While moving my way across the internet today I stumbled upon this article talking about the soon to be opened Smithsonian Exhibition:The Art of Video Games, and I found that this article brought up an interesting idea: Can video games as they exist now be considered an art form? While there is no doubt the medium is no where near developed as the realms of literature and theatre (even the relatively young medium film for that matter) it seems that certain aspects of art in select modern video games cannot be ignored.
However, there are professionals out there from across different mediums that discredit video games, such as professional movie critic Roger Ebert who claimed that video games could never
be art. It is undeniable that the vast majority of the population would agree with him; many people today still associate video
games with either the 32 bit adventures of an Italian plumber on the Super Famicom, the rampaging done by TJ in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and what ever the current Call of Duty sensation is. Despite the fact that gaming is becoming more mainstream and a more acceptable form of entertainment, there are sadly still many people out there who are deeply misinformed on the fasted growing entertainment medium in the world. Hopefully I can change a mind or two... or just get people to play some fun games.
Case One: Portal 2
Comedy is probably one of the hardest genre's to get right. The movie market is saturated with comedies, yet there are maybe one or two a year worth seeing . To get comedy right you need just the right amounts of intelligence, heart, and a presence in reality. The recently released Portal 2 has all of these components and they come together in just the right ways to take it from just a great inventive puzzle game to a hilarious inventive puzzle game. Portal 2's comedy doesn't rely on simple slapstick or poop jokes, instead busting out it's comedic chops with interesting and funny characters, witty verbal jokes, and occasional meta jokes about the nature of gaming itself. Portal 2 made me laugh heartily several times in the roughly ten hours I spent in it and had me smirking and chuckling the entire way through. What the game may lack in deeper meanings and themes that characterize great art it makes up for in fantastic characters and genuinely great humor.
Case Two: Metal Gear Solid
What is the meaning of the work as a whole?
I am sure I am not alone in my hatred for this phrase. I have had to explain the meanings of events, places, and people made up by dead guys more than I care to remember. While the realm of themes and messages are inherent and natural when it comes to literature, it seems like an alien concept in the realm of gaming. After all, what could Mario possibly mean? If asked to write an essay about Super Mario World I would probably come up with something about sea turtles and dragons. Hardly compelling stuff. Thanks to games like the Metal Gear Solid series, however, if asked to write an essay about the meaning of a video game, I could very easily do it. The Metal Gear Solid games deal with innumerable and complex themes ranging from the ethical effects of transhumanism, the New World Order, the solider's place in the world, the politics of nuclear war, the perversion of dreams and ideals, the nature of war heroes and legends, the effects of the military industrial complex, how genes dictate our life, and the list goes on and on. The games cover one story leading from the Cold War in the 1960's to a future semi-cyberpunk war of 2014 where proxy battles are fought all over the world to fuel a world economy dedicated to maintaining a constant state of war. The games are dotted with fantastic moments of drama and storythat rival great films and some novels, all while maintaining a fantastic and fun gaming experience. One of the best instances of this is a famous scene from the fourth Metal Gear game where the lead character is forced to walk through a microwave tunnel to disable a gigantic Ai. The player watches and controls him as he walks through the tunnel suffering extreme pain and burns as the top of the screen shows his comrades fighting to stay alive. It is a great scene with a lot of emotion and shows the player what is exactly at stake if he/she doesn't make it through.
Case 3: Bioshock
With recent years has come an enormous change in the quality of art assets that games employ. Gone are the days of moving blocks and choppy, blurry textures. Now games can approach a quality unforeseen, quality that challenges animated films. Literal artistic merits have grown exponentially in recent years and no games show off this growth than Bioshock. Bioshock is a dystopia story rooted strongly in the objectivist movements of Ayn Rand and her novel 'Atlas Shrugged'. The game takes place in an underwater city called Rapture that was originally created to house the most brilliant scientists, artists, and thinkers in the world. Rapture is a beautiful and interesting place to explore, utilizing the idea of destroyed beauty to the fullest effect. It draws inspiration from forties ideals and art deco styling all with a slightly horrifying destruction and atmosphere placed over it that completely immerses the player in the world. Rapture is clearly a city that fell from greatness and the melancholic beauty of your surroundings reflect that.
So in the end, can video games be called art? I have provided examples of the best in their respective fields, but still, does the art present in great games match that present in great literature, film, and theatre? At the moment, the answer is no. Video games are still a young medium, and as such are still growing and changing faster than we can know. These games all have undeniable aspects of art in them, and in the future as the medium evolves all games will. Just as film legitimized from being considered silly pulp to a true artistic medium in the past half a century so will video games.
Below is the opposite of art. It is the worst thing ever created. Seriously, do not watch this.
