Gamers often have to fight back in discussions about the benefits of the game and whether it’s more than just entertainment. Books, movies, paintings, plays, and dance have emerged as already recognized forms of art, but games are lagging. How much can a game be considered art?
Author Stevens-Johnson provides an interesting example in his book (by the way, all the bad things are good for you (by the way, highly recommended). This example is what people think about the game. It’s a good thought experiment to show if you have such prejudice.
Books and Games
He asks what if the game was invented when the printing press appeared (around 1500) and books only appeared in the last few years. Parents are very worried about how books affect their children:
Learn to experience stories, create characters and make a difference in the world in a social setting with others Instead of immersing themselves in a colorful world where they can now sit almost psychopathically in the corner staring at a page with some text. They no longer accept anything socially, let alone the passive attitude it teaches them.
Games as Art
But how can you best see a game as art? There are so many differences between games like Tetris and Until Dawn, so this can be done in different ways. The term “game” is considered “sports”. There are badminton players who have nothing to do with weightlifters, but both fall into the “sports” category.
In the story game, it’s easy to call yourself “art.” Next, take the literary part (story) of the game and you’re done. A good story means a good work of art.
But many games go even further. In many cases, there are not only stories but also music and movie footage. In addition, it adds all sorts of game elements that are unique to the game. In this way, you can influence the virtual world and the stories within it yourself.
Overall art and Games
When Richard Wagner talks about Gesamtkunstwer, games can probably be described as art. According to Wagner, collective art achieves something special that is not possible with individual art.
Different art forms are combined on stage (in the case of Wagner, this was an opera), allowing the audience to simultaneously experience unique moments of insight and enhance their imagination through stunning encounters in all different art disciplines. .. I was stimulated.
Of course, the game does this. You can combine several styles such as film, literature, music, visual arts, theater, architecture, and dance.
Open World Games
The “Open World” games specifically offer this combination and want to strive for the ideal of total art. Game developers combine all art forms to create an “open-world” connected to different art disciplines.
The more complex and sophisticated the game, the more serious it is taken as art media. Still, it will take some time. It’s still a young medium that reinvents itself almost every year.
