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

[S.T.A.G.E.]

Zappykins said:

S.T.A.G.E. said:

Zappykins said:

 

So if a game is not playable then it's art?  So Ninja Gingerbread Man is the greatest piece of digital art ever?

If a game is created for the mind to reflect upon its existence in a interpretational and emotional way then it can be considered art. Few games accomplish this and set out for this end which is why people in the end ask "is this really a game or an experience?". The idea of what is art is changing as the days go by. Kojima even used the chair story about a chair which wasn't made for the typical function of a chair but for aesthetics can be considered art. Art is supposed to be watched and must provoke the human mind.

Well, that's one of the things about art. It's not the creator that decides what is art or not - it's the interpretation.  While I personally like the Aesthetics for art evaluation, they have been thrown out for many years.  Now anything that inspires other to look, or think about something different or provoke though is consider art.

What about Poetry?  It isn’t looked at its – read.  Music?  Is music art?

So if you put a Space Shuttule in a museum - is it art?

 

 

Probably true, but that doesn't dismiss that you're probably still talking about 1% of what most game art direction is focused on. There is a difference between art and design. A games primary function is to be played first. As long as the primary objective trumps the secondary in execution it cannot be art.