Video Games as Art

Do video games approach art? Without a doubt, according to curator Chris Mellesinos who will be mounting an exhibit in March of 2012 at the Smithsonian National Gallery of American Art. Mellesinos states:

"In the same way as film, animation, and performance, [video games] can be considered a compelling and influential form of narrative art."

Moreover, video games continues to eclipse other forms of media entertainment - more than seventy percent of American households play video games on a regular basis, and many families now have two generations of computer users, and gamers, at home. Developers are broadening the complexity of the content to reach every demographic.

Recent game releases are directly challenging us with compelling content. Industry observer Adam Weinberg presents this question to the public at large in his recent article, 'Top 10: Video Games That Approach Art'. Conspicuously absent from Weinberg's list is "Linger in Shadows", which stands as an example of a video game that was specifically made as an art piece.

Raph Koster argues in his book "A Theory of Fun" that Media becomes art when the communicative element is either novel or exceptionally well done. This communicative element should be open to multiple interpretations, for if there is only one possible meaning, the message no longer becomes an interactive dialog between the piece and the observer. He further argues that there is a crucial difference between games portraying the human condition and the human condition merely existing in games.

My personal definition of art is any communicative act or creation that is done or made with an intent towards aesthetics. The key here is communication - art is separated from craftsmanship in that beautiful objects absent of any message are simply beautiful objects. Thus a found object like Duchamp's "Fountain" must be considered art. Whether or not the object or act is particularly well executed is a debate over craftsmanship, but the intent of the art can't be refuted.

I believe the debate over the validity of video games as a topic for scholarly debate is a moment that has long passed us by. If you are still questioning whether the aesthetic study of video games is worthy of scholarly attention while the very medium is being featured in the marbled halls of the Smithsonian, you can conclude that the ship has long sailed along with all of the early advocates, leaving you on the dock. The moment to formalize the aesthetic study of this medium is now.

- St.John