Poll: Are video games art?

[jtesauro]

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

So, going by this definition, then hell friggin yes. And I'm sure it's been said before, but if someone can't find something beautiful, appeaing, or more than ordinary significance about Shadow of the Colossus, then they're just taking up space for the rest of us.

 

[Acier]

No.


They have the potential to become art, but as a whole they fall short. Mostly they are a joining of different kinds of art (music, visual arts, storytelling) but its artitic quality is lost in translation. Video games are still an infant compared to other art forms, so they aren't at fault. I do believe some games have achieved the "art" status, but they are few and far between.Although I'm speaking in terms of fine art. It's crude baby art, but it's got time. As long as commercialism doesn't kill its chances I'm excited to see what this medium can achieve.

and no, Bioshock is not art. I'm sick of hearing this.

Having a good art style and cheap Randian philosophy stitched into a recycled (though good) plot does not make it "art".

Yeah, as by today's standards everything can be art; for example one 'award winning' exhibition boasted a urinal as 'art'??

Duchamp's Urinal had a ton of implications behind it.

He didn't just make it for the lulz

So no, not everything is art.

 

[jtesauro]

Sorry I need to expand that a bit here. Some video games can be art, and some, not so much. It's the same difference between someone who picks up a camera and creates something that makes you feel something unexpected with it, and those idiots who bought a digital camera and just take 800 shots of park benches and post them on Facebook.

Sorry lady, just because you're hot, doesn't make you a photographer.

 

[jtesauro]

No.


They have the potential to become art, but as a whole they fall short. Mostly they are a joining of different kinds of art (music, visual arts, storytelling) but its artitic quality is lost in translation. Video games are still an infant compared to other art forms, so they aren't at fault. I do believe some games have achieved the "art" status, but they are few and far between.

and no, Bioshock is not art. I'm sick of hearing this.

Having a good art style and cheap Randian philosophy stitched into a recycled (though good) plot does not make it "art".

I'm inclined to agree on this, but I think good art is always going to be few and far between, no matter what the medium. That's what makes it stand out.

 

[BuyableDoor]

Where is the "Can be" option?

Making games is an art, but I doubt the latest in a long line of generic FPSs really qualifies as artistic expression, it's more business. Nobody thinks plain paper is an art after all, even through there is an art to the process of making it.

Indeed, video games CAN be art, but most aren't.
Same with other media:

Homer has written art, but Stephany Meyer not.
Movies can be art, but most are not.
etc etc etc

I do consider games like Okami, ICO, The World Ends With You & Killer7 art.

 

[Acier]

No.


They have the potential to become art, but as a whole they fall short. Mostly they are a joining of different kinds of art (music, visual arts, storytelling) but its artitic quality is lost in translation. Video games are still an infant compared to other art forms, so they aren't at fault. I do believe some games have achieved the "art" status, but they are few and far between.

and no, Bioshock is not art. I'm sick of hearing this.

Having a good art style and cheap Randian philosophy stitched into a recycled (though good) plot does not make it "art".

I'm inclined to agree on this, but I think good art is always going to be few and far between, no matter what the medium. That's what makes it stand out.

Right, but the thing is with video games is that it's so young and it's not made with "art" in mind.

Music, Literature, Film, Visual, Sculpture, Architecture and etc. Nearly all of these are created with the goal of making art.

Video games are made to be games, not art.

I believe once the attitude of developers changes and they set out to make something more than a game, but they set out to make art, the medium will be revolutionized.
Besides I don't know why everyone is in such a hissy fit to get games branded as art so quickly, theyre only 30 years old, other mediums (or even genres) struggled until they got the honor, Video game's time will come soon enough

 

[Omega NZ]

Overall my definition of art is something with a philosophical meaning behind it. Video games are more like playable James Bond flicks.

What about games like Bioshock or Shadow of the Colossus? Those had philosophical meaning behind them.

OT: Some are art, but much like with everything else, 90% of them are crap.

Silent Hill 2 I consider art as well because of the storytelling and the show not tell aspects of the game. But its hard to say, the definition I tend to go by is "the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions." Going by this, some games I definitely define as art.

 

[WayOutThere]

First of all:

Define "art".

