real factor in determining the 'artyness' of a game. For example, "Another World", one of my favorite games of all time, couldn't hold a candle graphics-wise to just about any of the modern console games, but the fantastic way the story is told (even without any dialog) I think totally justifies it as a perfect example of art.Michael McCahey said:
Just to clarify, while I do believe that video games can be considered art, I don't think they should be classified in the same group as paintings and classic books and such. Video games, by nature, are much more tactile than a painting or a book, and therefore doesn't really follow the same rules. While you passively watch a movie or read the action unfold in a book, video games allow you to directly influence the way the story progresses, which makes playing games entirely different from reading a book.
I can't remember where I heard or read this but I think a better question is 'Are video games high art?' Video games are art by definition but whether they are worthy of study and will be relevant in years to come is a different question. To which I think the answer is either yes or eventually yes. Video games is a very young medium and is still continuing to grow.
EDIT: Turned out it was Nostalgia Critic
EDIT: Turned out it was Nostalgia Critic
Video games have been "art" for as long as they've had even the most rudimentary stories and graphics. Being "art" has nothing to do with how "pretty" or "moving" something is; art is about expressing values, which games have always done whether they meant to or not. Games have just gotten more eloquent and skillful in that expression in recent years.
Like with all art, it all depends on who you ask. I don't think anybody would say "Yes, games are art and THIS game is the Mona Lisa, THIS game is Michelangelo's David, etc". Gaming has a ton of Piss-Christ's and, Artist's Shit's though...LOTS of those. Personally though, I see games as having been art since the very beginning. They're visual, auditory experiences and unlike any other art form, they demand audience participation.
Able Seacat basically said what I wanted to say with reference to Doug Walker. Seriously, this guy puts it very nicely.
Oh yeah, there's one thing that I can't help but notice whenever this topic get brought up. It's when people say something like "Well, game X is art, but game Y is shit". It confuses the hell out of me! We don't say "Beethoven's music is art, but 50 cent's isn't", we say "Music is art". We don't say "Citizen Kane is art, but Transformers isn't", we say "Cinema is art". So, why the fuck do we say "Journey is art, but Call of Duty isn't". If we want video games to be art, we have to accept ALL of video games, not just the ones we think worthy.
Oh yeah, there's one thing that I can't help but notice whenever this topic get brought up. It's when people say something like "Well, game X is art, but game Y is shit". It confuses the hell out of me! We don't say "Beethoven's music is art, but 50 cent's isn't", we say "Music is art". We don't say "Citizen Kane is art, but Transformers isn't", we say "Cinema is art". So, why the fuck do we say "Journey is art, but Call of Duty isn't". If we want video games to be art, we have to accept ALL of video games, not just the ones we think worthy.
This! Frickin this!IllumInaTIma said:
The subject under debate is whether the video game medium is perceived as a valid art form by society, so threads like this questioning whether video games are art are pointless, because strictly speaking, they are completely and totally an art form, by definition, objectively, whether anyone likes it or not.
Now the video game is still a relatively young medium, so it's still gaining what cultural theorists would describe as "cultural capital". Whether news outlets like Fox, or older generations who didn't grow up with video games, or heck even artists in other fields like music or cinema want to try to debate whether they can perceive games as art, then they don't know what art actually is.
This does mean that the grey military shooter like Call of Duty is art too.
Now is it a valid area of study? Of course. It's one of the most thriving industries today! GTAV was made on a $265,000,000 budget, more than so many Hollywood blockbusters.
Games are being adapted into films. So many examples to choose from.
Video game soundtracks are released as full albums. They're even played at concerts!!
Oh and look at conventions.
Video games are as much a valid form of art as any other. Fact.
If Andy Warhol can paint a fuckin Campbell's soup can and it is called "art", if people shitting or pissing on things is considered "performance art" then yes... Videogames are art. I know people might argue with me about the Warhol comment, but to me the term is subjective therefore anything is art depending on the person viewing/experiencing it. Beyond that, there's little more I can say.
