Are Video Games Art? (Page 4 of 9)

But you're changing it in the way it was MEANT to be changed by the artist.

Actually, I don't even like the word "change", Dorkman use your powers of literariness to help me.

Last edited by TrowaGP02a (2010-04-23 23:44:17)

Also, there's an important distinction to be made between artist and craftsman, I think. Clearly someone is the artist in the creation of a movie or painting, or symphony (presuming each of these team operations are "art").

Is the composer an artist? The fourth violinist? Is the director the artist? Is the best boy?

I will never understand you, therefor, I must destroy you.

I freely admit never having played that one. I saw it played once, years ago, briefly, but that's as good as I can do. If that one fits the criteria — it's meant to be evaluated aesthetically first and only as a game or toy second — then I concede defeat. You've convinced me.

However, assuming those facts-not-in-evidence … is "Myst" a video game? Or is it something else? Is it in some way inherently different from Tetris or Gears of War?

Yeah, I wish I'd been clearer. What I was actually doing was conflating "cooking" with … erm … "arting." The nature of the end result is defined by the process that went into producing it. It might be an unsuccessful dish, but it's still a dish, because it was intended to be edible.

But the more I harp on that point the less confident I am in it. So … yeah.

Last edited by Jeffery Harrell (2010-04-23 23:48:52)

Okay, how about this.

Photoshop is, in all the ways that matter to this discussion, a video game.

Discuss.

Which is difficult to address, since you have not given the definition of "art" which you hold and by which you are making these evaluations.

Not to play hard to get, but I'll repeat my question that got lost in the shuffle: what is your operating definition of "video game"?

EDIT: even more pertinent in light of your point of debate re: Photoshop.

Three contemporary games that fit this criteria are Bioshock, Mass Effect, and Fable.

Alright, I think we've all encountered the circle of our original argument.

Can someone put all of the weird little hypothetical side questions that have been asked in one post, so we can poll it out?

In that case, a musician at his instrument is similar to a user at his video game.

So then is the person who built the instrument an artist?

Also, I'm not even quite sure we should be comparing books/movies/paintings/music like they're interchangeable, even though I know it's easy to use examples with, but when it comes down to it they're all really different.

Last edited by TrowaGP02a (2010-04-24 00:00:27)

I have played Mass Effect. I love Mass Effect. I haven't played the second one yet, because I'm poor. But I would love to, if anyone out there is feeling generous.

I do think video games on the whole are starting to get to that point of maturity. I don't know how much of a conscious effort it is on the part of any particular game developers (going back to the "intent" question again). But somebody's going to come along specifically to set out to make a game with contradictory themes at some point, if they haven't already.

And then we'll really be in new territory.

Not quite. More like, a gamer at his game system is similar to a musician at his instrument. The game is the piece of music to be played.

EDIT: You hit "Edit" instead of "Quote," Teague. I've done it a few times myself.