Video games are just like cans of tomato soup, really

Microsoft versus Sony, Battlefield versus Call of Duty and Forza versus Gran Turismo. These are some of the rivalries that can get people talking about console wars. “Game On or Game Over” is your place to get inside the minds of Nicholas and Andy as they seek to find the true meaning of gaming and tackle some of gaming’s most controversial subjects. Both are award winning authors – although the awards haven’t been mailed or created yet — but trust them. Would they lie to you

Nicholas: “For something to be art, it can have no purpose other than itself. No function.” – Jeremy Clarkson

For as long as video games have been around, well, at least since Journey was released on the PlayStation 3, gamers have asked the question, “are video games art?” It’s been discussed on television shows like Good Game and been analysed over and over on numerous gaming websites. For some the answer is “yes”, while for others their response is the complete opposite.

This week I wanted to delve a little deeper into this topic ourselves. So, putting aside our usual banter regarding micro-transactions and season passes, as we don our top-hats and monocles, what is your thought on the question? Are video games art?

Andy: I would have to say yes. It’s the creation of something that can be enjoyed by others. If a movie or a book can be considered art for a captivating story and cinematography, than games certainly qualify. Are some games more “artistic” than others… well I guess that depends on who is judging it at that particular point in time and what their definition of ‘art’ is. There are some paintings I have seen that, to me, look like a bunch of crap someone vomited onto a canvas, but others can look at the same thing and see deep thoughts and powerful meanings. It’s not for me to say categorically what is and what isn’t art.

I have played some games that; either during the game, at the end or at certain snapshots evoke some deep and powerful thoughts and themes. Just off the top of my head the first season of Telltales’ Walking Dead, Dust: An Elysian’s Tail and Red Dead Redemption to name a few. I’ve seen movies that have evoked some of those same feelings, and read books that did the same. I would consider them art as well.

The thing about art is there seems to always be one group or another trying to say why something isn’t art, rather than being willing to appreciate everything for what it is. Personally, I’d rather watch a movie, read a book or play a game than I would want to go to a museum and stare at canvases or statues. That doesn’t take away the fact that those are art, and that there is talent required to create them. More so that, there is a lot of talent needed to write a captivating story, make a game or film/act in a movie. What about you though, what’s your definition of art, and do games fall into that definition?

Nicholas: I’ve never really considered a definition for ‘art’ to be honest. A quick Google search suggests that art is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination … to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. Excluding the last part of that quote, I would think it’s clear that there’s no reason why video games couldn’t be considered art by that definition. It’s obvious how games are the product of human creative skill and imagination – the storytelling, the environments, the characters and gameplay. It’s hard to argue how there isn’t an emotional power that stems from them either. Like RDR, like Mass Effect and like many other games, there’s certainly an emotional connection that we get from them.

The thing is, in much the same way that people will consider Esports sports, despite the fact video games can fall into that definition of what constitutes ‘art’, there’s just something about it that makes it difficult for me to accept. I meant what I said in the paragraph above, but when I think of art I think of paintings and sculptures, I don’t think the latest Assassin’s Creed or Grand Theft Auto title. At the same time, while I certainly agree with you that books provide for enthralling stories, I wouldn’t consider them art either. It’s not to belittle the sheer genius and creativity that goes into writing them, I just find it difficult to place them on the same field as a painting from Van Gough or a sculpture by Michelangelo.

I’ve asked the question of whether games are art, and while we agree on points it seems like we disagree on the final answer. What I’d like to ask you next is “why”. Why is it that the question of whether games are art exists? What do you think prompted people to ponder it, and why is the answer significant, if at all?

Andy: I think I know where we are disagreeing, aside from me being right and you being wrong, but let’s not cut hairs here. You are looking at it as an individual representation whereas I look at it as a collective group thing versus judging each one individually. Granted there are games that I would consider less artistic than others, but I can’t say one game is art and not another one. When I consider games art, I look at it as games are just a new medium to express an artistic vision. Much like a charcoal drawing, or a watercolour painting.

As to your question “why now?” I think it only makes sense with the growing popularity of gaming. Games are everywhere now and with more and more people playing them, it just makes sense that people will talk about them more and seek to get others to appreciate them. Do I think it’s significant? Absolutely. If games as art form are accepted by more mainstream people and news sources, then games themselves are suddenly legitimate and those who have looked down at gaming for years would be forced to rethink their stance. If games being consider art gets more people to pay attention to them, then I am completely OK with it that can only help the industry grow.

Think of some of the other things that have been considered art though. People standing inside a glass cube, putting one black dot in the middle of a white canvas, putting a urinal on a stone slab… those have all been considered ‘art’ and have been attributed to deep thought-provoking experiences, all in the name of “modern art”. If those instances can be considered art, why can’t games? Here’s the real question though, what harm is there in considering games art? It doesn’t devalue the sculpture from Michelangelo or the painting from Van Gough at all. It’s simply a new medium for creative expression. If art is defined by those who view it, does it really matter to anyone else what I think art is and what I consider art? It’s not hurting or affecting anyone else right?

Nicholas: “those who have looked down at gaming for years will be forced to rethink their stance”, it’s that statement there that I’m iffy about to be honest. If being able to classify games as art is purely for the point of making video games more credible and forcing the nay-sayers to look at them differently, all I can think is, “so what?” What I mean by that is, why are we wasting time and effort to change the minds of people who continue to look down on gaming as a fickle hobby or nothing more than Space Invaders with nicer graphics? I understand the point you’re trying to make, but does the industry need it, considering how large it now is?

