Artform argument: this is plain ridiculous. Just coz it's "art" doesn't mean all the adults like them. If "art" is a big deal, artists won't be struggling so much.
Only the trained few will appreciate "art". It is an acquired taste; like wine and the likes. If a commoner can pick up and understand art in a snap, it's not art. Some say art need the general appeal; sure, but that's one-dimensional. In short, art doesn't sell.
Art needs depth. Beautiful graphics is not depth. It's merely the media, and only skin deep. You can be wowed and amazed, but it's not art. Art needs to offer new insights.
Do I appreciate art? Sure, I've been trained in classical music for 20 years now. But ironically, it's very exhausting for me to listen to classical music. I immediately go in analysis mode, and it's not always enjoyable. It's nice once in a while to enjoy the experience, but I can't take too much of it.
Similarly, I can't take "real" art in large quantities.
Games don't need to become artforms. They just need to be games. A little bit a depth would be nice, and once in a while an artsy game would be nice for the diversity. Like "Sadness", I imagine it's an artsy game, although I heard it's also got substantial violence. Oh well.
Ultimately, adults are kids. We just want to have fun. Otherwise we'd all be going to museums instead of bars. But our notion of fun is more qualified, less mindless, and a tad bit more sophisticated.
Video games won't take over adults' lives. It's just a small part of it.
Just like the arts.
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Now here's the practical issue. The chances of a profit-seeking video game publisher producing art-like games is low; andwhen they do so, you can sure as hell bet it won't be a $10 million endeavor. It will by necessity have a small budget. There is no way complicated architecture like PS3 is gonna get the nod for developing this kind of game. It will be on the least expensive platform, i.e. the PC, unless there's an immersive experience that the PC cannot offer, which leaves us the Wii with its controls. Obviously, the better the tools an artist has at his disposal the better, but graphics--the tool--is secondary--if an artist can't work around that, he's more of an engineer.
the Wii is an epidemic.
