chocovolcano

I don't think there has ever been a game made that really deserves to be labeled as art, by virtue of the fact that video games are more commercial than literature, painting, sculpture, and even film. Because they are a for-profit product, video games are meant to cater more towards their audience than a specific artistic vision. Video game developers invest millions of dollars into producing their product. They're not going to take chances with an avant-garde art project. The same thing is happening in hollywood right now. The fact that the medium is catered towards the viewer also limits the artist's vision to a story that the customer would actually want to interact with. Imagine playing the novel crime and punishment. It would suck. Arguably, you could say that video games are a 'visual medium', and that the graphics in video games are meant to affect viewers in the same way as (this is a stretch) a van gogh. However, to this I would argue that there is more to art than detail. What makes visual art unique is that every artist has a specific style in which they paint that offers a unique perspective of our environment. And while you could argue that cell-shaded video games, and games like okami reflect that quality, you can't say that each developer has a specific artistic technique, or even artistic intentions, when they design their models. For the most part, video game design usually ends up being a competition for who can create the most realistic world. To me, that's not really art.

I don't think there has ever been a game made that really deserves to be labeled as art, by virtue of the fact that video games are more commercial than literature, painting, sculpture, and even film. Because they are a for-profit product, video games are meant to cater more towards their audience than a specific artistic vision. Video game developers invest millions of dollars into producing their product. They're not going to take chances with an avant-garde art project. The same thing is happening in hollywood right now. The fact that the medium is catered towards the viewer also limits the artist's vision to a story that the customer would actually want to interact with. Imagine playing the novel crime and punishment. It would suck. Arguably, you could say that video games are a 'visual medium', and that the graphics in video games are meant to affect viewers in the same way as (this is a stretch) a van gogh. However, to this I would argue that there is more to art than detail. What makes visual art unique is that every artist has a specific style in which they paint that offers a unique perspective of our environment. And while you could argue that cell-shaded video games, and games like okami reflect that quality, you can't say that each developer has a specific artistic technique, or even artistic intentions, when they design their models. For the most part, video game design usually ends up being a competition for who can create the most realistic world.