The Debate continues….yay. Here’s my two cents on it.
Fun fact: Videogames aren’t simply frogger or Pac man anymore. They actually have a budget on par with Movies and tv shows nowadays. GTA 5 costed nearly 256 Million dollars to make.
But nah let’s not consider them art for…..wait why do we not consider them as art again?
Are Videogames Art has been a long standing debate for a while now and I have no idea why this argument exists. Like seriously…. I don’t.
Now of course I don’t mind if you disagree on the topic. That’s your opinion and I fully respect it.
However for me this topic never made a whole lot of sense especially with how many newer titles have come out that seem to completely demolish this argument.
But before delving into why Videogames are Art according to me let’s see why they aren’t Art according some lovely chaps who I’m sure Have sensible reasons…..
I hate how Optimistic I am Sometimes.
Interactivity= Not art
Humanity was a mistake.
So the biggest forefront reason that People consider videogames as “not art” is because the medium is playable.
Yes really I’m not joking.
According to many Videogames aren’t art cause you directly influence the events in it and thus games aren’t pieces of art which should be made and presented to people as it is by the creator.
Here’s what Roger Ebert(famed and respected Movie critic) had to say on it.
“Art is not interactive. Anything which requires player input forfeits the creator’s control over their work, which is in opposition to the nature of art. Art is meant to showcase the artist’s skills,not the player’s.”
Now again I totally understand why someone would agree with this. If you do please do not feel like I’m talking down to you with my opinion and thoughts on it.
All cleared up?
Good.
Now let’s delve into the meat. This statement is frankly speaking, Utter Nonsense.
My Side AKA Facts(not really)
Simply put I believe people don’t believe videogames to be art due to how videogames were perceived since the early 80’s. As something for Kids.
Toys aren’t considered art so why should Videogames, a interactive toy, for kids be considered art as well?
Videogames in the early 80’s and late 90’s were considered things for children. Any sort of mature theming, violence or any other adult aspect was considered a restriction for games. Seriously the reaction to Mortal Kombat “hidden” blood code was all you need to gather that violence or maturity in a videogame was extremely taboo. Hell even today Grown Ups freak out over major violence in videogames that they’ve never bothered to play
As such most videogames were made with the mindset of it being suitable for kids. Due to that the mentality for videogames was that it was simply for kids.
Another issue faced by early videogames was that the hardware made it hard for videogames to look like pieces of art.
Games were primitive so it was hard for people to take them as seriously as something like a movie or a book.
However Like I mentioned in the first paragraph this isn’t the early 80’s anymore. Technology and videogames have evolved at a incredible speed. And now more than ever almost anyone can express their stories, ideas and vision through a videogame.
They can express.
The definition of Art:
“A Creative Expression by a individual”
Now we come back to the point that Mr Ebert and many others use to defend their stance that videogames aren’t Art.
That you interact with it.
Videogames are made by a studio or a company and then we, the player, have influence over it.
They say that art shouldn’t be interactable in such a way and so it immediately delists Videogames as a form of art.
But if we really think about it Every form of Art is consumed in a different way.
What do I mean by this?
Let me explain.
Different forms of art are experienced in a different manner. You don’t read a book in the same way you see a movie. You don’t see a movie the same you listen to music. And you don’t listen to music the same way you look at a painiting.
Basically no matter what art you’re experiencing it’s always experienced in a different way than the others.
So why can’t Videogames be put into this category as well?
You watch A Movie, You read a book, You listen to music and You look at paintings and You play a videogame. It fits perfectly unlike what many of you think.
That’s really the first major factor I can think of when this topic comes up.
However there’s another major factor in videogames that I think contribute to them being a form of art.
The fact that they are basically every Type of “Proper” Art combined into one.
While every game is art in some manner no matter how bad or good it may be For our example here I’m going to use a game that represents a lot of artistic values for many and the example That i think best utilizes and combines all other artforms equally.
The Last Of Us.
Released in 2013, The Last of us is about Two Characters Ellie and Joel who make their way through a post apocalyptic world United states.
The game received rave reviews upon release and is still considered a masterpiece by many. It’s one of the most popular games to bring up for this argument and rightfully so.
So how does Last of Us encompass every other artform?
Music:
Every videogame needs a soundtrack whether it be atmospheric backgrounds or catchy tunes you can hum.
The last time I remember Music was a accepted form of Art.
Writing and Acting:
Now again this depends on the videogame as not every videogame has a story or acting or doesn’t give them that much of a significance over gameplay but its still an important part of videogames that aren’t educational games (They’re still art too, Brain Age Training>>> Mona Lisa). The Last of Us Boasts a story that could easily be turned into a movie, book or a tv show.
Oh Wait A Minute.
How about that huh?
Voice acting also counts as “Acting” By the way.
Drawn Pieces
Now you might be thinking where is drawn art? Well many games in their long process of development has concept art drawn to show people their vision for the game. In Many videogams these artpieces can even be found as a reward. So there’s that too.
Conclusion
So there you have it. My reasoning to why Videogames SHOULD be considered as a form of art. It encompasses every other art form into a playable format and tells stories and thrusts us into adventures we never thought possible. It’s almost a disgrace that the general public thinks videogames are just something for kids considering how much manpower, resources and time is used up for making just a single game.
Of course any sort of fair argument against my points is totally welcome. I love to see what other people think of things like this even if I never quite agree with them. Some opinions on the other hand I can totally see the justification and would love to discuss with the people presenting it. So if you have any sort of points akin to that please do leave them below. For now though….Videogames ARE art.
Mission Accomplished.
