Are Games Art?

[MocMocaMoc]

Apologies if this has been done before, but I'm utterly sick of this debate in the media so I thought I'd start another one right here... sound logic.

Are they?

In my view, yes. You have narratives that carry emotional weight, can scare us and leave a lasting impression (The Last of Us, Journey, Gone Home, Dead Space, Limbo) you have impressionism, in the form of ART directors interpreting the effects of light (GTA5, Red Dead. Even GT6!!!) you have styles with ART direction that rival most movies (Bioshock, Mass Effect) and characters that take on a life of their own (Laura Croft? Mario, Sonic etc)

Certainly back in the days of old you'd struggle to really label games as 'art'. Back when Quake came out and the lighting effects comprised of a single colour, no shadows, and seemingly a three colour pallet (no story, characters etc etc) but the medium has come so far... Jesus, Luigi's Mansion plays like a low resolution Pixar movie!

So, what's anyone think?

Edited by MocMocaMoc on Wednesday 8th January 19:45

[Mastodon2]

Yes. Some of them are. The most cynical cash-grabbing games are not art. Games designed and effective at evoking powerful emotions are art.

And Quake is definitely art. The first fully 3D game - it was built like a sculpture, designed to take the player into a never seen before world. It was amazing in it's day, and it's artistic achievement stands to this day.

[GrumpyTwig]

They can be artistic but never art. You're never going to see HL2 next to a Van Gogh.

[kowalski655]

But films can be art,they cant be hung,and games can be as good as films

[T1berious]

You can't hang dance yet it is "art".

I remember an exhibition at the Barbican, lots of retro cabs there and thinking "why shouldn't Defender be art?"

[GT Kodiak]

Of course they're art... Even C.O.D is (the) art (of war).

Doesn't matter how you classify it though, what matters is that you enjoy it.

[vonuber]

One of the issues I think is that games need the confidence to express themselves as their own medium and to stop comparing themselves with - or trying to be - films.