Before I begin, I want to note that I know how hyped this topic is in some circles. However, despite the prevalence of this question, there are still people who are not able to give a specific answer to it, and if they are able, then without any argumentation. Besides, I don’t want to present myself as some kind of inflated aesthete, but I’m just expressing my modest vision of this situation. So, enjoy reading… or watching.
Video version.
Text https://nonukcasinosites.co.uk/review/boomingslots-casino/ version.
Imagine the Mona Lisa painted by artist Leonard Da Vinci. How do you feel when you picture her in your head?? Admiration? Calm? Do you feel how great the person who wrote it was?? Do you know why you feel all this, because Monya Lisa is a work of art, a masterpiece that exists outside of time.
Now remember, for example… well, for example, the 1997 game Fallout. What if I told you that the Mona Lisa and Fallout have more in common than you might imagine?. And you might be wondering how the game can be put on par with the creation of one of the greatest artists? I will answer you that in order to understand the full depth of Fallout, you need not to look at it, but to play it, touch it, so to speak, with your own hands. So what if I told you that the game is a work of art?? A few of you will agree, but most will be ready to argue with me. So let’s find out whether computer games can be called art.
Before starting a conversation about games belonging to art, it is worth first finding out what art as such is (all this will be needed later, and without the terminology outlined below we will not understand part of the arguments). What is the difference between Romeo and Juliet, and for example Five Ten Shades of Gray? Only in the date of writing? Or maybe the value of the work for all humanity? And since in the future such terms as a work of art will be heard here often, then let’s find out what they specifically mean.
Art is a figurative understanding of reality, the result of expressing the inner or outer world in an artistic image. And at the same time, this very artistic image reflects the interests of not only the author himself, but also other people.
A work of art, in turn, is the material embodiment of artistic creativity, while having aesthetic value.
It is also important to note the fact that any work of art must carry a certain emotional charge. A person looking at a work of art should experience feelings similar to the feelings of the author.
Well, it’s also worth noting that any work of art is determined by time. That is, some time must pass before people can recognize this or that as a work, a manifestation of art. It is worth understanding that if this or that work does not claim to be something high, then it will not reach these heights. This applies to a mass product designed to make a profit. But we’ll talk about this later.
Now that we have a figurative idea of what a work of art is, we should move on to classification. There are three types of art: fine art, spectacular art and expressive art. The first type includes painting, decorative arts, sculpture, photography and comics. Spectacular arts include theatre, opera and cinema. Well, expressive arts include architecture, literature and music.
Please note there are no computer games anywhere. Does this mean that they cannot be classified as works of art?. No, not under any circumstances. It’s just that people either haven’t realized this yet, or are simply not ready to realize it. As I said above, art is determined by time. That is, taking for example the same painting of the Mona Lisa, we will say with confidence that this is art, because millions of people before us, for several centuries, thought the same.
Now let me clear something up for you. All of the above types of art can be placed in a line, one after another. Their order will be determined by time. Let’s take only some types for ease of understanding. So, for example, painting will be at the very beginning, because its origins go back to the cave paintings of cavemen, then architecture will come, then literature can be placed, then cinematography, and at the end we will put computer games.
And so, I am more than sure that no one, absolutely no one will argue with the fact that painting can be a manifestation of art, even poorly educated people with little understanding of culture will question the correctness of the relationship of the works of Salvador Dali or Karl Bryullov to works of art. Why? Because everyone thinks so. These works were recognized as works of art long before we were born. The artists who painted these paintings put not only their strength into them, but also an idea that has reached us through hundreds of years. Moreover, this idea was kept in the most sophisticated form.
Okay, we found out that no one dares to question the belonging of painting to art. The same can be said about architecture. Greek Parthenon, Notre Dame de Paris, Hagia Sophia. These buildings not only amaze with their beauty and grandeur, but also tell us the history of the period in which they were built. They show the preferences of the people of that time, their culture, way of life. Here, too, no one will doubt that the buildings given in the example above are works of art.
But as soon as you pick up the literature, the first doubts immediately appear. There are very few people who question the correctness of books belonging to a work of art, but there are some. Their main argument is the fact that between the narrator and the reader there is an intermediary in the form of the book itself, that is, the reader can misinterpret the author’s message, which is incorrect, because in the same architecture, the very building, the style in which it is built, is an intermediary between the architect and the common man.
Let’s move on, and already in cinema we see many more people who are ready to assure that cinema cannot be called a work of art. The reason for this is the fact that cinema originated at the end of the 19th century, and it had not yet had such a strong foothold in people’s culture. However, many can already confirm that cinema can be called art. Common examples cited include: A Space Odyssey, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump and Spirited Away. Although the latter is essentially animation, it can also be attributed to cinematography. That is, note that there is a clear pattern here. The younger, so to speak, the art form, the more people are ready to criticize and challenge it. Why? Because as I said earlier, a work of art is determined by time, however, there are exceptions when something appears that instantly acquires the status of a cult, and finds universal recognition not after a certain period of time.
And now we come to computer games. The first games began to appear in the middle of the last century, but they began to seep into popular culture only in the seventies and eighties, with the invention of arcade machines and the first home consoles.
