Sunday, April 1, 2012

A is for Art and Video Games

Whether or not video games are Art is a subject that's been debated to death. But, this year the "Games are Art" camp  (which I am a member of) won a "victory" with the opening of the the Art of Video Games exhibit at the Smithsonian. It runs from March to the end of September. Even though I live in Florida, I am going to try my damnest to make it there.

Why do I believe games are Art? It's simple really, and a part of me doesn't understand why there's a debate at all. Art makes you think and feel. It's more than just the technical aspect of how well someone draws or paints. (or how good the graphics are for games.)

So yes, even the 8-bit games of the NES make me feel something, whether it be excitement, frustration, or joy. These days the graphics are way better, but I still get those same feelings when a game moves me. The stories are deeper now, as well. Granted, there's always room for storytelling improvement (mostly in the plot-holes category), but there are many times while playing that I have felt a connection with a character or situation. (More on this in the coming days)

This exhibit isn't without controversy, of course, with most of it surrounding the fact that gamers picked which games would be included.  Hopefully, I'll make it to DC so I can bask in all the gaming goodness for myself and see what all the fuss is about.

  

8 comments:

  1. Video games are definitely art! I don't understand how there could ever be a debate about that!

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  3. Great start Jenn! Very thought provoking and I agree 100%.

    My counter arguement for people who don't think games are art is: Shadow of the Colossus.

    An open world, alone with your thoughts and your horse, where you are the villain.

    Sure, it's for the right reasons but you're still the bad guy hunting down innocent Colossi.

    /Wes

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  4. There are a lot of things that may not be traditionally considered art but that I still strongly feel to be art. Video games are certainly one of them. A lot of inspiration, feeling, and talent goes into the making of video games, so why wouldn't they be art?

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  5. The graphics used in video games today rivals anything done on the "big screen" and many people consider movies to be an art form so I don't see why they wouldn't qualify as art.

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  6. There should be no controversy about this. Yes, games - of today - are art. I look at the games my son plays, like Mass Effect. The animation is incredibly detailed and beautiful.

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  7. Video Games are Art. If Music is art and movies is an art then video games are Art. Also how cool you live in FL!! Me too :) Looking forward to following your blog post

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  8. I wonder if they're going to showcase video game music and storytelling art as well as visual media . . . maybe I'll have to go see to find out! Thanks for the great info!


    Aurora Celeste
    yasff.blogspot.com
    dramaticthreads.com

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