Video Games - The Forgotten Art

Video Games - The Forgotten Art

Ask any major in the fine arts for the definition of art. They're likely to tell you that it is self-expression through the use of some sort of medium. Most commonly thought of are clay for a sculpture, paint for a masterpiece, even music notes for a four-movement suite. The last thing you'd think of is a computer program for a video game. But why not? Don't video games incorporate both artwork and music? Each one is considered art, but many people consider the result, when put together, to be a waste of time. Through personal experience, I would have to define art as not only a way to express yourself, but as a source of inspiration to others. Not only do video games use art with music, they oftentimes have an engaging storyline. Writing is also a form of art, using pen and paper to convey everything artwork and music cannot do sufficiently. Video games can be their own art form, with a combination of music, drawing, animation, and writing.

There are many definitions of art floating around out there. So many things are considered art nowadays that you'd think anything could be art. Sticking with the theory that art is an inspiration to other people and an emotional outlet, only a very few games meet these criteria. Art is deeper than face value. Admittedly, all video games have art; they all need music and some way of having pictures, whether computer animation or hand-drawn. But it's the game that seems to haunt the gamer, the video game that won't go away, that has captured the thru essence of what art is. People such as Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johann Sebastian Bach have all accomplished that through their paintings and music, respectively. Any game that ...

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... sculpture, a poem, a novel, a video game. Not just any video game. One that sticks with the players and helps them to form their own ideas and to create new ones. Whether it's a remix of a song, fan art, or fan fiction, all three are inspired by a video game. Yet video games go virtually unnoticed in most art circles, and thus too their progeny, the art inspired by video games. All too often games gain recognition when they really don't deserve it. And so, artistic video games tend to be overlooked. Don't overlook a good game. The saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," easily applies to video games. Rather than deem a game to be a waste of time, read reviews about it. Ask fellow gamers for their opinions. Just be informed. Quality art is lost amid the new much more frequently than it should. Video games are art; they just need to be given the chance to show that.