Yet Another “Games As Art” PieceOctober 19, 2010 by

Yes, I’m aware that everyone and their mother have voiced their opinions on the artistic merit of the video game industry, but I figure I may as well give my two cents on the topic. I’m a frequent victim of peer pressure, so I figure this would only be acting within character.

Videogames have grown up. Once a niche technology focused on high scores and competition and defined solely by its gameplay, the medium has evolved into a thematic vehicle that utilizes storytelling, audio and visual ambiance. Games now provide their audiences with a truly unique form of media by blending storytelling with interactivity.

Despite this growth and progression, the true nature of games is still fervently debated.

The biggest debate regarding this issue is whether games can be considered a “higher art.” Even Roger Ebert, renowned film critic, has voiced his opinion on this topic, stating that although games can sometimes possess aesthetically pleasing qualities, videogames, by definition, cannot be art (he has since redefined his stance in what can only be described as a sort of backhanded apology).


Gaming's artistic equivalent, according to some.

Ebert believes that art must be composed by an artist and experienced in an unaltered form by the audience. When an individual reads a book, watches a movie, or admires a painting, they are experiencing art in its basic form, the way the artist intended. The problem, he explains, is no matter which game one plays, the experience is going to be in some way different than every other person that has played the game, because the audience’s choice affects the experience. No matter what game it is, or how linear the design, the fact that a player inputs controls that directly affects the outcome of the title nullifies its merit as a work of art.

According to this definition and obeying these semantics, videogames certainly cannot be considered art; however, doesn’t concretely classifying what can and cannot be art go against the essence of art itself? Defining what comprises art is much like trying to explain a color to someone who is blind. Art is a unique experience that affects people in very different ways and means something different to each person who experiences it.

Obviously, not every example of interactive entertainment can qualify for this artistic ambition. Many games are content to pander to the masses, delivering basic experiences that do little to stimulate the audience outside of their twitch reflexes. However, anyone who has explored the Ayn Rand-inspired dystopia of BioShock, or has witnessed the seamless fusion of beauty and gameplay in Shadow of the Colossus would have a difficult time arguing that these experiences were any less instances of art than those of other, more permanently constructed mediums.

Truthfully, this debate will likely never be settled, nor should it be. It is up to the audience to interpret their videogame experience, and determine for themselves how moved they were by what they have witnessed. Getting caught up with whether or not games satisfy intellectual’s art criteria is beside the point.

After all, art is more important for what it achieves than how it exists in and of itself. Literature is essentially just words on a page; it is the audience’s interaction with these words that gives the writing relevance, the reflection upon the reader’s mind that gives it substance. Similarly, until a painting resonates with one’s own internal feelings and thoughts, it is just a picture. It is the sentimental connection that allows the picture to transcend into art.

He's just misunderstood.

A game does not achieve art simply by existing; it is not until the audience interacts with the game, and experiences the thoughts and feelings that are evoked by it, that the game can even possibly be considered an artistic endeavor. My point is that, ultimately, perception is what defines art, not words, and certainly not one man’s attempt at a universal interpretation. The experience derived from games is what is important, whether the game fits the definition of art or not.

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