Will Good Games Still Be Remembered In Years To Come?

[toadking07]

Ok, so right off the bat just want to say this isn't a discussion about whether video games are art or not. What I want to talk about is how future generations will look at the backlog of gaming gems of yesteryear. There are a lot of games these days that are average but sell really well because they were over hyped. (you can pick your own example) Other games are praised as original and creative, taking games to new levels, but don't sell all that well. (examples are games like Psychonauts, Otogi, and Beyond Good and Evil)

What I want to know is if you think games will go the way of art, whether artist's like Van Gogh aren't appreciated and praised until after his death and the mass produced hot pieces of the day get left behind? Hundreds of portraits were created throughout history by tons of famous artists, but only a hand full of them are mentioned in art history books and only a smaller number are known by non-art history taking art students. With systems like STEAM and Gametap, whole libraries of old video games are being filtered through by new generations.

Will video games of yesteryear be filtered, leaving the overhyped and average games in the dust with the original and ground breaking games being remembered and replayed by future generations? Or will the top selling games of today be what history remembers, with the rest staying in the shadows?

 

[toadking07]

Drat, meant to add a poll of some kind here, owell...

 

[Marter]

Many of these games are already appreciated by a lot of people. I can see these games being released in a "Virtual Console" type of thing in the future, and then I guess we'll see how many downloads they get.

The top selling games will probably be more remembered, as more people will have played them to remember them.

 

[TheDuckbunny]

I don't think games will ever be considered 'art' like paintings and sculptures and the like are now. Reason being, games are mass produced and thus not unique. I do however ponder how our generation's games will be perceived in the future. And will they even be able to play any of them on our two-year-lifespan consoles of today?

 

[arcticphoenix95]

I wish people would stop with the "games as art" threads, just because some prick said that games will never be art doesn't mean people should take it seriously, like fox news.

 

[Yureina]

"Art" perhaps might be a bit much. An alternative form of literature? I believe that process has already been underway for quite sometime.

 

[scrambledeggs]

Modern art is strings hanging from the roof in patterns, with rocks and other minerals lying in formations.

I hope games don't become like art...

 

[Mr. Grey]

I have a different belief in what art is... and games don't rank amongst it. That isn't to say that it deserves to be called less, far from it. I just honestly can't see games as art, I grew up on it being a form of entertainment, same with television or movies. Books too for that matter, but I still believe we need to protect them all for the sake of the people... not for the sake of what we declare it to be.

And traditional "art" is nothing more than decorations for me. Rarely can I see what they are expressing these days and when I do I can't say I give a damn.

 

[Ancientgamer]

Ok, so right off the bat just want to say this isn't a discussion about whether video games are art or not. What I want to talk about is how future generations will look at the backlog of gaming gems of yesteryear. There are a lot of games these days that are average but sell really well because they were over hyped. (you can pick your own example) Other games are praised as original and creative, taking games to new levels, but don't sell all that well. (examples are games like Psychonauts, Otogi, and Beyond Good and Evil)

What I want to know is if you think games will go the way of art, whether artist's like Van Gogh aren't appreciated and praised until after his death and the mass produced hot pieces of the day get left behind? Hundreds of portraits were created throughout history by tons of famous artists, but only a hand full of them are mentioned in art history books and only a smaller number are known by non-art history taking art students. With systems like STEAM and Gametap, whole libraries of old video games are being filtered through by new generations.

Will video games of yesteryear be filtered, leaving the overhyped and average games in the dust with the original and ground breaking games being remembered and replayed by future generations? Or will the top selling games of today be what history remembers, with the rest staying in the shadows?

Games may be able to have a painterly feel (e,g, Okami) But they will never feel like the type of art you're talking about. Because Art is a static medium that can only imply motion at best, and video-games have motion inherent to their existence. What you're asking is similar to "Will films ever be like photographs", except there isn't even a direct relationship of form in this instance.

 

[gidge]

What's wrong with everybody? Can't anybody read?
He's not asking if games are art he's asking what games you think will be remembered.

I think that the good games will be remembered because developers will re-release / re-make everything and people will catch on eventually.

 

[Ontoue]

So nobody even bothered to read the first goddang sentence? Escapist, I am disappoint.

I think that people will remember the unique ones more favorably, mainly because more people will forget a mediocre experience than a great one, but that doesn't mean the overhyped ones will just fade from history in 10 years time. Take MW2 for example, weather it was good or not is irrelevant, it set the record for most sold entertainment product, ever. Notice how I didn't say 'most sold video game ever', thats because it sold more than any other movie, book, or game in recorded history. That certainly not going to be forgotten soon.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

I'll have my gun in checkout just in case.


In all seriousnes, probably not.

They will of course have those games like Shadow of Collosus and Okami.

But they will also have games like Saints Row to counter it.

I believe at best we will have a balance.

In reality we'll probably have a mostly non-art collection to choose from.

 

[Ldude893]

I wish people would stop with the "games as art" threads, just because some prick said that games will never be art doesn't mean people should take it seriously, like fox news.

or the New York Times.

 

[arcticphoenix95]

I wish people would stop with the "games as art" threads, just because some prick said that games will never be art doesn't mean people should take it seriously, like fox news.

or the New York Times.

right

 

[toadking07]

So nobody even bothered to read the first goddang sentence? Escapist, I am disappoint.

...quote shortened...

What's wrong with everybody? Can't anybody read?
He's not asking if games are art he's asking what games you think will be remembered. ...quote shortened...

THANK YOU!!! In hindsight maybe I should have named the thread differently...

But yeah, I'm comparing how art is remember to how video games will be remembered! I think, (hope) that the original and more out there games will out shine all the barely above average games that we see all over the place today.

 

[toy soldier]

that game was beautiful

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

Psychonauts? doubt it.

I'm hoping the Team Ico games will be remembered forever too...doubt it.

Maybe Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear...but not in the same vein as all that, give it time and gaming will get there

 

[gigastrike]

Not until to negeative gamer stereotype ends. Paintings were accepted by the general population because art critics were beleived to be credible. Gamers are beleived to be violent, childish psychopaths and people in general will discriminate against games because of it.

 

[8-Bit Grin]

Perhaps, if the interest remains.

Look at Fallout for example. I picked it up eight years ago in a bundle pack for a dollar.

Suddenly,
a new one is released and a lot of the new fans flock to the original's for a go.

I'm fairly certain that if they haven't released a retro bundle yet, they will soon.

For the most part I think that the 'Van Gogh' games will be underappreciated gems.

With that out of the way, the 'Van Gogh' metaphor is brilliant. I applaud you.

 

[toadking07]

Perhaps, if the interest remains.

Look at Fallout for example. I picked it up eight years ago in a bundle pack for a dollar.

Suddenly,
a new one is released and a lot of the new fans flock to the original's for a go.

I'm fairly certain that if they haven't released a retro bundle yet, they will soon.

For the most part I think that the 'Van Gogh' games will be underappreciated gems.

With that out of the way, the 'Van Gogh' metaphor is brilliant. I applaud you.

Well thanks, it pays to be an art student. But yeah, hopefully the under appreciated gems rise to the surface over all the other games. Come a few years, the sequels will bury themselves and die down and hopefully history will look look back with unhyped eyes.