I'll just spew out some other facts that someone else has said.
Art is subjective in all means, so arguing for an objective meaning is relatively pointless.
That being said: art is an expression, whether it is through performance, creation, or some other means of thought.
For some, these ideas will collaborate with the idea of video games, for others, not at all. You can argue a lack of experience in the field, but that has never stopped anyone before.
But, I know that, in the future, certain games will accepted as art. I will argue for its purpose, but I don't feel like preaching to the choir right, plenty of you guys will understand my ideas. For games allow us to express something, even in a limited sphere of control, much akin to the strict guidelines of books or plays.
For a discussion point, is the player in Spec Ops as much of a tragic hero as Macbeth, who leaves only destruction in their pursuit of good?
Captacha: moot point
I cannot tell if it is mocking us
Art is subjective in all means, so arguing for an objective meaning is relatively pointless.
That being said: art is an expression, whether it is through performance, creation, or some other means of thought.
For some, these ideas will collaborate with the idea of video games, for others, not at all. You can argue a lack of experience in the field, but that has never stopped anyone before.
But, I know that, in the future, certain games will accepted as art. I will argue for its purpose, but I don't feel like preaching to the choir right, plenty of you guys will understand my ideas. For games allow us to express something, even in a limited sphere of control, much akin to the strict guidelines of books or plays.
For a discussion point, is the player in Spec Ops as much of a tragic hero as Macbeth, who leaves only destruction in their pursuit of good?
Captacha: moot point
I cannot tell if it is mocking us
Yes and no. Ultimately, what does and does not constitute art is largely up to the consumer of said media. It should also be noted that just because something is "art" or artistic does not mean that it is in any way intrinsically good. Despite what some would claim, it is okay for a game to not be art. Their presence will not destroy the industry's reputation (It does that well enough on its own).
No, not really. Games are games. Games are entertainment, some entertainment is definitely art, and there is plenty of actual art IN a video game and involved in the creation of one, but I wouldn't consider video games art by default. I do think that it is possible to make a game that is art, but it would have to be a deliberate effort to do so and I don't believe that's the intent for the vast majority of games.
Games have been art since their inception (though I might be alone in thinking that a structured system of rules is art). As for whether or not they will eventually be considered "high art"... I would say they already are. I mean, the Smithsonian had an exhibit on video games as an art-form. Seems fairly clear to me that most young artists think of games as art, even if old ones don't.
Well...I can't restrain my desire to say "Noob, we discussed this to death before. Anita Sarkeesian is the new fad. Get with the times, and on my level. And by my level I mean my post count." /grumpiness and "Kids these days..."
Please don't take offence. I'm sure I'm just saying what we're all thinking...
To repeat what has been said several times already, and to respect the thread topic...the vidya can express itself through numerous ways, and has gotten more effective in doing so, which has brought about these discussions. The fact that it can express itself would imply that it is, indeed art and from what people have said, it is recognised as such by law...or something.
In terms of visual arts, specifically, yes, definitely. People often mention Okami when it comes to this, I haven't played it, but a lot of people love the cell-shadedness of it. I don't, but I like how X and Y used cell-shading. It's the best-looking Pokemon has ever been, I think. And then there's games like Bioshock, which have a really good aesthetic. And then there's the stuff which goes into game design, such as concept art...
So that's a certain yeah, in terms of what you've mentioned. My crazy dad has ranted about this sort of thing when playing Elder Scrolls games, I'm not sure if that adds value to the argument, but...yeah. I hope you didn't take my initial grumpiness the wrong way. To brighten things up, welcome to the pack, new blood.
Please don't take offence. I'm sure I'm just saying what we're all thinking...
To repeat what has been said several times already, and to respect the thread topic...the vidya can express itself through numerous ways, and has gotten more effective in doing so, which has brought about these discussions. The fact that it can express itself would imply that it is, indeed art and from what people have said, it is recognised as such by law...or something.
