There has been a fair amount of contention on the Net about video games as art over the last few years, so I figured I would throw in my two bits.
Gaming will not be recognized as art, unfortunately, at least not any time soon. Despite the strides made by some publishers and creation studios, this will not happen within the next decade. Why? Because for every Beyond Good and Evil, Ico, or Shadow of the Colossus, there is a Bratz, Deal or No Deal, or Kane and Lynch.
Let's face it, there are some games that are stunning in art direction, storyline, or gameplay. Ico, Okami, and Shadow of the Colossus are beautiful to look at. Beyond Good and Evil had an intriguing and well thought out story line. Geometry Wars (much like the classic Robotron) made the motions of the player zen-like. And then there are games like Barbie: Island Princess. Or ManHunt 2. Games that draw gamers in by liscense or by previous success or shock... There is nothing artistic about fishing with a unicorn; likewise there is nothing artsy about killing someone with a plastic bag (while interesting as a method of death for an enemy character, it serves no purpose to gameplay).
Unless the public embraces critically acclaimed games known for artistic development (such as BG&E or Okami) publishers will quietly release these types of games, if they are released at all. Publishers are taking less and less of a chance, releasing mash ups and sequels and liscenced crap out there. Why go for artistic expression and true innovation when you could just make money?
There is hope, however, and that hope lies in the Wii. As ambiguous as I feal about the Wii, no one can deny the sales boom it has had since release, and almost everyone I have talked to has said that playing one is fun (myself included, although I would forego the Wii for something more traditional, as I'm not the type of person to invite three people over just to play video games, especially when real bowling is cheaper). It may leave hardcore gamers out in the cold, but it has driven many new gamers out of their shells with its' innovativeness. Perhaps this will draw out some innovation from gamemakers for the "standard" consoles? Only time will tell.
Monday, February 18, 2008
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“Unless the public embraces critically acclaimed games known for artistic development (such as BG&E or Okami) publishers will quietly release these types of games, if they are released at all. Publishers are taking less and less of a chance, releasing mash ups and sequels and liscenced crap out there. Why go for artistic expression and true innovation when you could just make money?”
The same argument can be applied to Hollywood at this time as they remake every 80’s horror film that had any bit of success. BTW, Freddie isn’t Freddy unless one Mr. Robert England is behind the scars… Any who… as our generation continues to age and the older generation dies off we (Generation X and beyond) will incorporate the gaming mentality further and further into society. We will be the ones to recognize the wheat from the chaff and be the ones who say this is art and this is not. Just look at Bioshock and the reviews / awards it got… that game was amazing, I was sucked in the moment I downloaded the demo. I had to go buy it. It was visually stunning and the story was very well written.
On another note good game play should be considered an art in itself. Just look at the process and skill it takes to make a game fun to play. The game could have the best graphics and story but be a pain to play therefore taking away from the overall experience…
Gaming will be an considered an art soon enough…
"The same argument can be applied to Hollywood at this time as they remake every 80’s horror film that had any bit of success."
Amen! As mentioned in a previous post, I'm a little disgusted with some of the remakes going around in Hollywood. There just doesn't seem to be enough innovation to go around. And as long as we buy into it, it will continue.
Good to see a new repeat poster. Welcome and make yourself at home!
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