Video games are a relatively new entertainment medium, but their cultural impact is undeniable. One can safely say that in our modern era, video games are a culturally significant part of the daily life of modern children, young-adults, adults or in some cases even the elderly. From the old days of the arcade, to the modern home entertainment systems, games managed to capture the interest and imagination of people, just like books or movies. What makes them special however, is that unlike other media, they are interactive and the player has a direct influence on the action that takes place in a video game. This simple fact completely changes the rules of traditional storytelling and gives control to the player, to tailor the story to a certain degree, depending on the game itself. Video games transcend traditional media and they let people experience audial and visual art on a completely new level.
WHAT IS A VIDEO GAME? – A BRIEF HISTORY
An exact definition on what qualifies as a video game is still somewhat blurry, but there are certain universally agreed aspects that a product has to abide by, to be considered as such. First and foremost, a video game has to be interactive. Furthermore, it needs to operate on an electronic device and has to have some kind of audial or visual feedback. The earliest example for such a product is the “Cathode tube Amusement Device” from 1947, but the word primitive is arguably the best way to describe it. Video games did not reach a mainstream audience until the early 70s, when arcade machines became popular and home consoles started to be produced. However, it was not until 1977 that home consoles became really popular, with the release of the Atari 2600. Sadly, an over-saturation of the market with copycats, poor customer support, and misinformation caused the famous “Video Game Crash of 1983”. In 1985, Nintendo released the “Nintendo Entertainment System” and completely changed the video game scene. With proper quality control, third party support, and a leap in technology, video games became more popular than ever. With the advent of ever newer technologies, producing consoles and games soon became a dominant industry. Multiple companies entered the market after Nintendo, like Sega, Sony, and Microsoft. Today, video games provide a wide variety of possibilities with a magnitude of genres. Shooters, platformers, action-adventure, horror, basically every genre can be found and enjoyed via games. The industry got so large, that as of 2015, the estimated annual income of video game related products is USD 74 billion worldwide and it is the third largest segment of the US. media market.
ARGUMENTS AGAINST VIDEO GAMES AS AN ARTFORM
Even though the Supreme Court of the United States offers legal protection for video games as creative works and almost every legal system in the world supports the copyright protection of developers and publishers, some still doubt the artistic integrity of these products. In 2005, famous movie critic, Robert Ebert said “To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.”. It is blatantly obvious that Ebert dismisses the proposition that games qualify as art out of principle. The unwarranted assertion that playing games is a waste of time is at best misguided and at worst outright wrong. Time enjoyed is time not wasted and video games can offer enjoyment on multiple levels. Video games worthy of comparison to great literary works are abundant, one only needs to take the time and effort to search for them. The story of “The Last of Us” focuses on human relations, loss, forgiveness and redemption. “Dark Souls” is a game about the inevitability of death and the purpose in life. “Silent Hill 2” is a horror game with themes of guilt, salvation and the inner battle everyone has to face at one point or another.
CONCLUSION – ARE VIDEO GAMES ART?
The “Oxford Dictionary” defines art as “The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.”. Technically speaking, video games are under this definition. First, they are created by humans using their creativity and skills in various sciences and art forms, such as mathematics for coding, a variety of visual arts for designing words, architecture, historical knowledge, the list could go on forever. Second, people enjoy video games because they find them engaging, challenging either technically or intellectually, beautiful or even as a life changing experience. One only needs to think about the beautiful landscapes of “Shadow of the Colossus”, the challenging technicalities of “Devil May Cry” or the philosophical question posed by “System Shock”. Not only as a visual medium, video games can offer delight for the ears as well. Video Game soundtracks offer a variety of genres as well and they can enhance the experience if used properly, or enjoyed separately. Good examples are the powerful and emotional soundtrack of “Nier”, the adrenaline pumping tunes of “God of War”, or the modern electronic beats of “Deus Ex – Human Revolution”. As far as a modern society should be concerned, video games are art on multiple levels.
Works cited
Ebert, Roger (2005-11-27). “Why did the chicken cross the genders?”. Chicago Sun-Times.
The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford University Press, 2001. Ed. Judy Pearsall. ISBN 0-19-860441-6
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