Hey I would like to ask you a couple of short questions for an essay I'm writing Thanks 1. What do you considere as art? 2. Do video games deserve the title of art? Why? 3. Are there video games that could be called art pieces? If so, which? 4. Do you think that video games are just a way of trivial entertainment? 5. Had the opinions of the general public over video games? 6. Do you think that video games artistic level than movies? 7. Do you think that Beyond: two souls or Darksouls are art?
(What a way to bring back this Blog :P)
Okay, so this is more “Game Philosophy” then “Game Design”, but nontheless it is also a very interesting question, so i took some time to think about this:Disclaimer: All of this falls into the realm of Philosophy. As such what i am saying here is my personal view/opinion. If you interpret these things differently, then that doesnt mean you are wrong and i am right, it simply means that we have differing views.
1) What do you consider as Art?This question is incredibly hard to answer while staying to the point, but i think the most important attribute of art is, that it lies in the eye of the beholder. A piece or art is simply something, that is it’s own entity or individual, it is completely removed from the artist and their vision.You could make a piece of art and try to make people who experience it sad, but end up making some few happy. Heck, a lot of art is made with the distinct purpose to make you think about it, yet you might just end up finding it pretty. A piece of art will always tell it’s own story and it will tell it differently depending on who it is talking to.
2) Do Videogames deserve the title of “Art”?Absolutely. Almost every game ever made can be viewed as it’s own entity, the developers can never fully anticipate or control the expierence each individual player gets. Some players might play Call of Duty and find the depiction of violence revolting and boring and scoff their nose. But others might see an interesting depiction of todays developers views on gaming. They might see an “uninteresting” side character and it will make them think about the industry. Others might just enjoy the fun of getting to shoot bad Guys. What matters in the end is that the Medium stands on its own and engages us to think about it.
3) Are there Videogames that could be called pieces of Art?As mentioned, i believe every videogame ever made can be considered a piece of art. No matter how bad or simplistic, the mere fact that they exist makes us think about the implications of the mere fact that they exist.
4) Do you think Videogames are just trivial entertainment?This is very subjective. Some might see Videogames like that and it’s a valid way to see them. If you just want to play a Videogame for fun, then that’s just your way of interpreting and experiencing the piece of art.Personnaly i think Videogames are a way to explore other worlds and thoughts. In a Videogame we can shed all expectations and stigmas and explore a world like or unlike our own.
5)Comments/Thoughts on the general public’s opinion on videogames? (Sorry if this isnt what you had in mind, your question was a little hard to understand)This is again a very tough question to answer, but i think that the general public simply hasn’t experienced videogames in an unbiased way. They hear no the news that videogames are ruining our kids and that they are nothing but dumb violence and forget, that movies and even books used to have the exact same stigma. I will say though, that this view has changed drastically over time and really doesn’t apply too the broad public anymore. Sure, some people will still think like that, but i think a majority no longer sees Videogames as something inherently bad and lots of adults are now from the generation that grew up with them. The view will keep changing until we reach a place like movies today.So while i think everyone should explore videogames as a medium and artform i am happy to see the general publics view shift.
6)Do you think that Videogames are on the same artistic level as movies?I don’t think we can put specific types of art on levels, since the “artisticness” of a piece of art is entirely in the eye of the beholder.If i had to give an answer i would say that all forms of art are exactly even because of this.
7)Do you believe that Beyond:Two Souls and Dark Souls are Art?Again, as mentioned, i believe all videogames can be seen as pieces of art.
Hope that helped o/ Good luck with your Essay!
