Are video games a form of art?
by Shayne Guiliano · in General Discussion · 03/27/2002 (10:05 pm) · 3 replies
Hi Everyone,
Shayne here. I'm back with some ideas I hope can get some discussion going. I've been thinking about what the artistic elements of a video game are and I came up with these ideas. I know you all would say graphics, AI, polys, etc. but I'm not interested in all that. We all agree those things are important. So what elements can add artistic value to the VGs? I think that some of the things that make a video game artful are the following in no specific order. These are not intended to be conclusive, feel free to add ideas and debate.
Pace and Impact- This is an essential part of art in any forum be it writing, movies, or even painting, and it seems to play a very important role in the video game world. This is what we can use to mold the mind or the gamer during the journey we intend to take him or her on. Movies are the best way to understand pace of image and sound.(Also ties into the next one.)
Reward-This is something that we like to use in our discussions of video games like it is unique to video games or something. That’s absurd. Who didn’t feel like flying after watching Hook or starting a revolution after watching Fight Club. That is real reward, when you get taken on a journey that invokes an emotional response. A floating health pack is an obvious form of reward that really creates little emotional response in a player. The reward that we should really be focusing on is the emotional response. This means making them cry, making them laugh, making them pensive, making them mad. This is reward that can only be effected by the depth of the art.
Characterization-Where the hell is the characterization in this industry? Why can’t someone other than Kojima or Miyamoto get this right, and they are still playing in the fantasy world. There is a growing population of adults who are ready and willing to play a game with mature content.(Not GTA3 goofy mature, but real adultery, real violence, sex, betrayal, loss of life, gore, adult humor, etc.) Anyways, even in the fantasy world characterization is not done very well or at least immaturely. This is the concept most misunderstood by designers. I think it’s because they are doing their designing cooped up in a room with one window when they should be out discovering life, traveling the world, attempting to understand the beauties of the world and the beauties of being human.
Perspective-This has a few meanings. You all think of it as 3rd and 1st person, I think or it as much more. Where is the camera? What is on screen? What are you seeing? How does it look to you, good or evil? Can we have sympathy for the bad guy without him getting cheesy? Why can’t we ever see the front of our character? Why are there no close up cuts during gameplay? The camera is really all we have to build drama (and sound) so why not use it with the proven techniques of video drama. And then, what is the philosophical perspective, psychological and social perspectives? These are all ideas that tend to fall through the cracks. We are too busy trying to show off how many polygons we are pushing to realize the polygons that add most to the story or game. Framing and color thematics also fall under this category. Color is a powerful tool.
Finally…Balance-The one thing in the universe that all life seeks. Is it too easy, too hard, just right? Are the colors balanced, the story, the characters. Balance can make up for a lot because we feel comfortable when things are balanced. Balance is the language of the Universe.
These are all abstract ideas that I have yet to get a full grip on. I study them all day in the back of my head trying to understand what makes us tick. I do know that these ideas are decent guidance for my creative method and that they could be for anyone who took them serious. Anyways, I’m done being serious. Let me know what you think and add some of your ideas.
Shayne here. I'm back with some ideas I hope can get some discussion going. I've been thinking about what the artistic elements of a video game are and I came up with these ideas. I know you all would say graphics, AI, polys, etc. but I'm not interested in all that. We all agree those things are important. So what elements can add artistic value to the VGs? I think that some of the things that make a video game artful are the following in no specific order. These are not intended to be conclusive, feel free to add ideas and debate.
Pace and Impact- This is an essential part of art in any forum be it writing, movies, or even painting, and it seems to play a very important role in the video game world. This is what we can use to mold the mind or the gamer during the journey we intend to take him or her on. Movies are the best way to understand pace of image and sound.(Also ties into the next one.)
Reward-This is something that we like to use in our discussions of video games like it is unique to video games or something. That’s absurd. Who didn’t feel like flying after watching Hook or starting a revolution after watching Fight Club. That is real reward, when you get taken on a journey that invokes an emotional response. A floating health pack is an obvious form of reward that really creates little emotional response in a player. The reward that we should really be focusing on is the emotional response. This means making them cry, making them laugh, making them pensive, making them mad. This is reward that can only be effected by the depth of the art.
Characterization-Where the hell is the characterization in this industry? Why can’t someone other than Kojima or Miyamoto get this right, and they are still playing in the fantasy world. There is a growing population of adults who are ready and willing to play a game with mature content.(Not GTA3 goofy mature, but real adultery, real violence, sex, betrayal, loss of life, gore, adult humor, etc.) Anyways, even in the fantasy world characterization is not done very well or at least immaturely. This is the concept most misunderstood by designers. I think it’s because they are doing their designing cooped up in a room with one window when they should be out discovering life, traveling the world, attempting to understand the beauties of the world and the beauties of being human.
Perspective-This has a few meanings. You all think of it as 3rd and 1st person, I think or it as much more. Where is the camera? What is on screen? What are you seeing? How does it look to you, good or evil? Can we have sympathy for the bad guy without him getting cheesy? Why can’t we ever see the front of our character? Why are there no close up cuts during gameplay? The camera is really all we have to build drama (and sound) so why not use it with the proven techniques of video drama. And then, what is the philosophical perspective, psychological and social perspectives? These are all ideas that tend to fall through the cracks. We are too busy trying to show off how many polygons we are pushing to realize the polygons that add most to the story or game. Framing and color thematics also fall under this category. Color is a powerful tool.
Finally…Balance-The one thing in the universe that all life seeks. Is it too easy, too hard, just right? Are the colors balanced, the story, the characters. Balance can make up for a lot because we feel comfortable when things are balanced. Balance is the language of the Universe.
These are all abstract ideas that I have yet to get a full grip on. I study them all day in the back of my head trying to understand what makes us tick. I do know that these ideas are decent guidance for my creative method and that they could be for anyone who took them serious. Anyways, I’m done being serious. Let me know what you think and add some of your ideas.
#2
03/28/2002 (3:20 pm)
I would say, in answer to the original question, that games are not an art form, at least not yet. Perhaps not ever. Their only purpose right now is to entertain, and to be considered art, it needs to do more than just entertain; it needs to provoke emotion and thought in the viewer, and that isnt really the focus of games yet. Maybe someday, when games become more like film, but not yet.
#3
03/28/2002 (3:45 pm)
oh yeah, the main question, heh. yes and no. does every game released qualify as a work of art? maybe, not to my mind though. should artistic principles be applied to the gameplay and the design as a whole? i think so. 
Torque Owner Jeff Highsmith
i think one of the most profitable angles for indy games to explore is the less graphics more gameplay one. let the big companies push the graphics envelope.
adult themes: one of the main reasons you dont see more adult themes in games universal appeal. its more practical to assume that adults will 'dumb themselves down' and play a less maturely themed game than to expect kids to play more mature ones. dont get me wrong though, i think there is an adult market there.
camera: i also agree that the possibilities of dynamic, cinematic technique with the camera in 3d games is largely unexplored territory. but i think that barrier will steadily break down in the near future.
reward: i dont have a solid grasp on this one, i tend to think of the entire game as the reward. sort of like, a well made game that tells a rich story and allows for deep interactions is its own reward.