- Cover of Mass Effect Original Game Soundtrack
In short, yes.
Of course, being a professional philosopher, I am obligated to more than make a mere assertion. I had, oddly enough, thought that this matter had already been settled. However, Roger Ebert argues (at length) that video games are not and perhaps never can be art. This was done as a reply to a YouTube video by Kellee Santiago in which she claims that video games can be art. The folks at Penny Arcade also weigh in on the matter.
As with most classification battles, this conflict hinges on the definition of “art.” After all, with definition in hand a person could sort the world into two piles: art and non-art. While Santiago goes with Wikipedia as her main source, Ebert considers more historical definitions, such as those offered by Plato. However, all these definitions have serious flaws. Since I have been published professionally in the field of aesthetics and have taught a university course on the subject for sixteen years, I am somewhat qualified to discuss definitions of “art.” My considered view is that although we have many interesting and appealing definitions, we have yet to develop one that is truly adequate. To be specific, the definitions all tend to be too narrow (leaving out too much) or too broad (letting in too much) or have other serious flaws. Fortunately, it is possible to argue whether something is art or not without having that elusive perfect (or at least adequate) definition.
One effective way to argue that something is art is to use an argument by analogy. If it can be shown that X is analogous (in relevant ways) to something that is a paradigm example of art, then this goes a long way in establishing that X is art. Naturally, this is an inductive method and is also subject to some serious criticism.
Turning to video games, they seem to have components relevantly similar to established art forms. First, video games have graphics. These can be compared to paintings or movies (since video game graphics often move). While some video games might not actually hit a level that would qualify them as art (not even bad art) at least some of them would seem to be adequately similar to paintings, drawings or films in ways that would qualify the visual component as art. As far as the main argument, it seems that anything that can be said that would argue that a sketch, painting or film is art (references to creativity, imagination, expression of emotion, proportion, imitativeness, and so on) could also be applied to the graphics of a video game.
Second, video games have sounds and even sound tracks. While the simplest bloops and bleeps most likely are mere noise rather than music, games such as Halo have true musical soundtracks. Since music can clearly be art, the musical elements in video games would also seem to be eligible for this status.
Third, video games often have stories and narratives. While this is not true of all of them (Tetris lacks a plot, for example), some of them have plots and narratives that rival those of novels. For example, the Mass Effect and Uncharted games serve to illustrate the narrative depths of games. The Uncharted games have been compared favorably to movies and movies are clearly art. Also, as with graphics, almost anything that can be said about a story or novel (or movie) can also be said about certain video games. As such, the story aspect of video games would also seem to qualify some of them as art.
It might be objected that although the parts that make up a game can be artistic elements, to infer that the whole game is thus art would be to commit the fallacy of composition (to assume that what is true of the parts must be true of the whole). That is, while the game has artistic parts, the game as a whole is not art. To use an analogy, the fact that a house has art on the walls and music playing within its walls does not make the house itself a work of art. To use an even better analogy, if someone decided to play checkers using great paintings as the pieces, this would hardly make the game of checkers art.
In reply, if the components are art, then the coherent combination of these parts into a whole should not someone render this whole into non-art through some sort of mysterious alchemy. In the case of the checkers analogy, the fact that the pieces are art is not actually relevant to the game of checkers. The art is not serving a role in the game as art, but rather as mere objects. This role would be served as well (even better) by small pieces of plastic. If the art is actually serving a role in the game as art, then that would change matters in a relevant. way. Provided that the art is playing a role in the game in which it being art is relevant, then it would seem to be able to give the game itself some standing as art. It could even be argued that the burden of proof rests on those who would claim that video games composed of such artistic elements are not art. Of course, such burden of proof arguments are rather weak.
As for a better argument, a reasonable approach is to consider what fatal alchemy would somehow deprive all the artistic components of a video game from combining into a work that qualifies as art as a whole. If no such fatal alchemy exists and a game is meaningfully composed of artistic elements, then the game as a whole could qualify as art.
One possibility is that video games, unlike works of art, are played rather than merely experienced. One views a painting, hears a song, or watches a movie. The artist delivers a work of art and the audience receives this work. In a game, the work is unfinished (in some cases, so much so that patches are needed) and the player is required to complete the process.