Art is anything designed to or put to the use of exploring emotions.
This definition excludes things like forum trolling which can be very emotional but can?t be art because you (the one who?s feeling the emotions) are not putting it to that use.
-----
Now, yes, games are at least capable of being art. Games are defined by their interactivity. If it?s not interactive, it can?t be a game. Stories are emotional and hence have artistic value and games tell stories. Therefore, for a game to be art it has to tell an interactive story; an emotional story that we ourselves take part in. You know the holodeck from Star Trek? That would be the pinnacle of games as art.
This is why I?m very excited about Heavy Rain.
(God damn! If only I owned a PS3!)

Overall my definition of art is something with a philosophical meaning behind it. Video games are more like playable James Bond flicks.

Through their stories games are capable of having philosophical meaning. True there probably aren't any game that have actually accomplished that, but its possible in principle.

Overall my definition of art is something with a philosophical meaning behind it. Video games are more like playable James Bond flicks.

What about games like Bioshock?

I don't see how Bioshock had philosophical meaning in it. I was disappointed that it didn't go further into the whole "objectivism" thing. That was more a backdrop for the setting than a theme that was actually explored.

I was goin to say ICO, Shadow of the Colossus, Heavy Rain, and okami were all art but it's more like they emulate art.

It sounds a little too pretentious to argue though so for the sake of not sounding like a pretentious ass hole sipping his frapcinno talking to you plebs, I'm going to say that they are varying degrees of art.

No no no no no, you?re fine. I want to hear what you're thoughts are.

 

[Maze1125]

Some games are art, most aren't.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

One word: BioShock. Oh, and if you see anyone saying stuff like "I have an arts degree so your opinion mean is wrong and I'm right", point and laugh at them.

 

[Ophiuchus]

I don't think they are automatically, but they certainly can be. If anyone needs an example: look up the little indie developer Tale Of Tales and play anything they've released.

 

[jpoon]

Some games are absolutely art, a few are so expressive and intriguing that they can be nothing but art.

 

[ottenni]

Yes they can be. Just like films and literature can be art, because a game can combine the two. It can manipulate the player emotionally and tell a story in a very complex way. But at the same time it can have you mindlessly running around killing noobs. It varies.

And then their are games like TF2 that are art in a very different way.

 

[Ruffythepirate]

No. Throghout my expieriences in middle school and up, I've constantly heard little flower children explaining to me that everything is art. Specifically a little russian boy nomed Mikhail Vitkun. The teacher says "what is defined as being art?". Of course the little Ruzkie has to with eyes crossed and anus clenched blurt out " ervrythang", to which me thinking this argument will be an easy win exclaims, " well what about dogshit?" Instead of the usual "well not everything", I get from Americans he persistantly says yes, so I say "how". "It's unique" At that point in time the teacher sensed a flame and quickly moved on. Overall my definition of art is something with a philosophical meaning behind it. Video games are more like playable James Bond flicks.

By that definition everything can potentially be art, if you just put some "philosophical meaning behind it". A French artist literally canned his own shit and sold it to art museums. You are maybe right that there has to be a philosophical thought somewhere, but as previously mentioned, everything then has potential to be art. And I think you'll agree on that.

 

[dreadedcandiru99]

Sure, they can be. Just about anything can be art.

Here's my question: do games need to be art? In the final analysis, does it really matter if people hang the "art" label on a given game? Personally, I have yet to hear two people agree on an exact definition of "art," and if we can't decide what the word means, then what difference does it make if it applies to something or not?

 

[000Ronald]

Y'know, people can say, "Is a video game art?" or "Is photography art?" or "Is film art?" I, instead, ask you...what is art?

This is a point of contention with me. I got into a lengthy argument with someone because they said good and evil mean whatever he wanted them to mean.

What point am I trying to make? Well, it agitates me that people use words without any idea what they mean. Of course video games are art, at least to someone. We wouldn't be arguing about it if they weren't. The problem comes from people who think of art as a sort of title, like, "Esquire" or "Blue".

I've always thought of Art as being something that a person can apreciate; by (my) definition, that makes quite literally everything art. Painting? Art. Photography? Art. Human body? Art. Dragonball Evolution? It takes real talent to make a movie that bad.

Do me a favor and read Shakespear's Othello. If you don't get it, you don't deserve to.

Apologies Abound

 

[Brad Shepard]

Okami, bioshock, shadow of the colossus, anything that has come out of bioware if where going with litericher here.

I rest my case

 

[viking97]

they are art. art is an abstract term so you can't you really say what is art and what isn't but i think they are. only not all the time

 

[Eggsnham]

Tell me that a game which is animated and visually based of off concept art, is not art.