You’re right, classifying games as art does no more or less damage to Michelangelo’s ‘David’ than someone pissing on a canvas and calling it expressionism, but I’m always wondering whether debates like this are necessary. What I mean by that is, quite often we’ll speak about enjoying games just because they’re fun. We’ve spoken against the over politicisation of games that we see in so many articles these days and purely going back to appreciating the purpose of games – to entertain. Whenever I see people trying to make the point of them being art, I just think “who cares?” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not belittling the amazing stories, the gorgeous landscapes and the other creativity and effort that goes into these games (and what comes out), but at the end of the day, I buy games to enjoy them.

Is there a reason why you and many others, aim to highlight video games as being something more? By shushing those nay-sayers, is it seeking public opinion and adoration rather than not caring and just focusing on what we love, rather than how it’s perceived?

Andy: Ah, I think I see the light now. Well at least the light of how you are seeing what I am saying about what you’re saying. Well, that was clear as mud. Let me try this in a different way. When people express their desire to see games viewed as art, it’s not to change someone’s mind, it’s not to shush the nay-sayers and in fact I would argue the opposite. I’m not looking to change anyone’s opinion on the matter; rather I just want them to at least think about how others could think of them as art. I think your example of Esports being a legitimate sport is actually spot on in this example. Here I am, someone who writes about video games, and plays a lot of video games and I struggle to see it as a sport. I can see how others think it is though, and I move on.

You ended your second paragraph in your latest reply with this “I but games to enjoy them.” There are many reasons why we enjoy them, and I would argue that part of the enjoyment comes from the story and art in the game. If that is the case, then would it not stand to reason that games “could be” considered a form of art? I would even argue that part of the reason art is popular is that people are able to enjoy it and get something out of it that they otherwise would not.

My feeling is, if games can be seen as art, then they can get more recognition for some of the amazing things they are doing. By no means does that mean I want to force people to see games as art. Forcing anyone to do something goes against the nature of building something special. You know, as I was writing this reply something popped into my head. What would happen if we were to take screenshots from some games, blow them up, frame them and do an art exhibition? People who are not from the gaming scene, or know anything about games, would look at those pictures and probably marvel at the creation.

Which leads me to my question, which is really your question, but turned inside out. Just because it’s from a game, should that automatically mean it isn’t art?

Nicholas: You raise a very good point with your screenshot question, and quite frankly, one that I would argue is hard to debate against. Just yesterday I was looking at screenshots that someone had taken from Battlefield Hardline, Witcher 3 and GTA V, and they were very artistic. If he/she blew those up and framed them, I don’t see why it couldn’t be any less artistic than a picture someone took of the real-world. I guess in that instance, it’s hard not to see how games couldn’t be considered art.

To answer your final question, like I mentioned with the Esports example, there’s just something about it that makes me hesitant to say “yes, games are art”. Maybe it’s ridiculous stubbornness, but I recognise the creativity in games, and I can recognise all the other elements that go into one, but for some reason I just have a hard time accepting them as “art” – at least, when I put them beside paintings or sculptures. With what I’ve written above though, I don’t think I really have much of a leg to stand on without sounding hypocritical. I assume that others who shared my initial opinion are coming at it from the same angle, or perhaps they’re just art connoisseurs who are a little uppity?

With all that we’ve said above, with the different opinions that we can have on the matter, do you think we’ll ever have an agreement on the question, or is this one of those situations where everyone is entitled to their opinion, and no matter what reasoning the other side puts forward we can’t argue against it? What I mean is, with you believing that games are art, is that enough for you and you’re certain of the answer, or do you think the question still rages on?

Andy: It sure is enough for me. All too often people in the gaming scene seek out ways to be right. Which is better, Microsoft or Sony? Which is better Call of Duty or Battlefield? There’s very little middle ground, and people will scream at the top of their lungs to make sure others know they are right. If you don’t fully see games as art, that’s fine with me I’m OK with it. After all art is very subjective. What one person sees as art the next may see as garbage – I mean that literally too. We’ve all see the things that artists do in the name of art that to some is rubbish. Art, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.

You still appreciate games for what they offer, I don’t think it really matters what we call it. You’ve already said there is a great deal of skill and creativity that goes into making a game so you understand the effort. Calling it art just to call it art really doesn’t matter much. Like you said earlier, me calling games art doesn’t have any effect on anything that other artists have done from Van Gough to Banksy, from Michelangelo to Rodin – none of those areas affected by me calling games ‘art’. And, contrary to popular belief… that’s OK. It’s not my job to convince others. I can bring it up, and state my opinions on it as I have done above but beyond that I don’t have any control over what they think.

I think we just spend too much time touting what we think is right, and fail to enjoy those very things we are trying so hard to defend when they don’t need to be defended. You not being ready to embrace games as art doesn’t affect me at all. It has no bearing on how I perceive things. It’s OK to have a difference of opinion. Neither one of us were jerks. I can’t tell you your opinion is wrong, just like you can’t tell me mine is wrong. It’s a lot like someone trying to convince someone else that a Mazda is a superior car to a Mitsubishi.  I mean we all know Mitsubishi is a better car, but we just nod our heads and feel sorry for the Mazda fans. They will figure it out in their own time. Until then we are all left to enjoy and appreciate whatever we want. We really can all get along, we just have to be willing to let others make their own choices and be happy with the results. It’s not really that hard when you think about it. Doing it though, well I guess you could say it’s an art form.

Tune in next time for the next instalment of Game On or Game Over. If you have any ideas for our next article, feel free to contact Andy or Nicholas on Twitter.