AWKWARD ZOMBIE

Art doesn't necessarily have to tell story, else music wouldn't be art (although music can in some cases still tell a story). Imo, good art simply has to invoke feeling, or make me think.

Art is a decidedly difficult medium to classify as art, because it is far more reliant on user input.

When I played Call of Duty I thought my actions through. "Alright, do I pick up this gun or keep my sniper rifle? The AK could serve me well but with the Sniper I can pick off enemies from a distance and avoid damage. As far as I understand this mission is going to be mostly stealth so a Sniper rifle would be better, but I can still be somewhat stealthy with the AK and I'd be better prepared in case I get a sudden situational change later." And then in the short mission where your character crawls through the wreckage of a nuclear detonation, I took it as a chance to see first-hand the horrors that a nuclear war would bring on. It was almost poignant, though admittedly not the best scene ever.

My experience was art.

When some 12 year old plays through the same situations, he may think "AWW SHIT YES AK-47 GONNA GET AUTOMATIC ON DESE NIGGAZ ASSES" and "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CRAWLIN BULLSHIT WHEN DO I GET TO SHOOT SOME PAKIS"

His experience is not art.

That's true Ame, but videogames status as art could influence their acceptance recognition by the mainstream, and thus affect the revenue earned for future games. As fans, it's something that can affect us.

That doesn't make the discussion any less silly though.

In my 20 years of video gaming, through countless ages and places, growing up with heros like Vaati (Shutuphesmyhero) and Meta Knight, I have to say, video games are art. Theyre art because they challenge the mind to think of new concepts, new ideas, accept new ideaologies even if you do not believe in them yourself, to respect and react to the world about you (even if it is a different world than your used to!)

Video games have affected me into what I am now. I love mythology because I wanted to know what was behind the games, because they taught me to look for whats behind things (I blame Legend of Zeldas famous puzzle heritage for this) Ive an active imagination simply because (everyone agrees) I loved playing so many different games, and being influenced by the art thats in them all (Okami, a video game is art: It looks like a successful attempt at moving calligraphy!) I feel Ive become a much better person for it

Video games may or may not be art to other people, but theyll always be awesome to me 8===D

No matter what you argue, if the finished pieces are art or not, they contain art. There are countless hours of character, world and level, weapon design etc. in them. From concept sketches to the final version, from initial ideas to scrapped ideas - even when you say that games like CoD or whatever are not art, there is still work of art in it.

Mander is on to something; player input, as well as the community's, can really make or break a game's artistic value. For example, let's use Left 4 Dead (a game which could be debated either ways, just to make the playing ground even) as an example.

Some players may delve deep into the hidden backstory of L4D. They find every poster, every graffiti marking on the walls, and any other subtle hint towards what happened in the world. They truly appreciate the deep interactions between characters, and feel what they feel. When the roaring and pounding of a Tank becomes clear, their heart starts pounding, panicking and plotting what they need to do next to stay alive. They immerse themselves into every facet of the game, and for them, L4D is art.

Others may play the game for the core factor: the gameplay. They learn from experience the power of each weapon, good strategies, and anything else they need to win. They play the game for the fun of it with their friends. They crack jokes about the zombies, and scream obscenities until their face turns a dark blue. They may enjoy the game, but to them, this game isn't probably art; then again, it doesn't need to be. They just need to have fun.

^This.

To add to that, the Mario Galaxy soundtrack is a piece of art in and of itself.


I'm not gonna argue with Wikipedia either.

To me whenever somebody goes out of their way to prove that something isn't art they're just being an booty or trying to put somebody down anyway.

Yeah, it's art. It's also young and not fully exploited yet. We didn't get Casablanca, Citizen Kane and all that jazz in the first 30 years of the Cinema.