Are video games art?

An interesting point was raised in this morning’s tutorial about the purpose or incentive behind why people play video games. Do people play video games because they are fun? Sure, however some games are surely more mind-stimulatingly strategic than fun. Perhaps people play games for the social element, the ability to play MMOGs with real-life friends or a wider global community. The list goes on but obviously games are chosen to be played by people generally for a combination of these reasons because of the experience that they create.

In this same way, as less of a gamer myself and more of a “strategy-advice-giving-spectator” the more graphically advanced games which have arisen from the 21^st century, I have noticed, certainly have a much higher aesthetically pleasing appeal to them. Technological developments and higher-definition capabilities certainly make games look very impressive and more realistic however; this is surely cannot be a valid way of evaluating games if all paintings (for example) are not evaluated based on how lifelike they look, yet are still considered “art”.

Instead I think it is important to look at how video games function as art rather than appear as art. Any work of art be it paintings, films, poetry, music etc contain a form of narrative which the viewer is invited to experience and work through. Similarly, many video games are structured around a form of narrative which players engage with and come to understand as the ‘map’ for the game. For example, even simple games such as Mario invite the player to become Mario and then save his girlfriend/princess. Other games integrate the narrative component more explicitly into the game for example in Max Payne the initial sequence sets Max up as having lost his wife and daughter to a gang of junkies in New York to which Max then transfers to the DEA and is employed for an undercover operation. Throughout the game the plot is driven forward by narrated insertions of comic-book-styled graphics which intensify the experience of being Max. Art utilise narrative in many different forms for this reason of further intensifying the engagement with the viewer (whether it be the player or people watching the game) to make the experience more fulfilling and for this reason, video games also use narratives.

An obvious element of art which cannot be ignored is the craftsmanship. For a painting the skill is obvious to detect, for video games the skill of the artist can most obviously be seen in the sophistication of the game’s aesthetic world and the attention to detail shown in textures etc. However, the craftsmanship of video games can be evaluated on a deeper level of how successfully the game is able to use the graphics of the game to immerse the player/viewer into the space. For someone who has the controller in their hand and playing the game, the immersion into the game’s world may be somewhat easier than for someone who is watching the game and has somewhat little agency to what they are watching. I personally find that are a game is more immersive as a spectator when there are details in the game’s world, often in the background or drifting along the edges of the screen. For example, when watching play The Getaway, in a driving sequence in the streets around Soho, despite the main protagonist driving around – in the background there was plenty of road rage on the streets with other insignificant characters tooting horns and pile-ups were created as an aftermath of my brother running a red light and these made the world of the game for me, all the more immersive. In this way, I think that the use of space, visually, by video game artists may also be a key element in evaluating whether a game is art or not.

On doing a quick Google search I understand that the notion of whether video games are art or not is still an actively debated topic, so for what it’s worth I think that some video games are art... some are so impressive that some kind of awards ceremony should be held.

- - Priya