Art- the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions.
Based on that, any game that someone enjoys is art. That makes almost every game out there art. It's subjective as hell though, but then all forms of art are.
I don't really like that definition though. What is an "element"?
Drugs affect emotions, so does that make them art too? Sex toys affect your senses, is that art? If you want to take it to the extreme, serial killers have a physical and mental need to kill, they experience an extreme affect on their senses by killing. Does that mean killing is an art?
Well maybe not to some people, but as you said art is subjective. It's a universal law about art, meaning that whether or not we are disgusted by a murder some people might actually consider it art.
The way a murder was committed, the plans and resources and ingenuity used in it might indeed be an art form for some, whereas for others it would probably be considered wrong to call it art. There is an art of killing, for those who seek to recognize it.
The art of drugs could come from the ways the drugs affects the people that come in contact with it. Perhaps it's potency, effects and side-effects or lack of could be considered art by some people.
Same goes for... uhm, the little rubber and plastic devices...
But we're going in circles about the same thing. Art is subjective to whatever malevolent or benevolent mind perceives it.
Also this post is subjective, perceive it as you will
[Edited by AdmiralAckbar, 6/22/2010 10:57:10 AM]
Not long ago, Robert Ebert expressed in his journal that "Video games can never be art", this provided the spark for an issue that has been stirring for a long time. One statement that stood out in my mind was that "No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, and novelists." But I would like to personally point out 2 "not-so-old" video games that deserve to be considered a form of art more so that any movie or book. The first video game is Grand Theft Auto IV; with a cast of characters that you learn about as the game progresses and a story-line that could hold a candle to any Hollywood action flick. Grand Theft Auto IV is a masterpiece in the world of art. You become smitten with the characters and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat, "simply amazing" are the only words to describe it. Another great video game worthy of being called art is Mass Effect. This video game takes story-telling to the next level, the developer, Bioware, builds a universe from scratch and actually makes you care about your decisions within the game. They make you feel as if you simply aren't just playing a video game but that you're actually affecting people's lives, you decide by your actions how the characters in the game respond and whether or not they're loyal to you and even if they survive or not. The best way to classify this video game franchise is by calling it an interactive movie, a form of art at its finest.If these video games can create so much emotion, more so than any novel or movie then why shouldn't they be considered art? The answer is that they should be able to be called art. Art consists of great creativity, art brings about emotions in people, and video games are art.
For Ebert's journal, follow this link:
Link
Other note worthy video games are:
Shadow of the Colossus
Red Dead Redemption
Bioshock
Fallout 3
Oblivion
Final Fantasy XIII
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Not sure how GTA or even Mass effect could be considered art. All GTA games are riddled with cliches almost to the point of parody and like Mass Effect, its trying to emulate film to such a degree that in the case of Mass effect at least, they almost become interactive movies.
So if anything you are kind of hinting that games need to imitate movies to be considered art at all.
I honestly don't think their are many western games that could be considered art as they all stick to a tried and tested formulas without ever trying to break the mold.
I personally think a lot of Japanese games could be considered art because of the amount of imagination that goes into them. Games like Zelda, Okami, Shadow Of the Colossus, some of the early FF games maybe.. A lot of the niche games certainly seem to be Japanese form what I can tell.