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Forums - Gaming Discussion - My girlfriend's art teacher said video games are not art. Do you agree?

JOKA_ on 19 February 2014

I think that everything is art.

...and now I feel sick after typing that hipster drivel.



Platinums: Red Dead Redemption, Killzone 2, LittleBigPlanet, Terminator Salvation, Uncharted 1, inFamous Second Son, Rocket League

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rolltide101x on 19 February 2014
Mr Puggsly said:

If we can pretend art is a real degree, why can't we pretend games are an art?

If games aren't or can't be art then I have no idea what art is.


My GF is an Art Major and she does every bit as much work as I do in Computer Networking



rolltide101x on 19 February 2014
wangjingwanjia said:
You are asking people in a gaming forum if games should be considered art or not? If less that 90% would think otherwise I am very surprised. Most people here will feel that what the teacher said is offensive.

Ask the same question in a movie forum and you will have the same results. Or a music forum.

My answer would be that it's a question of definition. What you define as art yourself. If that teacher doesn't think that games are to be considered as art, then fine with me.

I would define many things as art, even a poem.

A better question would be, what is art really? If Halo and Mona Lisa would go into the same category(art in this case) but has no resemblance what so ever.

And what about text-based games? Or early games as pong, just one white dot and two lines on a black background.

Who better to ask than people who actually understand video games?

 

As a semi-pro programmer I argue that programming is more artistic than most could understand as well.



rolltide101x on 19 February 2014
Zappykins said:
The burden of deciding if anything is Art is up to the interpretor. Is Bonsi art? It's a living thing? A tree.

Are paintings are? Well, many people say they are.

How about a chair design? Many people like antique chairs, but also bahouse ones. Because people decide they are.

Video Games are art because I say they are. I can interpret and justify as I could any other legitimate form of art.

Ask this person how much they know about and have been exposed to video games. It usually a judgment made by people that do not know any better. And sounds like it is your obligation to educate them.

I think I am going to get a picture of professionally printed and say I drew it and colored it and see what he says. He does not know me and would have no idea if I was an artist or not.

 

Will probably need to refine this idea. I will think about it for the next week or 2.



rolltide101x on 19 February 2014
Rafux said:
Rogerioandrade said:
Videogames are not essentially art. They are basically just games, challenges for the player, they´re closer to board games in their essence than to art itself. But videogames are a form of entertainment that uses art to be produced, be it visual arts, music or interpretation.


Yes! Finally someone who gets it, the rest are just bashing the art teacher.


If it uses art that makes it art.....



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allenmaher on 19 February 2014

The dictionary definition is:
art
ärt/
noun
noun: art; plural noun: arts; plural noun: the arts

1.
the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.
"the art of the Renaissance"
synonyms: fine art, artwork More
"he studied art"
works produced by human creative skill and imagination.
"his collection of modern art"
synonyms: fine art, artwork More
"he studied art"
creative activity resulting in the production of paintings, drawings, or sculpture.
"she's good at art"
2.
the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance.
"the visual arts"

Do video games meet this definition?
"the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination" absolutely
"typically in a visual form" check
"producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power." still works here
They often include music, dance, story and other branches of the arts... so frankly unless the person is claiming another definition of the word art than the one the rest of us use...

Probably just another art snob. Thankfully the term is not limited by one person's personal taste.



Rafux on 19 February 2014
rolltide101x said:
Rafux said:
Rogerioandrade said:
Videogames are not essentially art. They are basically just games, challenges for the player, they´re closer to board games in their essence than to art itself. But videogames are a form of entertainment that uses art to be produced, be it visual arts, music or interpretation.


Yes! Finally someone who gets it, the rest are just bashing the art teacher.


If it uses art that makes it art.....


No, baby diapers tv ads use art and they are not art, potatoes snacks use art and they are not art, my house uses art on its walls yet I would not consider my particular house art.



rolltide101x on 19 February 2014
Rafux said:
rolltide101x said:
Rafux said:
Rogerioandrade said:
Videogames are not essentially art. They are basically just games, challenges for the player, they´re closer to board games in their essence than to art itself. But videogames are a form of entertainment that uses art to be produced, be it visual arts, music or interpretation.


Yes! Finally someone who gets it, the rest are just bashing the art teacher.


