But....is it art?

[SymphonicX]

Good question, especially when asked about video games. Is it art? Defining art to begin with is difficult, and for many it's a personal definition. I define art as "skillful representation"...ie it has to represent something, have a context, and that needs to be done skilfully. In context, a child's drawing of a house isn't art...it's just a shitty drawing. A well done drawing of a house, is art, because it represents the artist's skill, and also represents a house. (sorry little Jonny, your drawing sucks) A urinal cut in half and turned on it's side is not art. Because it represents nothing, and required no skill except cynicism (and if that was considered a skill, I'd be on the top ten rich list). Seems simple in my head, but many counter-arguments to those points exist. But for my post I'm going to assume "art" as defined by "skillful representation". So are video games art? I'm finding this one hard...if applying my definition of art to video games, they are indeed! They require creative skills like design, writing, acting, musicianship...all coherrantly related to create a story. They also use the basic rules of creating story strands (such as Act 1,2,3), and take influences from other art forms... I enjoy games, love them in fact, but there's a part of me that can't accept games as art because they are games - and a game doesn't really marry up to an art form. For instance, scrabble isn't art...if the scrabble board was designed in a way that included beautiful illustrations of a dragon on it, that wouldn't be art - it would be art within the game. Therefore a level's design and physics might not really be art, that is just the "design" element...the illustrated dragon on a scrabble board. Could the same game be achieved using wireframe graphics and no embelishments? Yes it could, it would just look stupid, but the core of the game would still be there...where is the art in the wireframe version? So is the "art" the graphics, the story, the acting, music, or everything put together? The "story" to most games are, let's be totally honest, rubbish. Grand Theft Auto stories? as Brooker said, are just rehashed ideas from Scarface, and the like. Cod's story? bah, no one knows whats happening with that now. The story to most games simply gets you from here, to there, and lets you do something contextually in between...The closest I can find a story in a game to becoming art is The Darkness, which was based on a comic and quite well written...But most stories in games are testosterone filled man-bags...do they raise questions? Cause you to think about the story at other times? Do you ever find yourself suitably inspired by a game story? Looking at Halo series for instance, it's like a mish-mash of different sci-fi films and mythos...did anyone really care for the story, relationships, trials and tribulations? Was the story there considered "art"? Or is it like the weeping pianist who writes muzak...? (loooong ass metaphor there) Graphics as art, seems a bit wish washy...if we considered everything that looks nice to be a form or art, then really everything and nothing is art. Is a sainsbury's logo art, because it's designed well? I'm just raising the debate...video games: art or not? I go for art, but I don't really know why. I'm struggling to find a proper definition and I fear my pure love for gaming is simply me clutching at straws. I love games, I want them to be taken seriously, but unless I can personally justify why they should be taken seriously and not with a pinch of salt, I fear I'm without argument. Really I know that when all is said and done, I simply just get kicks out of seeing things blow up...but do I find deeper contextual meaning in games? I'm not sure... Your thoughts?

[MinionZombie]

Well the definition of art is surely, something which has no use other than it existing. It just simply is. It's why a car can't be classed as art, as it has a use - that was covered in an episode of Top Gear actually. Things like cars or games or whatever can be stylish and artistic, but technically they can't be classed as "art".

[Danny]

anything can be called art, doesn't mean its good or not. No matter what it is you gotta judge it by itself, just because of what medium its expressed in doesn't mean its guaranteed to be or not be art.

[krakenslayer]

In my opinion, all works of the imagination are art - functional or not. I think the idea that things with a practical purpose cannot be considered art is misguided: for example, a film might be made to entertain or even to promote a point-of-view (such as a propaganda film) or educate the audience (a documentary), but it's still art. I also think the term "art" is too tied up with subjective evaluations of quality and merit, but it shouldn't be: art can be bad, good and indifferent. Even the most talentless, technically inept piece of fan-fiction or hastily-scrawled stick-figure is "art" of a kind. It may not be good and it may not be worthy of praise or even exhibition, but it is technically art. So yes, of course they are art, just is the same way movies are art.

[deadpunk]

This is a matter of personal interpretation. As for the argument that anything that serves a purpose or has a function can not be art, I could not disagree more vehemently. By that very definition, music is not a form of art. Can a video game be a form of art? Surely. In my personal view, it would have to be the greatest video game in the world before I would give it that label, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate if the moment came.

[Danny]

This is a matter of personal interpretation. As for the argument that anything that serves a purpose or has a function can not be art, I could not disagree more vehemently. By that very definition, music is not a form of art. Can a video game be a form of art? Surely. In my personal view, it would have to be the greatest video game in the world before I would give it that label, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate if the moment came. 1. ditto on the function thing, that just doesnt make sense. 2. games as art?: Sure its graphically outdated but Ico is one of the best pieces of art in the genre. Though in some respects i would recommend braid, though over the last year ive been hooked on this ps3 dlc game called flower which is a superb game in terms of art design.

[CoinReturn]

While some games have great art styles, calling them straight up art is a bit much, especially in this day and age. If anything, NES and pixelated visual styles will age far better and be more visually appealing to future generations over almost anything 3D. I feel something like Electroplankton for the DS is something I'd consider as close to art as possible in this medium, with most everything else being interactive entertainment.

[deadpunk]

I remembered reading or seeing something about this and went digging... Video Game Inspired Art

[clanglee]

Well, if you consider cinema or literature art, then I find that there it's a very small step to also consider many games art.

[Danny]

Well, if you consider cinema or literature art, then I find that there it's a very small step to also consider many games art. aye, games have yet to spawn such vile offspring as "fan-fiction" and thats a medium still considered art.

[deadpunk]

aye, games have yet to spawn such vile offspring as "fan-fiction" and thats a medium still considered art. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey...

[mista_mo]

There is plenty of game related fan fiction out there. I bet you that I could find some of Marcus Fenix and Master chief getting held captive by Samus, and forced into doing pornographic things to each other.

[Danny]

There is plenty of game related fan fiction out there. I bet you that I could find some of Marcus Fenix and Master chief getting held captive by Samus, and forced into doing pornographic things to each other. true, but thats literature, theres yet to be a major fail worthy fan game of something from another medium. though no doubt theres a fan mod for counterstrike based on twilight in the works. because humanity is that stupid it will think it needs to be done....

[SymphonicX]

I just watched Twilight last night...well...actually I turned it off because it bored the life out of me. Dawson's Creek with vampires. Ugh. Funny how that ended up in a discussion about art... This fan fiction stuff, never knew it existed until recently...very weird....especially when some chick on the robhalford board started doing fiction of him with other metal stars...I mean...please, leave it out!!!

[Danny]

technically twilight is wish fulfillment fiction.