The realization here has to be that the Hurt Locker has a message about "Coalition" involvement in Iraq, the horrors of war and how it changes people. Call of Duty (or Half-Life for that matter) has a message that goes roughly "This game is fun, you kill things in it". See the difference?
The reason games aren't art yet is because very few games actually try to convey a message or reflect upon a serious issue. In fact, I can only think of three triple-A titles that has done it reasonably well, those three being Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 2 (which has to be the only mainstream media product ever that's intended to insult its' users) and Heavy Rain.
Don't get me wrong here, I love my gaming medium and some games tells stories really well. But the reason Assassin's Creed, Uncharted or Final Fantasy is not art is not because they don't tell their respective story well (which they do) but rather because they lack message and they lack implication. Half-Life is one of the most defining games in the history of gaming, but that does't make it anymore art than Modern Warfare 3, because of that simple lack of message.
The reason games aren't art yet is because very few games actually try to convey a message or reflect upon a serious issue. In fact, I can only think of three triple-A titles that has done it reasonably well, those three being Shadow of the Colossus, Metal Gear Solid 2 (which has to be the only mainstream media product ever that's intended to insult its' users) and Heavy Rain.
Don't get me wrong here, I love my gaming medium and some games tells stories really well. But the reason Assassin's Creed, Uncharted or Final Fantasy is not art is not because they don't tell their respective story well (which they do) but rather because they lack message and they lack implication. Half-Life is one of the most defining games in the history of gaming, but that does't make it anymore art than Modern Warfare 3, because of that simple lack of message.