If it uses art that makes it art.....


No, baby diapers tv ads use art and they are not art, potatoes snacks use art and they are not art, my house uses art on its walls yet I would not consider my particular house art.


The design on the baby's diapers were created by artist, artist created the designs on the chips, the way you have your house layed out could be considered art

 

Anything can be art. I agree with a good bit of people. If something was created with art in mind it is art. If I take a pencil and draw a picture it is art (crappy art mind you)



Rafux on 19 February 2014
rolltide101x said:
Rafux said:
rolltide101x said:
Rafux said:
Rogerioandrade said:
Videogames are not essentially art. They are basically just games, challenges for the player, they´re closer to board games in their essence than to art itself. But videogames are a form of entertainment that uses art to be produced, be it visual arts, music or interpretation.


Yes! Finally someone who gets it, the rest are just bashing the art teacher.


If it uses art that makes it art.....


No, baby diapers tv ads use art and they are not art, potatoes snacks use art and they are not art, my house uses art on its walls yet I would not consider my particular house art.


The design on the baby's diapers were created by artist, artist created the designs on the chips, the way you have your house layed out could be considered art

 

Anything can be art. I agree with a good bit of people. If something was created with art in mind it is art. If I take a pencil and draw a picture it is art (crappy art mind you)


Thats exactly what I said, the designs in the diaper are art, the music in the jingle for the tv ad is art but the tv ad itself is not art neither is the diaper.

Games have art in them but that doesnt make them art because games are chained by the fact that they have to be fun and challenging first and then they can have artistic merits.

For example a painting can be sad, nostalgic, fun, enraging, inspiring, etc. It can be anything the artist wants it to be is not chained to anything  but a video game is chained to be always a fun challenging product first and foremost then it can convey other emotions.

An artist can expose a painting which is just a black canvas and say that it represents the afterlife but Hideo Kojima can't release a game which is just a black screen and call the game Afterlife, even a movie director can release a short film which is just a black screen for 5 minutes and call it afterlife.

And if Hideo Kojima decides that he actually wants to release a game which is just a black screen for 5 minutes called Afterlife for free on IOS and Android then people would say "Its not a videogame"



rolltide101x on 19 February 2014
Rafux said:
rolltide101x said:
Rafux said:
rolltide101x said:
Rafux said:
Rogerioandrade said:
Videogames are not essentially art. They are basically just games, challenges for the player, they´re closer to board games in their essence than to art itself. But videogames are a form of entertainment that uses art to be produced, be it visual arts, music or interpretation.


Yes! Finally someone who gets it, the rest are just bashing the art teacher.


If it uses art that makes it art.....


No, baby diapers tv ads use art and they are not art, potatoes snacks use art and they are not art, my house uses art on its walls yet I would not consider my particular house art.


The design on the baby's diapers were created by artist, artist created the designs on the chips, the way you have your house layed out could be considered art

 

Anything can be art. I agree with a good bit of people. If something was created with art in mind it is art. If I take a pencil and draw a picture it is art (crappy art mind you)


Thats exactly what I said, the designs in the diaper are art, the music in the jingle for the tv ad is art but the tv ad itself is not art neither is the diaper.

Games have art in them but that doesnt make them art because games are chained by the fact that they have to be fun and challenging first and then they can have artistic merits.

For example a painting can be sad, nostalgic, fun, enraging, inspiring, etc. It can be anything the artist wants it to be is not chained to anything  but a video game is chained to be always a fun challenging product first and foremost then it can convey other emotions.

An artist can expose a painting which is just a black canvas and say that it represents the afterlife but Hideo Kojima can't release a game which is just a black screen and call the game Afterlife, even a movie director can release a short film which is just a black screen for 5 minutes and call it afterlife.

And if Hideo Kojima decides that he actually wants to release a game which is just a black screen for 5 minutes called Afterlife for free on IOS and Android then people would say "Its not a videogame"

I assume you have never played Journey, Flower, Okami, etc......... There is no way to deny those are art

http://hypercritical.co/2012/11/27/images/journey.jpg

http://techgeekgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/flower_screenshot37.jpg

http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2012/262/674775_20120919_screen001.jpg

 

So if somebody painted/drew those they are art but since they are in a game they are not? That sounds like non-sense to me.