[General Discussion] Can video games be considered art?

Oh yeah, I remember this. The authorial control argument is silly and hypocritical. People used to use the same argument against movies. So how come movies can be considered art now? Probably because they became part of the mainstream, heh heh. Anyways, art has no universal definition beyond what it means to the individual, so in keeping things that simple, I believe videogames can be art. Art is simply an expression of something. That something can be expressed by a person, by a group of people, by nature, by whatever. So art isn't defined by authorial control. Art is defined by how it's understood and interpreted by someone. Anything can be art.

As for the interactivity, I fail to see how that stops something from being art. Regardless of what choices a person makes in game world, they are taking place within the confines of the game world as designed by the developers and scenario writers. The experience is slightly different for each person, but you could liken that to how not everyone interprets a movie or a painting the same way. A person's interpretation of (or experience with) art does not have to conform to the author's interpretation or intention in order for the expression to be artistically valid. So I guess the real question is whether or not a combination of different mediums for art such as sight, sound, and dialog can make for a form of art altogether. Since movies fit that category, I'd say the answer is yes. Practical isn't the same as artistic, but just as a fancy chair can be artistic compared to standard one, ICO isn't the same as Madden. Just because videogames are made to be played doesn't mean that they can't be expressive. Pong may not be art for obvious reasons, but a videogame with lush environments, a sweeping musical score, and an involving storyline can't be art just because there's gameplay added to the mix? I think not. Videogames can be considered art.

I've said it before: It's clear that Ebert didn't give much thought to the issue before dismissing games based on some antiquated notion and simple technicality. Frankly, I don't think he's qualified to tell anyone whether or not a game can be considered art. His game experience is no doubt sorely lacking compared to his movie experience. That being said, if the words didn't come from Roger Ebert, I doubt if anyone would've cared. I'll consider Ebert's opinion when it comes to movies, but when it comes to videogames, he's too inexperienced for me to take his opinion seriously. He should stick to commenting on movies, as his crass generalizations of videogames only make him look foolish.

Jam it back in, in the dark.