While this is a tempting argument, it can be replied to in two ways. One is that there are numerous types of accepted art that are interactive. For example, stand up comedy is an art, yet we do not say that it ceases to be an art if the comic interacts with the audience in her act. Also, there are plays that invite audience participation yet this does not deny them their status as art. At the very least, the audience interacts emotionally with the works.
A second reply is that perhaps the player is also an artist by adding his input into the game. In role-playing games, the player selects and modifies the flow of the narrative, helping to tell the story along with the creators of the game. As such, this does not seem to disqualify video games from being art.
Another possibility is that there is something else inherent to games that is able to nullify the artistic elements of video games. However, it seems difficult to sort out exactly what these fatal elements might be. Games have rules, but so does art. While art cannot be won, there are some games that are also not based on winning or losing. One could, I think, run though all the elements of games and fail to find that fatal ingredient. However, I am clearly open to this possibility. True, not all games are art. However, this hardly shows that video games are thus not art because they are games.
As somewhat of a side point, there are some arguments that attack the status of video games as art by pointing out that video games cannot match the greatest paintings, novels, films and so on. However, this argument rather misses the point. Even it is conceded that video games have not matched the greatest works of art, this does not show that they are not art. It would merely show that they are not on par with the greatest works. This would be like arguing that the Twilight books are not art because they are not as good as Shakespeare’s works or arguing that I am not a runner because I cannot place in the top ten at the Boston Marathon. Bad art is still art and non-world class runners are still runners.
Finally, I obviously have just presented a sketch of a case. One glaring weak point is that an account of what it is for artistic elements of a video game to combine to form an artistic whole. Fortunately, this is the sort of challenge any composite work faces. For example, a film has to combine the plot, the visual aspects, acting, sound effects, sound track and other elements to create a whole. As such, an analogy to films can be pressed into play here and perhaps help serve as the basis for building an account of video games as works of art.
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The Ebert argument, to me, seems to boil down to: a thing can be a game, or art, but not both. I think the idea that video games cannot be art is so inane as to be not worthy of discussion or comment. Having said that, I think Mike does a very good job of discussing why games can be works of art.
Wow, thank you! I’m writing a course paper about cognitive aspects of video games (and am planning to expand upon this later) so this was both entertaining and useful. +1
I wouldn’t go to Plato for a definition of art. He was at odds with all arts because it took the person involved away from reason and rationality.
I’ve recently had lengthy discussions on the definition of art with a colleague of mine. He came up with a list of 14 items, some combination of which one supposedly would expect in a piece of art. By the time we were finished discussing them all were rejected as too narrowing. Ultimately, it’s left up to the individual “creator” to claim what (s)he has done is a piece of art. Whether anyone agrees with the person is another matter. Consider the painting White on White (I believe that’s the name.) It hung in the MOMA, maybe still does. Anyone who hasn’t serious physical problems could have executed it. So it was in the conception. Big deal! The artist just put a white rectangle at some magical angle inside another white rectangle. Hardly great inspiration. Likewise for John Cage’s piece of pure silence. Performed, if that’s the right word, at Carnegie Hall. Cage says it’s a piece of music or art or whatever. Here, anyone could have “written” it. So it’s a matter of what you can get away with. Of course, in each field there are traditions, among other things, which help dictate what is accepted. And contrary to what you wrote, Mike, ART HAS NO RULES!
What about a game itself being an art form? For example, the game GO in which the Japanese are the masters. The moves of the game are played with a certain movement of the hand, with a stone between the second and third fingers from the thumb and clicked on the board. There’s a certain reverence that’s involved in the whole thing.
Why can’t other games be considered art?
You were looking at the components of the video game, deciding whether they had artistic qualities, and then looking at the finished product as a sum of the parts. This is a little troubling to me. Mike, when you consider a piece of art, isn’t it the whole you consider? I’m not sure about that myself, but in general I think I do. For example (or is this a counterexample), an opera has several components: the music, the libretto, the scenery, the hall in which it’s being performed. The only part that makes or breaks an opera is the music. There are some great operas with absolutely horrible libretti.
Does it have to be the case that all video games are or are not art?
