Games and Art
Apr. 22nd, 2010 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
falloutRoger Ebert said something again, which has resulted in the old "Are games art?" debate flaring up again.
On the subject of Ebert... why should we care what he says? He's a movie critic, not a game critic. How much does he even know about games, or about art? What does his opinion change?
The majority in the game community are of the opinion that games are art, and I share this belief. The one thing I disagree with is when people say that SOME games are art. I feel this should be an all or none statement. It's kind of a slippery slope otherwise. Whenever people say that some games are art, they exclude games like movie tie-ins and other "bad" games. But if only good games are art, then everyone is going to have a different definition.
Rather, I think all games are art. There is good art and bad art just as there are good games and bad games. We need to stop thinking of "art" as inherently sophisticated and desirable. Your 4 year-old's cousin's scribbles and Dali's masterpieces are both art. So is Superman 64 and Okami.
On the subject of Ebert... why should we care what he says? He's a movie critic, not a game critic. How much does he even know about games, or about art? What does his opinion change?
The majority in the game community are of the opinion that games are art, and I share this belief. The one thing I disagree with is when people say that SOME games are art. I feel this should be an all or none statement. It's kind of a slippery slope otherwise. Whenever people say that some games are art, they exclude games like movie tie-ins and other "bad" games. But if only good games are art, then everyone is going to have a different definition.
Rather, I think all games are art. There is good art and bad art just as there are good games and bad games. We need to stop thinking of "art" as inherently sophisticated and desirable. Your 4 year-old's cousin's scribbles and Dali's masterpieces are both art. So is Superman 64 and Okami.