That is, computer games, by and large, are not even fifty years old. However, at the same time, games have everything that makes such things as architecture, literature and cinema art. Contrary to the erroneous belief, games are not just software code designed to entertain the player. Most of them contain a certain idea that the developer is trying to convey to the player, here you can find a story that can touch the most delicate strings of your soul, there can be a wonderful visual style. Besides this, there is one thing that can put computer games on par with architecture. Games, or rather the history of their development, shows us the history of the development of mankind in recent times. Taking a look at the path games have taken and how much they have changed, we can conclude that over almost half a century, humanity has made incredible leaps in technological development. And all this development can be traced in games.
In addition, computer games, or to be more precise, program code, are the same way to convey a message to the player as the canvas of a painting, a book page or film. There is not much difference in the format in which the author, and in this case the developer, presents the idea to the player. What is more important is the idea itself, how it is presented, in what language, what techniques are used for this.
Okay, let’s move on from boring terminology to specific examples, because as has long been known, theory is theory, and knowledge is assigned to practice. And using the example of several “masterpiece” games, I will show you why they can be called a work of art.
I started the video with the game Fallout, and for good reason, because according to many, this is an excellent example of not just a good, but an amazing RPG, where belonging to the genre is one hundred percent justified. What’s so special about this game?? Graphics? No. The gameplay itself? And again no. The answer lies in role-playing. Fallout is a game in which you can play absolutely any character. You can go through the game ten, twenty, no, at least thirty times, and each new playthrough will look different, depending on the type of game.
Here’s a more obvious example, the game Journey. It takes a couple of hours, but in these couple of hours you will experience joy, hope, friendship, sadness, experience death and finally birth. Equally important, you will learn how all this can be closely interconnected. And all this in a game without dialogue, in a game where all we need to do is move forward. You can talk a lot about the messages of this game, which allows us to undoubtedly call Journey a real work of art, because it makes you think about the main idea of the game even after completing it. The game Bioshock Infinite could boast of this effect of a philosophical aftertaste. There are many things here that can make the player think. And we’re not just talking about the main plot and the ending, after watching which the player will remain in a stupor for another half an hour. I’m talking about topics raised by the game such as dystopia, the role of science and religion in the life of society, moral values and how important they are for maintaining the well-being of society.
Relatively recent examples include games such as Valiant Hearts or Last of us. The first is an example of a touching story that can make even the most stingy person squeeze out a tear. The Last of Us doesn’t just tell a touching and cruel story, it tries to show the true essence of man, to point out how low we can fall. In addition, at the end the game raises a very difficult topic: what we are ready for for the sake of those we love. The main character at the end of the game can save all of humanity at the cost of the life of the person he dearly loves, but he acts differently. Dooming the last remnants of the human race to death, the main character saves the one for whom he is ready to give his life. And on the one hand, the ending of the game is bad and sad. But on the other hand, what would you do in this situation?? What choice would you make? Could you so easily sacrifice the life of someone dear to you??
And I have quite a few similar examples. Anyone well acquainted with the gaming industry can cite dozens of games that could be called a work of art: To the moon with its dramatic plot, Morrowind with its marvelous and fairy-tale world, Limbo with its unique visual style, or the Metal Gear series with its reflections on patriotism, and what things are worth fighting for. But all this would take too much time.
Well, if these arguments are not very weighty for you, then here is another proof of why games are art… the process of their development. Let’s assume that none of us argues that cinema is a work of art. But the point is that the development process for most modern games is almost no different from filming a movie. Here the script is also written, the acting is just as important here, there is also a great emphasis on directing and camera plans. This is a rather primitive example, but it clearly shows how thin the line is between games and films. This means that since you can call a movie a work of art, you won’t deprive games of this title either.
I wanted to tell you and show that behind the games there is something more than just entertainment for children. Of course this doesn’t apply to everything. In games, as in movies or literature, there are examples of a product created with one goal, to earn as much money as possible. And such games will never be cited as an example of a work of art, just as someone would not call Transformers or Fast and the Furious a great creation. This product occupies its own special place and is not going to go beyond it.
Unfortunately, so far too few people have a complete understanding of what computer games really are, and what kind of works are sometimes born by the hands of talented programmers. And this is not really their fault. That is, it is quite natural that computer games are not yet widely recognized as art. And even though in 2011 the National Arts Program represented by the US government recognized computer games as a work of art, many continue to believe that this is nothing more than entertainment for young people. It will take more time before games are accepted by the majority. However, they are already beginning to penetrate deeply into our culture. Essentially the same story is being repeated that once happened to comics or cinema. But remember, in the beginning, no one took either movies or comics seriously. Little men and color pictures dancing on the screen… what could be highly spiritual about this?? However, time has passed, and only a few are willing to argue that the Green Mile or Fant’s Labyrinth are works of art. Do not forget that people are very, very conservative, and it is very difficult for them to accept something new. It will take a couple of generations before computer games are considered examples of art.
Well, I think that I have answered this question quite comprehensively. And since I have nothing more to say, I will finish. Thank you everyone for your attention and I hope that you haven’t gotten bored with me during all this time. Good luck and see you soon..