I mean a simple cheap pair of earrings would hardly be considered to be art. But masterfully crafted pair of unique pair of earrings would be art, a pice of applied art.
The same with games. Some are just games, others are art.
Interesting, thought I my self would still go for an Aristotle’s ideas.
What came to my mind is question is art finished or opened? Meaning, do we call process or object an art? If the first one, then clearly game can be called an art.
On other hand I thought of an example – video role-play game, were you play as an artist and your objective is to create art (painting, music, etc.). So will you call the whole process (gameplay) or just products created during play an art? Similar idea applies for as example Photoshop – it has design, sounds, etc., but do you call Photoshop an art? Or consider products produced with Photoshop an art? Analogy applies as well regarding life – one does not call artist and his life an art, just his created objects…
Would you care to rephrase the sentence “One glaring weak point is that an account of what it is for artistic elements of a video game to combine to form an artistic whole.”? As it stands, it’s not entirely clear to me what you mean.
Of course video games can be art. The landscapes alone should be enough. Various character designs are also beautiful. Soundtracks (I’m thinking of Final Fantasy, for example) are amazing.
Ebert is arrogant. He’s like the people who, favoring theatre, declared that television was trash.
I had seen Ebert’s assertion mentioned in the news, and I’m glad that you’ve responded. Aesthetics is not a subject that I’ve spent any time with, though I have a significant interest in the creative process. And, it seems you’ve covered virtually all the points that I could have come up with–and then some.
Let me offer what I hope would simplify one aspect of the discussion.
Composition, the selection of elements that contribute to the whole, is a major factor in many art forms. Before the Internet took hold, there was a thing called multimedia, often combining multiple slide shows, moving pictures, and audio. (I suppose such things still exist, though I haven’t seen one in some time.) Such presentations, when artfully done, would achieve an effect that the individual components could not. However, the macro-composition of multimedia seems to involve the same artistry as the micro-composition of any of the more traditional art forms.
And, let’s not forget that there is art that is the composition of non-art elements. A key example would be the sculptures that are little more than the arrangement of junk-yard scrap.
So, I don’t see the presence of artistic elements in games, such as images, as being a necessary condition for establishing art–especially since the combination of works of art into a collection isn’t necessarily art (despite the lengths to which some collectors go to present a cohesive collection of related works). I should wonder if composition itself–on some level–isn’t a necessary condition. The question is, does the assemblage of elements form an organized and/or ordered arrangement with artistic qualities.
If all of the arrangement or ordering of elements in a game is produced by the player, then I would say that the creator of the game is not the artist, and so the game itself is not art (though maybe what the player creates is). But, I do think that there are games that are art, so there are games with some artistic composition.
That still leaves the question of what makes a thing artistic, but I hope I’ve adequately introduced the issue of composition as it would apply to combined media or other yet to be explored forms of art.
Tesserid,
“Composition . . . is a major factor in many art forms”
For a minute I thought you hit upon something which surely is important to all works of art: composition. Now, I wonder if it’s a major factor in any art form. The examples I gave in my above example show that a devoid of composition in fact in both cases is what the artist appears to be intent on. In fact, any minimalist piece of music would serve the purpose. I think I can come up with other paintings in which composition plays a relatively minor part. But, Monet’s Haystack series, in which he uses the same composition in several paintings I think is an interesting case. Since he used the identical haystack for each of the paintings, the composition as such couldn’t have been what Monet felt was important. What was was the incredible variation of color one gets on the same scene at different times of the day. Arguably the haystack composition was an important part in any one of the paintings but taking the series as a complete work of art, the haystack scene is unimportant. Any other scene exhibiting the colors would have sufficed.
Ben,
Good catch.
I should have written: ““One glaring weak point is that an account of what it is for artistic elements of a video game to combine to form an artistic whole has not been provided.”
In short, without a clear account of how the artistic pieces combine to form an artistic whole my composition argument can be easily criticized.
Ralph,
Despite Plato’s attack on the arts, his definition does have some appeal. After all, the idea that art is an imitation does have intuitive appeal and does nicely match a great deal of art. However, the definition can be picked apart.