In terms of visual arts, specifically, yes, definitely. People often mention Okami when it comes to this, I haven't played it, but a lot of people love the cell-shadedness of it. I don't, but I like how X and Y used cell-shading. It's the best-looking Pokemon has ever been, I think. And then there's games like Bioshock, which have a really good aesthetic. And then there's the stuff which goes into game design, such as concept art...
So that's a certain yeah, in terms of what you've mentioned. My crazy dad has ranted about this sort of thing when playing Elder Scrolls games, I'm not sure if that adds value to the argument, but...yeah. I hope you didn't take my initial grumpiness the wrong way. To brighten things up, welcome to the pack, new blood.
There's a weird thing about the phrase "video games are art" because "video games" refers to both the medium and the products of that medium.
We can refer to all movies as "film," and all books as "literature," but we call all video games "video games."
So, when you say "video games are art," someone might interpret this to mean that Mario or Call of Duty is art, which they might disagree with. But that's not what's being said here.
Video games are an artistic medium, but not all video games are art.
We can refer to all movies as "film," and all books as "literature," but we call all video games "video games."
So, when you say "video games are art," someone might interpret this to mean that Mario or Call of Duty is art, which they might disagree with. But that's not what's being said here.
Video games are an artistic medium, but not all video games are art.
Video games aren't just art, they are the culmination of all other art-forms into one. Music, writing, film, wrought imagery, sculpting, etc. all come together to form modern games. Some say the best art is the kind that asks a question of the beholder. With games, not only can that question be asked, but the player can answer it. Thus the player is not just an observer, but also a contributor to the art every time it is experienced. Therefore due to their meta-media confluence into interactive quandaries, video games aren't just art, they are the ultimate evolution of art. Future generations will look back at this "are video games art?" debate with cultural embarrassment.
oh, this one again...
Yes, games are art. Yes, games can be high art. No, games haven't had a lot of success getting that far.
Much like TV and movies, games are an artform made for a profit first and foremost. As such, what usually fuels great art is more then likely going to be over shadowed by profit demand. With the current state of the triple A industry being what it is, that means you will not likely see high art from those sorts of games. But you don't expect to see it in the prime time sitcom or the summer blockbuster either, do you?
Games can be great art, and as soon as enough people realize how to harness the interactive nature of it and the intimacy that can have to story telling or bringing forth emotion, we will have some great video game art. But until there, I expect a lot of stuff made for a profit directly. We didn't start movies with the best after all, but with what sold well to the public.
Yes, games are art. Yes, games can be high art. No, games haven't had a lot of success getting that far.
Much like TV and movies, games are an artform made for a profit first and foremost. As such, what usually fuels great art is more then likely going to be over shadowed by profit demand. With the current state of the triple A industry being what it is, that means you will not likely see high art from those sorts of games. But you don't expect to see it in the prime time sitcom or the summer blockbuster either, do you?
Games can be great art, and as soon as enough people realize how to harness the interactive nature of it and the intimacy that can have to story telling or bringing forth emotion, we will have some great video game art. But until there, I expect a lot of stuff made for a profit directly. We didn't start movies with the best after all, but with what sold well to the public.
Video Games are defiantly art, just play the Stanley Parable and you will Understand. When you have saved that baby and puppy from certain death for 4 hours then you will truly know the meaning of Art.
8
8
Is it even worth answering?
[sigh]
Fine!
Here you go.
Yes, it is.
You can put your own feces or kitchen garbage on display and there will people with reputation who will claim that it is an art.
[although I call crap crap no matter how others name it]
And
Feces<any game (well maybe except Duke Nukem Forever)
So yes, and anyone claiming otherwise is either lying or do not understand word "art".
[sigh]
Fine!
Here you go.
Yes, it is.
You can put your own feces or kitchen garbage on display and there will people with reputation who will claim that it is an art.
[although I call crap crap no matter how others name it]
And
Feces<any game (well maybe except Duke Nukem Forever)
So yes, and anyone claiming otherwise is either lying or do not understand word "art".