the validity of gaming as an artistic medium

[Julius Skrrvin]

PS4 reveal got me thinking brehs, what do you think of gaming as a form of art? This is a bit of a played out topic but we don't really talk about art of any kind here on HL (but i seen yall in the arcadium) so what do you think?

How is gaming's balance between art and entertainment?

How could gaming be better as an art form?

How has it improved or gotten worse as a means of portraying artistic intent?

Where will it go in the future as an art form?

Lets hear it

 

[Brown_Pride]

hmmm....
i never really saw games as art. They might have aspects of art in them, but as an artwork themselves i'm not sure.

however....
considering the amount of effort that goes into certain games and the immensity of proportions some of them take on I could see that being art.

Take world of warcraft, from a purely astetic perspective some of the "lands" and zones are beautiful, well crafted, well thought out landscapes. I'd call some of that "art". I'd not call the game itself "art" though.

More it's a game with some art in it.

It's like if you get a Picaso Monopoly set and their are Picaso paintings on the board. WOuld you call that Monopoly game "art", or would you say it's a game with some art on it?

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

hmmm....
i never really saw games as art. They might have aspects of art in them, but as an artwork themselves i'm not sure.

however....
considering the amount of effort that goes into certain games and the immensity of proportions some of them take on I could see that being art.

Take world of warcraft, from a purely astetic perspective some of the "lands" and zones are beautiful, well crafted, well thought out landscapes. I'd call some of that "art". I'd not call the game itself "art" though.

More it's a game with some art in it.

It's like if you get a Picaso Monopoly set and their are Picaso paintings on the board. WOuld you call that Monopoly game "art", or would you say it's a game with some art on it?

I would say that intent makes all the difference. Some games are made to be entertainment, like say, Gears of war. There are some that are entertainment with a heavy emphasis on artistic design and will incorporate some of that design goal into their games like Crysis or Killzone (the way the title's lighting engine and post processing came together to create an "atmosphere' was very artistic IMO). But a lot of those titles aren't really trying very hard with artistic intent in other aspects of the game besides graphics. There are some that are mostly artistic with some degree of entertainment, like say, Shadow of the Colossus or say, Half Life. SotC is a pretty artsy game in terms of aesthetics, but at the end of the day it's about killing big stone monsters. Then there are the artsy art stuff, like Planescape Torment or other indie stuff that will often sacrifice complex mechanics to fully deliver you a story/artistic design/philosophical message.

It's a spectrum, just like any other medium IMO

 

[Majestyx]

the behind the scenes concept stuff is art...

if u mean sitting around playing a game then

edit: we posted at the same time.

the games themselves are art, some better than others, as with any artform. way more time and effort goes into these games than people know, or give a fukk about.

 

[VerbalIntercourse]

there are games that are very artistic. i think bioshock, hal

 

[Madvillain]

It's interactive art. Games (with discernible stories I think) are really big ass movies you interact with - when you aren't playing and its a cutscene, it's called machinima, I believe. It's art & entertainment even if it isn't ornate.

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

It's interactive art. Games (with discernible stories I think) are really big ass movies you interact with - when you aren't playing and its a cutscene, it's called machinima, I believe. It's art & entertainment even if it isn't ornate.

I disagree with games being like movies... I think thats incorrect, although some strive for that. There are definitely aspects of cinema that largely influence game design, but at its beginning and core games were nothing like movies. A lot of developers strive toward cinematic experiences in gameplay like the COD series and Uncharted, but I think that's backward thinking. A lot of these series come under fire for how scripted and predetermined they are, often taking away the core controls mid play for some sort of silly set piece or cutscene or something. That cuts down on the interactive nature of the game IMO. I'm not saying linear games are bad or anything like that, just that they are what's comparable to a movie in gaming. But something like say, The Elder Scrolls or Baldur's Gate seem more like a goosebumps choose your story books to me.

 

[Brown_Pride]

Do cool graphics constitute art though? And if the graphics are "artistic" does that make the rest of the game artistic? Unfortunately there's to much "grey" to give a simple yes no answer on, "Are games a valid artistic medium".

In some cases, yes a very valid medium, but so is toilet paper if sculpted into a dinosaur or something, and in some cases it's just entertainment.

 

[daze23]

Minecraft comes to mind. as well as the 'modding community'

there's also a lot of interesting things coming out of MMO's and various 'social games'. and various forms of content sharing, like with Portal 2 (cough cough)

 

[88m3]

I always felt like I was expressing myself playing modern warfare

 

[FlyRy]

they're too cheesy to ever be taken seriously by non gamers.. voice acting is almost always AWFUL.

 

[Julius Skrrvin]

Do cool graphics constitute art though? And if the graphics are "artistic" does that make the rest of the game artistic? Unfortunately there's to much "grey" to give a simple yes no answer on, "Are games a valid artistic medium".

In some cases, yes a very valid medium, but so is toilet paper if sculpted into a dinosaur or something, and in some cases it's just entertainment.

Define cool graphics. There are rendering technologies, but these days we can make concept art and atmospheres come to life better with different solutions for everything. It's not just about pure numbers or flops, and it never has been. It's about how the concept and tech come together to make visual, interactive art.

they're too cheesy to ever be taken seriously by non gamers.. voice acting is almost always AWFUL.

Gaming is still relatively young

 

[daze23]

people don't wanna think outside the box. they see the thread title and it's just:

"playing Mario Bros ain't art b "

or

Spoiler

Competitive FPS died with Quake III/UT 2k4/99/CS etc etc

people just tryna have fun right now

Spoiler

 

[LastEmperor2k2]

To me gaming is completely an art form.

And like any artform in can trash (movies, music etc) and many times not considered art, but when done well it can be a great example of art.

 

[88m3]

Minecraft comes to mind. as well as the 'modding community'

there's also a lot of interesting things coming out of MMO's and various 'social games'. and various forms of content sharing, like with Portal 2 (cough cough)

are doing drugs an artistic medium?