del Toro: "There are only two games I consider masterpieces..."

[ZenfoldorVGI]

If any of that is directed at me Rocketpig, I can assure you that I recognize these games as are. I wrote:

This is the first time I've ever admitted this, but playing those games makes me feel like I'm at an art museum with my girlfriend, looking at all this cool art and getting emotional about it.

 

The worst canvas ever made could contain the best art ever created. Quality of a game, and percieved quality of said game as a piece of art are mutually exclusive. Just because I don't enjoy the game(though I admit it was great, despite not being able to hold my attention, very particular tastes that I have), doesn't mean that I don't recognize it as a piece of art.

Saying, "He said he didn't like the game, so he must have not recognized that it was art" is one dimensional. Perhaps I did recognize the art, and loved it, but felt that it didn't make for a fun game. Perhaps I recognized the art and hated it, but loved the game. Perhaps I don't want my games to be art. Perhaps I simply hate intentional art, and despise the people who create it.

Braid, for example, is a fantastic game. When I hear people claim that the game is art, I have to agree, but in a different sense than they probably mean. The game itself holds many artistic themes, like the paintings and the music, however, if "art" is the theme of something, it doesn't necessarily make the thing itself art. If I go to an art museum, is the museum itself art? Possibly, but for our discussion, it isn't intentional. Braid might have contained intentional art, but as a whole unit, the product was in the end, more well known for being a fantastic game, than an artistic masterpiece.

You can recognize something as great art, without recognizing it for having a great canvas. The basic game in SotC(the wires and frames, and blips, without the emotion or character) is simply the canvas upon which the art was created. While I can certainly appreciate the amazing art, and yes, I even enjoy the canvas, in the end, I bought the damn thing to enjoy the canvas, and I couldn't appreciate it enough to actually get to the end, no matter how great the motivation to see the masterpiece had become.

It was hard for me to come out and admit my true feelings about these games, as I know it goes completely against popular appeal and perception. I'd appreciate it if it could be marginalized more along the lines of "he just doesn't appreciate art" instead of, "You were too stupid to realize that it was art, and if you knew that, then you would have loved it because everyone loves art, and if they could, they wouldn't do boring crap like watch football, watch low-brow comedic films, or play gears of war, when art is obviously far superior in everyone's opinion and must be respected."

 

I gave respect like hell to both of those games in my post, even though I ended up regretting the purchase of both of them. Screw it though. Next time one of those games comes out, I'm just watching the ending on youtube and getting it over with. They should start putting "art" warnings on the box.