I would contend that art does have rules and does so in a way comparable to games. For example, if I am playing checkers, then I play by those rules. If I am doing comedy, then there are rules. At the very least there is the rule that the goal is to be funny. In writing, there are also rules to follow. For example, if I wish to write a tragedy then I must follow certain rules if it is to be tragic (rather than comedic or something else).
There are also rules in the visual arts-rules about perspective and so on.
This is not to say that there are thus fixed and absolute rules that apply to all arts. But, the same is true of games. In some games the only rule is that there are no rules.
Ralph,
I am willing to consider the whole of a video game art. My goal wasn’t to take a negative view of video games but rather to try one possible argument for video games being art.
Ralph,
That’s a valid point concerning lack of composition in minimalist works, and I certainly noticed your earlier mention of the White on White painting.
There’s also the Zen calligrapher’s representation of the void–that empty space surrounded by a circle.
I admit that I am trying to stretch the definition of composition into something more general so that it will apply to a variety of art forms–at a variety of levels. I hinted at this where I prefixed the “macro” and “micro” to compare complex arrangements to simple ones. That is, rather than say that some works are devoid of composition, I would rather be able to say that minimalist works incorporate minimal degrees of composition or perhaps even a minimalist concept of composition. That is, for a work to be devoid of composition, the work itself would have to be truly void–much less than an inked circle on rice paper.
Such a frustrating statement from Ebert. I wish people would pay him no mind.
Mike,
I didn’t take your view to be negative on video games as art. Must have come across that way.
Being funny in a comedy is an objective not a rule, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s even no longer a necessity.
Same with perspective in art. Since impressionism it hasn’t been a necessity and of course there’s non-objective art.
A great impetus of art for a long time has been originality of style and concept and rules have not done well because of this.
If you can recommend a definition of art, I’d love to see it.
Tesserid,
I agree, in particular, with your last statement.
Katie,
Unfortunately people often pay attention to what least deserves their attention. However, I do think that Ebert’s arguments contribute to the debate. At the very least they are motivating people to consider art and whether video games are art or not.
Ralph,
The “troubling” part seemed to suggest I was up to no good. I often am, but not in this case.
You do raise a good point about distinguishing rules from objectives. When I was in grad school I took a philosophy of language class and we studied the struggle over what it might be to be rule and also what it is to follow a rule. Being a gamer, I am tempted to consider objectives to be part of the rules (objectives=victory rules). However, I am willing to consider that this is an error. To criticize myself, all objectives do not seem to be rules and perhaps the objectives of art are not rules.
I think that Hume’s discussion of the paradox of taste is one of the most honest discussions of art. His view has some serious flaws, but he raises some excellent points. As far as my own definition… I usually steal bits from Aristotle, Plato, Tolstoy and Hume. I then paint a broad definition and follow up by showing why I am wrong.
I actually argued that video games are art in my master’s thesis, using Leon Rosenstein’s theory of art (http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Visual-Arts-Philip-Alperson/dp/0195059751), and a couple of others. Part of what I wrote is reprinted in my contribution to The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy.
I did make the case that video games have elements that work together to produce art, doing my best to avoid the composition fallacy. I based my assessment of “good” and “bad” games (as works of art) on how likely or unlikely a game is to produce an aesthetic experience. And certain elements in games are more likely to contribute to the full status of the game as art. One element, I claimed, in many games that is likely to produce an aesthetic experience is “freeplay” or when the player has a weaker constraint on space and time and can roam freely. Other elements are the graphics, music, story, etc. (The fact that the aesthetic experience is subjective does not mean there isn’t something OBJECTIVE in the game to produce the experience.)
Oops, I wanted to add that, according to the theory I mentioned in my previous post, certain games turned out to be art, and certain games turned out not to be art. Tetris, for instance, doesn’t have a strong enough freeplay element to be considered art. Some of the games I found to be art were, for example, Zelda games, Mario Bros 2 (but not 1), Final Fantasy games, and others of course.
this is still what I dont get – how some you consider an art but some not? Duchamp, Dali is not and then Pisaco is an arts… If Doom 3 is an arts, then why tetris is not?
Mike,
Thanks for the responses to my comments. Just for the fun of it I’ll read the Hume though I doubt he’ll give me the definition I’m looking for.
