Video games are art! By Jenguiz

Geek art

People usually see video games as a simple “new generation” distraction, or even as something bad... Those people, who mostly haven't grown up with video games, and don't even play them, certainly would deny it the status of art.

Is this point of view legitimate ? Or can video games in fact be considered as an art ?

In my opinion, which many “gamers” share, video games are an art. There is a plethora of arguments that can support this.

First, what is art ? According to the Penguin English dictionary, art is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects. Let's see if this definition fits video games.

"The conscious use of skill" ; does making a video game require skill? Yes, in fact it requires several skills. There are designers, programmers, music composers, and even sometimes actors. Cinema, which is also the sum total of many arts, is said to be the seventh art, therefore video games are the tenth art !

Let's continue with the definition : "creative imagination"... This fits perfectly the video game ! Effectively, the most way-out video games are generally the most creative ones. Here is an example : Super Mario Bros. Nowadays, this game has a worldwide reputation, and a lot of people know the eponymous heroes. But who could have imagined, before it was released, that a plumber with a moustache was about to become an international star ? I think that Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator, has an amazing imagination. He created an entirely new universe ; people were used to see fantasy worlds with elves, dwarves and other nice creatures of that kind. But there is nothing like Super Mario Bros : walking mushrooms, magic pipes, and so on...

Finally, are video games "aesthetic objects" ? Yes, they obviously are. Video games have been aesthetic objects since their beginning, even when they were full of big pixels, when High Definition did not yet exist. Maybe they were even more beautiful, because developers had to be really imaginative to make people recognize what's actually on the screen !

I think that we can add something we find in several other definitions of art : art is producing works to be appreciated primarily for their emotional power. Once again, this is the case for video games. The graphic design, the stories, and, very important, the music, create a whole new imaginary world in which lots of different emotions are experienced...

Another thing, which is not obligatory for art, but which is present in a lot of works of art, is the fact that it carries a message. This is true for most video games which promote certain values, such as tolerance, or even sometimes a political message.

Video games are art, then, but why isn't it recognized as such ? I think this is normal ; it is still in its infancy. Over time, it will be better accepted as a cultural object, mostly because people who have grown up with video games are becoming today's adults. Sometimes, people argue that it is mainly an industry, that video games are made to be sold, so it is not an art. This is absurd, of course : movies and books are industries as well, and yet they're considered as works of art.

There is an other interesting thing to notice : recognized artists are involved in video game creation. For example, Hayao Miyazaki and his studio, who made several well-known animation films, have realized the animated scenes of a video game (Ninokuni : Another World), and Steven Spielberg has also been involved in the creation of several video games (like Boom Blox).

Like every form of art, video games have their famous artists. Shigeru Miyamoto, with two others video game creators, have even been knighted under France's Order of Arts and Letters.

As it says above the entrance of the Secession building in Vienna : "To every age its art and to art its freedom". The video game is the new art of our era...