Gaming an art form?

Roger Ebert the famous film critic once claimed that gaming could never be considering an art form like films. Although it would later be revealed he was completely unqualified to make that judgement as he had never played a game console in his life, there is still definetly still a debate to be found in what he said.

Gaming for years has been seen as a low form of entertainment, even now as it sort of breaks into the mainstream, the sterotypical view of a gamer is somebody living at home with their mums, scared of the outside etc. etc. Films on the other hand obviously get the sophisticated treatment, red carpet, champagne and all that jazz. Does that mean that gaming is still isn't an art form?

I'm not sure, although it'd be hard to suggest that a game like Pacman or Tetris is an art form on the same level as beautiful painting or a top-notch film, in recent years game developers have worked hard to push the idea that games cannot be considered an art form to the very limit. If you take Mass Effect for example; I enjoyed this game A LOT. The graphics were beautiful, and the universe the game developers created took you in, it enveloped you in a world that felt real! It did things that not even the best sci-film ever have with that enviroment.

Fallout 3 was another brilliant game, it once again created a world that really felt real, made you believe you were walking around a nuclear wasteland. It could also be very moving, and also terrifying, bringing me close to tears with fear at some points; something even the best horror films have never been capable of.

Games such as LA Noire have been put forward as art form, or even the popular puzzle game; Portal 2.

I think Roger Ebert is wrong, gaming can be considered an art form, perhaps an even more sophisticated art form than a film, because games have affected me far more than a film can. It puts you inside the game, makes you feel what the character is feeling, no matter how good the direction, acting or script of a film is, it'd be impossible to recreate that.

Of course some games are very primitive and can't really be considered an art form, but surely the same goes for a painting or a film, there are just as many bad paintings and films as there are games and can Roger Ebert really suggest that a film like Howard the Duck is worthy of the label; art?

What does everybody else think?

(Also, is there any possible way of making this topic appear in both games and films?)

The way I win the Super Bowl 15 straight years on Madden 11 is so much more than an art form. It's glorious to watch the replays.

Sure InvincibleIleak, right now I'm working through a game that many of its fans consider to be a work of art- Okami. It's cel-shaded graphics aren't the best in the world but, then, they aren't meant to be. Okami is set in Japanese classical antiquity and the whole game is designed to look like a classical Japanese watercolour painting and it is heavily based on the folklore and mythology of Japan's national religion of shinto. The main playable character is Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess re-incarnated as a wolf. The gameplay is similar to the legend of zelda series.

Despite poor sales, it is a multiple award winner including IGN's game of 2006 and also won best video game score for the music. I know where your coming from and while I'll say its not on the same level as traditional art I think there's still a kind of art in gaming. There's definately an art in Okami with the visual style of the characters and environments.

Here's the wiki page for Okami if you're interested-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okami

I think the artwork / models / effects, created for computer / console games could definitely be considered as art in their own right.

I'm a big fan of FPS games where you get to kill aliens, fight with mechs etc. and the creature / mech models, not to mention the environments the games are set in, I think definitely qualify as art.

Some of the best models / environements I've seen have been in games like Half Life 2, Unreal II and Bioshock. I'd also strongly recommend you look up a game called Hawken on YouTube.

I think video games are an art form. However, they will never be considered as such in the wider world because for every game rich in storytelling and cinematics like Metal Gear Solid, Fallout or Heavy Rain - you get three games that are literally walking around and blasting things, or racing things, without any real objective other than to win. Not to mention all the sports sims etc. that cannot be considered art in my opinion.

But a video game, when written and developed well, can immerse you in the world more than any film is able to, because YOU are the lead character. There is more of an emotional investment in that character, especially with modern developments in decision-making engines and how you can drive (and change) the storyline. This is a format that cinema just cannot replicate - not with 3D technology, or IMAX or any other idea - it can't make you the lead character. You can't influence the outcome.

Just like a piece of art hanging in a gallery - every viewer sees it differently, sees different elements within, and appreciates different opinions on what the artist is trying to convey - similarly in a video game, you too can develop your own opinion on how it should be played, and how it should be appreciated.

Also, a lot of great games are intesified by their score - and although the music itself is considered the art (not the game), I think the way the game interacts and feeds off the music to create a lusher environment to experience, is itself an extension of art, if not art itself.

I think the industry is moving more towards being appreciated as an art form, having its own BAFTA awards help with that. And also, the "Playstation Generation" are all grown up now - but still playing, and there will eventually be no divide between the old people who don't play, and the younger who do. Everyone will - just like everyone enjoys films.

Charlie Brooker, as always, provided an entertaining opinion piece on this not so long ago;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/23/gaming-makes-hollywood-look-embarrassing

Another big issue is the amount of games that have been made into film. If gaming wasn't an art form, why are film makers coming to them in the hope of making a quick buck?

For instance, I am sure there are many people that enjoyed the Tomb Raider films without even playing the game, or knowing where it came from.

The thing with Robert Ebert is that he is a man who is in his late sixties who probley doesn't see the revalance of gaming in todays market.

You can not claim all films are art work, for every Black Swan you have a Scary Movie. One is a classic piece of work which has won critical acclaim, the other is just a fun movie to watch and enjoy, But by no means a form of art.
The same can be said with Games, Take Shenume, An absolute stunning masterpiece of a game that I would class as a form of art.
Then take something like Halo 3, A great game loads of fun but certinly not a work of art.

xTwisTx wrote:Another big issue is the amount of games that have been made into film. If gaming wasn't an art form, why are film makers coming to them in the hope of making a quick buck?

For instance, I am sure there are many people that enjoyed the Tomb Raider films without even playing the game, or knowing where it came from.

The Resident Evil films are probably a better example, they follow the plot of the game quite closely, and a lot of scenes appear in both film and game.

AlynDavies wrote:

xTwisTx wrote:Another big issue is the amount of games that have been made into film. If gaming wasn't an art form, why are film makers coming to them in the hope of making a quick buck?

For instance, I am sure there are many people that enjoyed the Tomb Raider films without even playing the game, or knowing where it came from.

The Resident Evil films are probably a better example, they follow the plot of the game quite closely, and a lot of scenes appear in both film and game.

Very true, I forgot about those. Oh and Super Mario Bros....though I forgot that on purpose.