I believe that like Philosophy, Art is an innate propensity of the human being, We all have it. However some are very good at it others are very bad; some do it and not know what they do or say is philosophical and or artistic, others do make such a claim. This of course does not get us anywhere in settling on a definition of Art, which would enable us to determine if it embraces video games.
I personally find it difficult to look around my study and find some object or collection thereof which is/are completely and utterly lacking in some, albeit very minimal, artistic merit. I may even intervene from time to time to make objects, have for me, a more pleasing presentation. This I think is not unusual in most people. It seems to me that certain branches in philosophy are taken up with huge and abortive attempts to define what is actually indefinable. If somebody invites me to an Art exhibition I more of less know what to expect. Similarly if somebody tells me that P is a good person I again know what to expect of P. On a daily basis and so far as social intercourse is concerned these words, Art and Good, serve us without thorough definition, were that possible at all.
I am of the opinion that there is no arguing about tastes and colours. Oscar Wilde said “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written.“ I believe the same can be said of Art If something is claimed to be a book it is a book, similarly with the word Art. The whole point is how does the observer rate it as a book or work of art. I do not believe one can dismiss it as not a book or not a work of art if it be offered as such. In this connection I agree with Ralph Sabella when he says “Ultimately, it’s left up to the individual “creator” to claim what (s)he has done is a piece of art. Whether anyone agrees with the person is another matter.”
I am not very familiar with video games but see no reason why the claim should not be made that
they have an artistic component. By this I mean the capability of evoking the kinds of emotional responses we experience in viewing deliberate attempts at Art by human beings, however expressed; or natural phenomena like sunsets, seascapes, or landscapes, I would however expect the the artistic worth of the video to be for me, considerably less that that evident when I view say The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden, although I am not religious. The work of Francis Bacon although I am aware of the grotesque nature, of some of it. The work or Robert Mapplethorpe although I am not a homosexual. The work of Beethoven although I am not a musician. All of these I find transporting.
tl;dr
tl;dr
tl;dr
tl;dr lol
KISS
Anything can be considered a work of art. The issue is whether or not it is a significant work of art.
Ralph,
I’m sure he won’t. I like his approach, but it does not settle the matter.
Luke,
I’d agree that Tetris (as a game) does not count as art. Mainly on the same grounds that I would say that checkers is not art.
I tend to disagree with what mike said when it comes to the matter of whether you play games or experience them.
While it is certainly not true of all games,Good games are designed in such a way as to allow the player to project his own psyche unto the game. The longer you play a game the more immersed you become in the game world, and the less immersed you become in the real world.
In many ways the effects that games have on the mind can be compared to a kind of hypnosis, where one becomes completly oblivious to outer and inner stimuli.
From personal experience I can tell you that I have sometimes played games for hours on end and stopped only to find that I was hungry and had the need to go to the restroom, something I was not aware of before I broke the illusion that I was experiencing.
Re Roland May 5th 2010
That sounds to me to be an experience, which I would prefer to avoid at all costs. The confusion between reality and fantasy is surely psychologically unhealthy and the compulsion of the game seems to conspire to towards this. It seems to come in the same class of experience that one addicted to Hallucinogenic drugs has. Everybody to his/her own tastes of course, but if this is the effect of Video gaming then count me right out.
Already I can think of many opposing replies to what I say, and many counter examples but I just cannot help thinking there is something dangerously menacing here.
When I was younger, I did occasionally get that engrossed in video games. Of course, I have also had a similar thing happen while discussing philosophy (getting so into it that I forget to eat, drink or visit the restroom).
However, I did not confuse reality and fantasy-I was just really interested.
However, I can see the danger in getting obsessed with anything-be it video games, philosophy, or sports.
Don Bird said “If something is claimed to be a book it is a book, similarly with the word Art. The whole point is how does the observer rate it as a book or work of art. I do not believe one can dismiss it as not a book or not a work of art if it be offered as such”.
I somewhat disagree. Merely claiming something belongs to a class of things does not make it a member of that class. It would make us all Harry Potters with unlimited powers. The world would be absurd if this were true! It’s true prima facie that although presented as a book, a puppy dog is not a book. Nor, at least in passing, is that puppy a piece of art unless you tortuously twist the intentionality of the word “art”. Victorian freak breeds? Maybe, but I’d say that’s a tortuous twist.
