Zander 3: Are Video Games Art?

After completing several great video games in the past few months, I’ve revisited an old conflict that has been in my mind for a while now, that being whether or not video games should be considered art. My opinions have stayed mostly constant over the years, that being a very clear “yes.” While some of you reading may disagree, here is my reasoning for this belief.


This argument has been made for many pieces of media, such as books, which are now widely considered to be art, and television, which while a bit more controversial, is still generally considered to be a form of art. So, just like all other new forms of media that have emerged in the past, the question of whether or not video games are art is one that was destined to arise. Just like it’s precursors, I believe that everyone will eventually come to the conclusion that they are art.


There are several reasons as to why I believe this, but a few of them are as follows. In the same vein as books and television, video games are capable of both telling a good story as well as inspiring and stimulating the imagination of the player. Video games can have different interpretations and understandings in the same way many other pieces of art can. There are several more reasons, but those are the ones I feel most accurately demonstrate my point. 


In conclusion, I believe that the answer is a resounding yes, video games are art. Similarly to the pieces of media to come before it, I believe the discourse and debate over this topic will eventually end in the common consensus being the same as mine. However, what is and isn’t considered art will always be a topic of arguments, including this type of media as well.


So, what is your opinion? Are video games art? Are there any other things you can think of that should be considered art, but usually aren't?



https://www.art-insider.com/are-video-games-works-of-art/2780

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/video-games-highest-form-of-art/index.html

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 3, 2023 at 5:19 PM

    This is a great take on this topic. I agree with you due to the fact that many games use artistic elements to create their games. Something that I consider art is dance. Dancing is a sophisticated, synchronized activity that has existed since the beginning of time, much like art. Dance is used for many different purposes, but overall, it is used to express a concept, emotion, or the lyrics of a song. Art is interactive and endless. This is a great blog!

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  2. AnonymousOctober 9, 2023 at 9:13 PM

    I think that video games are a form of art as most of them tell a story. Also every component of a video game is made up of some type of visual art. For example the background of almost every game is a digital painting programed to be the back drop of each scene of the game. Therefore, if each component of a video game is considered art on its own, why should that title be removed if all you did was put it together.

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