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Forums - Gaming Discussion - Are Videogames Art?

Sky Render said:
Art is subjective. There is no certainty implied in the definition, because honestly, what one persons sees as art another will not see as art at all. The most popular solution to this is that of pseudo-elitist groups and institutions defining given objects as art, but as with all pseudo-elitists, their efforts are accepted almost exclusively by their groups and not by the mainstream.

Now if you look at "art" in quantitative terms instead of the slippery slope of qualitative, then "art" is defined by that which has the most impact on the largest number of people. In video games, that would be the games which have sold the most. You have to remember, when using this definition, that there is absolutely NO consideration for standards of "quality", only for sheer numbers of copies in circulation. The quantitative definition of "art" is mainstream-accurate, while the myriad qualitative definitions are antimainstream-accurate.

 

Is 'mainstream-accurate the new populist?  Call me elitist but populist doesn't automatically equal and attempt at Art.  While Art is absolutely in the eye of the beholder it remains something you try for creatively.

I believe there is a lot of confusion between Art, Marketing and Entertainment - not that they're mutually exclusive, but sometimes a creative endevour is only to entertain, sometimes great art is employed just to sell something, while othertimes its only for the sake of Art, and sometimes its for both or all three.

BTW I have to confess I shudder (and not in a good way) at the thought of quantitive Art - by that yardstick a MacDonalds would be the finest meal known to man... something it clearly isn't.  Quantitiave Art to me is simply a concession to the mass-media/you-tube content where accessibility and low thresholds for entry outweigh quality and capability.

 

 

 



Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...

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In a sense they are art but then again they are made to meet the needs of the mass market.

Maybe niche titles like MGS4 which end is the vision of the producer maybe more so than the needs of the mass market.




Yes VGames are art for the simple reason that a video game is a sum of different arts: sculpture+music+drama+paint+ many other stuff!



Depends on the game, things like Okami and No More Heroes can be art while things like GTA, Madden, most FPS games are not art, probably the only FPS that fits the art description to me is Half-life cause story is an art form and it's a creative game. But most artistic games don't see good sales and therefore less of them so most games are not art sadly cause most artistic games are MUCH better then the crap people buy every day...



MaxwellGT2000 - "Does the amount of times you beat it count towards how hardcore you are?"

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Video Games are art, anyone who says anything otherwise is just moronic and has no sense of creativity with a one track mind. What do you think the character models are? What about the enviornment? They just didn't pop up. someone created those pictures and brought then to life and poured there life and soul into it.(unless you count something like Petz) I think the most modern example of today is Bioshock and Valkyria Chroniciles. Everything it art in it with the colors, atmosphere, and you even have Cohen in there.



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Michael Bay movies are not Art



“When we make some new announcement and if there is no positive initial reaction from the market, I try to think of it as a good sign because that can be interpreted as people reacting to something groundbreaking. ...if the employees were always minding themselves to do whatever the market is requiring at any moment, and if they were always focusing on something we can sell right now for the short term, it would be very limiting. We are trying to think outside the box.” - Satoru Iwata - This is why corporate multinationals will never truly understand, or risk doing, what Nintendo does.

soulsamurai said:
Video Games are art, anyone who says anything otherwise is just moronic and has no sense of creativity with a one track mind. What do you think the character models are? What about the enviornment? They just didn't pop up. someone created those pictures and brought then to life and poured there life and soul into it.(unless you count something like Petz) I think the most modern example of today is Bioshock and Valkyria Chroniciles. Everything it art in it with the colors, atmosphere, and you even have Cohen in there.

 

 I guess I have a one track mind.  If a game has a message behind it and it is able to present it in a reasonable fashion, I guess it can be art.  Some games can be art but others just aren't.



Pixel Art can be fun.

Games like Earthbound are some of the best art ever, really it is, the style, the story, the creativity, the message, all of it is art. One thing I love about the idea of video games as art is the fact not only can you make it look like art (like Okami) but you can make a story for this art that sends a message or shows an ideal or just an idea of life to people. Video games can be the best art form ever but all the maddens and shit in between make the idea of video games as a respectable art form is almost laughable...



MaxwellGT2000 - "Does the amount of times you beat it count towards how hardcore you are?"

Wii Friend Code - 5882 9717 7391 0918 (PM me if you add me), PSN - MaxwellGT2000, XBL - BlkKniteCecil, MaxwellGT2000

Absolutely. Video Games are both art and entertainment. Look at a game like Shadow of the Colossus. That's definitely more artistic than that prize winning unmade bed.

That makes them my favourite art form, I suppose.



(Former) Lead Moderator and (Eternal) VGC Detective

In my opinion, videogames in general are not art, but entertainment. However, some videogames are art, they transcend the label entertainment.