Recognizing that a book is not a book (does it have symbolic strings that induce coherent mental pictures) might be much easier than seeing how something is not art. But just because it’s hard to come up with a logically consistent definition for art that encompasses everything we experience as art does not mean it’s not a meaningful concept. Nor does it mean that we won’t one day be able to come up with such a definition. If the latter were true we would have been at the end of philosophy in 322 BC!
There’s something that allows us to congregate around a thing and discuss whether it’s art. Clearly, the world is full of non-art. It might be as Don Bird suggests that all things have the potentiality of being art. But some act beyond merely claiming (through a passing utterance) that something is art is required. Marcel Duchamp did not merely walk into a urinal to take a leak and whisper to Joseph Stella “that’s a piece of art”. The process of turning the urinal into art was a deliberate and elaborate act. The Fountain became what it is today through extensive (and sometimes harsh) dialogue between Duchamp’s champions and his detractors (a dialogue that goes on until this day and which I am now involved in).
In some way, and strangely, I think Ebert is involved in the process of turning video games into art. His very criticism that it’s not art is in fact turning it into art! It’s not just that he’s helping people realize they need to make more artistic video games. It’s Ebert’s act of engaging those that elaborately claim video games are art which helps to assert the claim that is in fact what Ebert claims it not to be! Nothing is in-and-of-itself art. A specific composition of elements does not result in art. Things are only made into art by how we engage with them. I believe art is, as has been proposed, a deliberate act, a claim. In this Don Bird is correct. But such claims have to have sufficient force to be sustained in society at large.
Which creates the odd situation that those who vehemently dismiss something as non-art help disprove their own claim. Assuming, of course, there’s a sufficiently strong social force that counters these dismissals…
Andreas B. Olsson raised some interesting points here. If I claim that Elizabeth 1st is a member of the Class ‘Kings of England’ I am plainly incorrect. ‘Kings of England’ is a finite class and we can in fact identify each member. Not so, I believe, is the case with the class ‘Art’. The scope, domain or whatever the mathematical term is for what this class embraces, or admits as members, surely has vague boundaries. It was for this reason I suggested that anything offered as a work of art should be accepted as such, and if you like, become a member of the class ‘Art’.
So far as definition is concerned, I am in this connection, reminded of Humpty Dumpty’s reply to Alice-
`When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
`The question is,’ said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
`The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, `which is to be master — that’s all.’
I do have some reservations concerning the definition of Art I suggested. As Andreas said, there is a possibility of absurdity, and additionally the class ‘Art’, could end up having but one member, i.e. whole of the Universe. However in this connection I watched a programme on TV last night concerning Pablo Picasso. He was asked the question “What is Art?”. His reply was “Well tell me something that is not Art”. For my own part if find it difficult, perhaps impossible, to single out that something. One does have to stretch the imagination a bit here at times, especially if one considers the horror of an terrorist bombing; but Art surely also embraces the horrific it does not only pander to the pleasing emotions. Picasso’s Guernica seems relevant here.
What I have in mind here is to try to avoid the situation where a claim can be made that such and such is not Art. Let things offered as Art be admitted to the class then judgement can be made as to their artistic worth.
The whole business really is beset with so many problems though. What is at issue here, is in the main, matters of Taste, about which there can be no thoroughgoing dispute towards a conclusion satisfactory to all.
Andreas,
That is an interesting point. As you say, if Ebert believes that there is a need to argue that video games are not art, then this would indicate that there are reasons to think that they are art. Otherwise, there would be no need to make such a refutation.
I do agree that there is more to being art than just saying it is so. However, this approach (nominalism) does have some proponents who do have arguments for it. While I am not a Platonist about beauty, I do think that it makes sense to believe that there is a foundation to art that can be used to argue whether X belongs or does not.
