mancandy on 07 March 2007
jman8 said:
fooflexible said:
First off Sony and Microsoft don't call their system art either, sure they like pretty graphics, but calling a game art really doesn't sell it. nonetheless I think saying nintendo only cares about fun is a silly thing to assume too, I really think he's annoyed that Nintendo didn't push graphics harder. Because art direction in Twilight Princess was praised by every review I read. If you check out Super Paper Mario videos that have popped up from GDC the game is beautiful, it is a testment to just how much an artform the old platform titles were. So you can't really knock Nintendo on this notion. In fact Nintendo is the only company that actually attempt to turn their console into an art medium, ala Mario Paint. But of course he's not really talking about art, he's talking about graphics. But of course saying "art" just makes you sound more sophisticated.
In my mind, art doesn't necessarily have to do with visuals, which is the way you have emphasized it in your response. Art has far more to do with emotional engagement, which most Nintendo games have severely lacked and has rarely been a point of emphasis. The only possible exception is certain Zelda games, but they tend to follow the same fairy tale archetype all the time. I want gaming experiences that can rival other media, such as literature or cinema. Gaming has rarely been able to achieve the emotional engagement that you get from reading a great novel like Slaughterhouse-5, Catcher in the Rye, or To Kill a Mockingbird. Gaming hasn't achieved what films like Citizen Kane, The Godfather, or even something as hokey The Last Samurai have (it may be rather unrealistic, but an amazing movie nonetheless). Games like Metal Gear Solid, Shadow of the Colossus, and Shenmue are the only ones I can think of that seem to be approaching this lofty level I'd like to see. Don't get me wrong, I don't want every game to aspire to be like this (we all love a great Will Ferrel comedy, right?). Again, I fear that Nintendo dominance would lead this industry toward more simple titles that mainly aim to be fun, rather than aspire to a higher level of emotion. With Nintendo aiming videogames at a more casual audience (aka the lowest common denominator), I worry that this industry will follow Nintendo's lead and current longtime gamers looking for something more will be mostly left in the dust.
Are you trying to say that Will Ferrel's work is not a form of art? Do all pieces of art have to be Mona Lisas?
I think there have been games that have reached that level achieved in Cinema. Tetris has no story, no characters, no 3D graphics, but is considered to be a masterpiece by many. I don't have to be emotionally involved to enjoy any piece of art. All I all really have to do is be open minded and try it out. There's more to art than just movies, paintings, books, music and videogames.
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