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Should video games be considered art?
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    Serivor posted on Jun 21, 2010 8:47:26 PM - Report post
     
    Not long ago, Robert Ebert expressed in his journal that "Video games can never be art", this provided the spark for an issue that has been stirring for a long time. One statement that stood out in my mind was that "No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, and novelists." But I would like to personally point out 2 "not-so-old" video games that deserve to be considered a form of art more so that any movie or book. The first video game is Grand Theft Auto IV; with a cast of characters that you learn about as the game progresses and a story-line that could hold a candle to any Hollywood action flick. Grand Theft Auto IV is a masterpiece in the world of art. You become smitten with the characters and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat, "simply amazing" are the only words to describe it. Another great video game worthy of being called art is Mass Effect. This video game takes story-telling to the next level, the developer, Bioware, builds a universe from scratch and actually makes you care about your decisions within the game. They make you feel as if you simply aren't just playing a video game but that you're actually affecting people's lives, you decide by your actions how the characters in the game respond and whether or not they're loyal to you and even if they survive or not. The best way to classify this video game franchise is by calling it an interactive movie, a form of art at its finest.If these video games can create so much emotion, more so than any novel or movie then why shouldn't they be considered art? The answer is that they should be able to be called art. Art consists of great creativity, art brings about emotions in people, and video games are art.

    For Ebert's journal, follow this link:

    Link

    Other note worthy video games are:
    Shadow of the Colossus
    Red Dead Redemption
    Bioshock
    Fallout 3
    Oblivion
    Final Fantasy XIII

    What are your thoughts on the matter?
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    Dhampy posted on Jun 21, 2010 8:50:27 PM - Report post
     
    Only a very few, and none of the big games can.

    Benoît Sokal's games are.

    Very few others.
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    Serivor posted on Jun 21, 2010 8:53:57 PM - Report post
     
    How can movies or novels be considered art then?
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    Dhampy posted on Jun 21, 2010 9:11:27 PM - Report post
     
    Who said they are universally "art"?

    Most genre fiction sure as heck isn't art, nor is the facile crap that people overpay to see in the theatre.
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    Latiosmaster47 posted on Jun 21, 2010 9:18:28 PM - Report post
     
    "Art" is like "music." It's entirely subjective.

    I think that games have the potential to be art. Some final fantasy games have intricately woven stories with great twists, and a whole plethora of games have graphics good enough to be considered still frame art in certain circles, but some games are just that; games. I don't think anyone's going to be arguing that dead or alive extreme beach volleyball is art any time soon.

    Also I find it funny that you're ready to proclaim GTA4 and Mass Effect as art because I thought both of those games sucked. <_<

    [Edited by Latiosmaster47, 6/22/2010 2:05:05 PM]
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    SuperSkyline89 posted on Jun 21, 2010 9:39:17 PM - Report post
     
    Latios got it, it's all subjective. Video games can be art just like any other form of entertainment can be, and anyone who says no video game can be art is ignorant.

    But if you asked me which games are art I wouldn't be able to answer. I don't really know how to phrase it best but "art" is kind of . . . impractical I guess . . . I tend to just ignore the "artistic value" of things.
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    Paradox posted on Jun 21, 2010 9:53:42 PM - Report post
     
    If you go by the actual definition, then yea, video games are technically art. Otherwise it's opinionated and not really worth talking about. I think in around 10 to 50 years, most people will naturally think of (some) video games as art.

    However, I personally don't think most video games are art. Fallout 3 was a fun game, yea, but it wasn't art. A game having a story doesn't make it art, not inherently. Grand Theft Auto IV wasn't art, not even close.
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    Neo7 posted on Jun 21, 2010 10:13:10 PM - Report post
     
    The design of video games falls under Computer Science. Whether you decide of that's art or not is up to you.
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