The idea that Art is just an arbitrary grouping of particulars is not convincing. Yes, anything that can be apprehended in its immediacy by the senses might have the capacity to be art (such as a urinal, a projected image or simply a beam of light). But to realize that potential requires more than a mere nominal act. We have to have the possibility of interacting with something in a manner that is distinct from other types of interactions, to appreciate it as that which the nominal act claims it to be, namely art. It would seem that some characteristics are more conducive to engaging us in such artistic appreciation. Such characteristics might not be inherently contained with the thing itself but exist only in relationship to other things (i.e. be contextual). For examle, in placing a urinal in an art exhibit Duchamp asks us to consider the urinal beyond it’s immediate utility. Had Duchamp placed it in a slaughterhouse freezer and asked a bunch of butchers to come in and see his great art, we would probably not today engage in discussions surrounding this piece.
Art seems more like a process of engagement than anything else. And this process seems to have certain distinct characteristics. The nominal claim, the act of inviting us to consider something as art, is certainly a prerequisite. But the claim is insufficient in-and-of-itself. Art does not arise out of context-less assertions. Complex protocols have evolved by which Arthood is bestowed on a thing. And yes, these protocols can be seen as an extended nominal act. But I think that what I am trying to indicate is that these nominal acts are not individual (and mentally internal) acts. They are social acts with distinctly physical components (like placing an object in an “art” hall such as the MoMa or projecting a movie in a theatre). And I think that the social protocols we have evolved are not arbitrary. They are what they are because they tend to induce (simply by being what they are) a state of mind that considers and explores a thing not only in terms of its immediate utility.
The question then, is whether video games are conducive to inducing a state of mind that considers and explores the game and its content not merely in terms of its immediate utility (which I would say is to produce endorphins and excite us to “win the game”). And whether it moves us to engage in dialogue about these deeper explorations. To me, video games certainly have this capacity. It’s just plainly and obviously clear to me. I remember how Myst II took me aback and transported me beyond the simple surface of its internal objectives. The problem I see is that the social contexts for engaging with the Arthood of video games are immature. And if, as I suspect is true for Ebert, you don’t ever play video games, how can you find an entry into such contexts? It’s like asking someone blind since birth to appreciate the paintings of van Gogh.
If I for instance, snap a pencil in two parts and declare it a work of art what authority do you have to declare that it is not. You may ask quite rightfully, on what authority do I claim it to be art. I see no conclusive argument which would resolve such a dispute on either side. I might ask, why if you are so sensitive have you obviously not noticed that the pencil has been snapped exactly in accordance with the Golden mean.
What I am trying to point out here is that we all differ in the value we put on things, human responses and tastes vary. In this connection Art is in the eye of the beholder. The Theoretical Physicist Paul Dirac was concerned that his equations should have, what was for him, a certain beauty, not an unusual viewpoint with mathematicians. I know of no way to dispute this only to say there may be things more or less beautiful but again this brings us back to Taste. Exposure of the human senses to that which purports to be art is a two way process as Andreas has indicated. This often requires a considerable amount of thought provoking analysis on the part of the beholder before becoming aware that one is satisfied, one way or the other as to its worth as a work of art. I would not expect others to agree with me concerning the worth but I would hope, often in vain, there would be agreement it is in fact fact a work of art. Because one does not like something is no reason to say it is not Art. The only dispute worth considering is whether the so called work is well done or badly done. It seems to me that so far as Vision is concerned if I look at anything for long enough and thoughtfully I can see artistic qualities there. Actually that is not quite correct, I should say I have the experience of artistic qualities. I would be interested to know of something which under any circumstances cannot possibly evoke the human experience of Art. As I have previously stated Picasso once made the same request. This appeal to authority of course does not prove a point, but I find it food for thought.
I ask myself what survival value on the human species does Art confer. I suppose it has something to do with the instinct of Curiosity; making connections, seeing in things more than is immediately obvious, alternatives and wonderment. Animals whilst undoubtedly curious do not, so far as I know, have artistic appreciation. This may account for the fact that the human cognitive acumen is far in advance of the animals and why our species currently rule the planet. Andreas also makes a similar point.
Can there be Art in Video games? I have to reply in the affirmative, but the worth of it is another matter.
