I just finished dicking around with Proteus.

http://plebegaming.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/playstation-plus-instant-collection-proteus-review/

It made me think about games. Proteus isn't a game in my book, not even if you were trying to pass it off as an "artistic" title. It's art disguised as a game.

I started to wonder, what's the true art of a video game? I came to conclusion that the true art is the game's design, not the visuals and sounds many people typically default to. Visuals are obviously needed, and a game would be weird without sound of any sort, but a game without gameplay isn't a friggin game. Game play isn't something you can just whip up either. It takes balancing and planning, whereas you can pass almost anything off as visual art.

TL;DR

Gameplay design is the real art of a video game, Proteus isn't a game, and buy Journey if you want an "artistic," exploration based game.

There is room for both types. I think games like Journey have their place and I think games like Super Mario Bros. have their place. The industry is big enough for both types of games and people need to stop pitting them against each other imo.

Video Game is an art of interaction. What the industry has been trying to do with cinematic experience is just a rip-off from Hollywood.

Video games are the art of interaction, but that doesn't mean they need to be "gamey."

Proteus is art, but it couldn't exist in any other medium. The interaction of just walking around is at the core of the experience. It's most definitely a game. Same for Journey. Watching verse playing makes the game have a much weaker emotional impact.

well its a combination of all art and the best part its interactive...so because of that interaction its unique so it must be a true art form.

agreed.  Variety means there's something for everyone and variety=bigger audience.  Bigger audience=more sales which=more games.  Win-win

Or hell there's people like you and me who like both and will buy both.

Also if my controls effect the outcome I consider it a game. I can't not finish Heavy Rain but I DO effect the outcome based on my controls.

couldn't agree more! video games as an art form is still in its cradle, it's so very young compared to other forms of art. it's probably necessary to go through different phases of imitation before video games becomes established among the public as a form of art having its own means of expression.
and i totally agree with the OP about the gameplay being the essence of the art. that's what sets it apart from the other art forms.

The thing is game design isn't just one art. Level design, music, character modelling / animation, and gameplay mechanics are just some of the arts that go into game design.

Gelling that all together is another artform. Super Mario 3D World is a masterpiece of coherent surrealist art. The Last of Us is also an artistic masterpiece but it uses the same basic options of game design to create something that is insanely different to Super Mario 3D World.

Much like with film, discussing games as an art is a discussion of the subtle arts there within - primarily in terms of their quality and their cohesion.

I don't know if designing gameplay mechanics per se could be called an art. It's more of a technical discipline that although it does require creativity, doesn't allow for a depth of personal expression - it's more like engineering i would say.