I took a couple game design classes when I was in college and they basically all made it clear that the line between vidya and other art forms was basically zilch. One of them may as well have been an art class about the Dadaist moment tbqh
Wouldn't the line come down to the intent of the game? Like I can see Disco Elysium or Grim Fandango or something as art. That makes sense they have something to express and there's a relationship between the creators and the audience. There are stories, themes, messages, etc. But then there are games like Killing Floor or Counter-Strike, where the intent is entirely about an exhilarating multiplayer experience. One thing that always stuck with me that Roger Ebert said is we wouldn't consider a game of basketball to be art. Is a game of chess art? Or are the individual pieces artistic?
Maybe. I don't know enough about that debate to say if I am. I am genuinely confused though about how some games could be considered art at all if it leans more or entirely into the mechanical gamey aspects rather than expressing something. Like is fisbee golf art? Olympic swimming? That's where I'm getting tripped up. Also they don't need to be art to be worthwhile. I play a lot of fighting games for instance.
Yeah, that blurry line about what is and isn't art is why we focused so much on dada. Is a urinal art? Is it art when you lay it sideways, sign it, and submit it to a gallery?
Certainly there are artistic pieces in many games — my personal take is that there can be art in the setup and structure of the game, even discounting things like art assets. Someone sat down and made a bunch of intentional decisions about the specific way a given game was to be experienced and perceived by its players, and that creates a relationship between the designer and the player which I would generally categorize as art to some extent.
I took a couple game design classes when I was in college and they basically all made it clear that the line between vidya and other art forms was basically zilch. One of them may as well have been an art class about the Dadaist moment tbqh
Wouldn't the line come down to the intent of the game? Like I can see Disco Elysium or Grim Fandango or something as art. That makes sense they have something to express and there's a relationship between the creators and the audience. There are stories, themes, messages, etc. But then there are games like Killing Floor or Counter-Strike, where the intent is entirely about an exhilarating multiplayer experience. One thing that always stuck with me that Roger Ebert said is we wouldn't consider a game of basketball to be art. Is a game of chess art? Or are the individual pieces artistic?
That's where I get hung up.
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Maybe. I don't know enough about that debate to say if I am. I am genuinely confused though about how some games could be considered art at all if it leans more or entirely into the mechanical gamey aspects rather than expressing something. Like is fisbee golf art? Olympic swimming? That's where I'm getting tripped up. Also they don't need to be art to be worthwhile. I play a lot of fighting games for instance.
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You're probably right. I think I'll expand my interests a little.
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Yeah, that blurry line about what is and isn't art is why we focused so much on dada. Is a urinal art? Is it art when you lay it sideways, sign it, and submit it to a gallery?
Certainly there are artistic pieces in many games — my personal take is that there can be art in the setup and structure of the game, even discounting things like art assets. Someone sat down and made a bunch of intentional decisions about the specific way a given game was to be experienced and perceived by its players, and that creates a relationship between the designer and the player which I would generally categorize as art to some extent.
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