I’m actually going to go one step further: if it’s true that Art is more of a process and exploration, then video games have a greater capacity for Art than , say, movies (Ebert’s little darlings). The interactive aspect of video games partially externalizes the process that occurs between a piece presented as Art and its beholder. In video games we can, in part, follow the beholder as they explore the piece’s deeper layers. And, if Art is not just a personal process but also a social engagement, video games then have an even greater capacity to induce the contemplative process that elevates us beyond the mere immediate utility of a thing.
Ebert is hooked up on the “gaming” aspect meaning a process by which you achieve objectives that are relevant only within context of the competition (and largely irrelevant to the rest of the world). If we see the “game” as meaning only an interactive process by which the beholder is free to explore in a non-linear manner, we free ourselves from one of Ebert’s core objections. Such a definition of “gaming” is not a trickery of words. Tesserid mentioned good old “multimedia”. Some of todays “video games” are 4 dimensional elaborations of this classic genre.
Movies maintain the classic barrier between creator and beholder, whereas video games tear them down. That barrier is only relevant to the Arthood of a thing if Art is a means for one individual to express a well defined idea with a known effect. If Art is more of a thought out question and engagement, then that barrier is rather a limitation that inhibits the scope of the questions that can be asked.
Roger Ebert’s retraction: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/07/okay_kids_play_on_my_lawn.html
I’d like to suggest something as a feature of art which may help make a stronger case for games as art by analogy. To draw a conception of film as an escape from modernity.
In this sense, the modern subject is constantly under sensory assault and placed in a voyeuristic position within metropolitan areas. Cinema gives such a modern subject a kind of escapism where they can be a safely removed observer, both free from the constant barrage of life and constrained by the limits of the film (in its diegesis and also its literal frame). I would perhaps argue that this is in fact a hallmark of narrative art at the least, and possibly all art. Put another way, I would argue that one feature of all art is a kind of escapism into a world created by the piece where the subject is able to freely interact while being safely constrained.
You mentioned that art has objectives, and I’d like to speak about that first. One important implication of objectives is that the presence of objectives means that there is a goal which the art is trying to achieve. In the case of stand-up comedy, the goal in humour as you said. These objectives lead to rules or patterns within the art. Even experimental art cannot exist outside of some objective or rule. Experimental paintings, music, film, and games can never escape the artist and thus can never be random or chance, but always have some underlying creative force. The presence of rules and objectives necessarily limits our experience of the art. Both physically (in that “nothing” nor “everything” can be art, but only a physical, limited thing) and conceptually (through the presence of objectives) art is defined at least partly by the presence of constraints. When compared to the seemingly infinite possibilities of life, such a world of strong, defined constraints becomes appealing.
You also mentioned that the subject interacts with the art, at least emotionally. I would suggest that simply interacting with art through one’s senses creates more than just an emotional reaction. Because one cannot remove the subjective symbolic meaning from a piece of art, a subject also has an intellectual interaction with the art, resulting in one’s subjective interpretation of the experience. This would include, of course, the emotional interaction. Videogames take this to a new level, by directly allowing manipulation of the world which the piece of art creates. In fact, by creating a virtual world with programmed limits, videogames may be one of the most constrictive art forms. How you experience it has been predesigned. In this sense, videogames are a fulfillment of this aspect of art, the allowance of an escape to a world that constrains the subjects freedom. The constraint of art gives rise, at least partially, to our enjoyment of it. We can escape the crisis of our own infinite possibilities through the experience of art.
Even though it is a humour website, I have an article about the illusion of freedom in videogames at my website, in case anyone is interested.
As a young adult having grown up with video games I’ve played some games that I would consider artistic. For example, recently I played ‘Red Dead Redemption’, where you play as an outlaw in the old west. The graphics are astonishingly crafted, as well as the soundtrack. The narrative is long and meaningful and resembles books about cowboys and the wild. Playing it reminded me of reading a good book or listening to a good album.
I agree that video games are art. Anyone who thinks otherwise boggles my mind. There is even a whole genre called ‘art games’ – many of them being flash can be searched and played from Google. I particularly like ‘Balloon in a wasteland’ It has a great atmosphere, which really draws you in and plays on your emotions.
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Hey there just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly.
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Hmm is anyone else having problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to
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I’m not sure why but this blog is loading very slow for me.
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I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
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