| richardhutnik said: I think you have touched on something here. And this would answer Roger Ebert's comment that "games are not art". It may be possible that games could end up being qualified as "art" under the category of performing art. Say there is a series of activities that are scripted in some way, but allow flexibility. You then involve the auidence to be involved with them, and their actions can create outcomes that are unexpected. The experience would never be the same twice. Now, is this experience art? Heavy Rain would fall more under the scripted side, but how about something more open-ended (like LittleBigPlanet or a sandbox game)? How about a game where you end up allow people to create content and it is reused and reinvented? And, on a more meta-level, how about the case of forums like this were videoclips are used and reused to make points, and the end result is something that is a work. Is all this art? I would say there is a case that it can be. On the gameplay front, I would say the gameplay is likely low, or lower than normal videogames, BUT it is still there. The entire experience can be praised as great entertainment, and a fine work of art. However, in this, maybe one can say also the gameplay (engagement in the mechanics of interaction) would be low, so it doesn't have great gameplay, but is a great experience. And this could be acceptable. Also, it could end up being not for everyone. And I would say trying to produce too many Heavy Rains could possibly bankrupt the industry as they try to do something that is both a game and a movie (of sorts) and need to script and manage everything the player would go through, even if the player only sees a small percentage of it. |
I think all of your suggestions have merit, and I have considered them myself in the past. However, I think the game designer's role in creating a player experience should not be ignored when discussing the artistic merit of games - using a theatre analogy, if the player is both actor and audience, the game designer is the playwright and director. And yes, the 'simpler', more action oriented (in terms of player involvement) games are the ones most often overlooked in terms of artistry, and I feel there is often more to learn from them than the cinematic approach of modern blockbusters. Relating to this is the distinction between action oriented (arcade) and atmospheric (simulation) games and how they highlight the conflict between gameplay experiences (beat the boss and get a score!) and game experiences (discover and explore an interactive world). To what extent these two lines of thinking can coexist (as thesis, antithesis and synthesis?), and what expressive capabilities they offer, is a matter of some dispute, I feel. Games like Heavy Rain are an anomaly within this model, offering a limited amount of freedom due to owing such a large deal to the film industry, but perhaps there is a place for them as well. May be more 'Hamlet on the Holodeck'-material, though.
PS. Are you at all familiar with the TAS/Speed Running community? They make out what is quite possibly the largest number of artisans using video games as a medium to create art.
