It is the human’s nature to define and categorise things, which often ends up in some emotional discussions with different opinions. So, it is with the question if videogames are art or not. There are two meaning positions. For advocacies (in particular people from the videogames industry itself) it is no question that videogames are art. On the other hand, there is also a huge opposition, especially some art theoreticians. For answering the question it is important to know what are the key features of kinds of things we call “art”.
According to Ernest W. Adams' essay “Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art Form?” (2007) there are several functions that must be given before things can be defined as art. First of all, there are the following main types of art:
- Literacy art (consists narrative elements, e.g. writing and drama / film and TV)
- Fine arts (sculpture and painting / music and dance)
- Decorative arts (wallpaper, fabrics and furnishings)
- Architecture
- Industrial Design
Especially the last two types show that it is not always easy to define something as art and that there often are no clear boundaries.
Anyway, nowadays the key points for things that are defined as art is that it must have expression and content, respectively. Art must have a purpose, containing ideas and making statements. Furthermore, art must have aesthetic, so that it appeals to its audience in some way. And of course, good art lasts for decades. On the other hand, art is not formulaic which would cause that innovation stops. Moreover, art doesn't involve utility and saleability. “It is not about what the customer wants to buy. It is what you have to say” (Adams, 2007, p. 260).
For Adams video games can be an art form but only if developers treat themselves as artists and the medium as art, too. In addition, there are some other points to consider that video games can be defined as art:
- Games have to be more than just fun
- Need of aesthetic
- Developer must experiment / take artistic risks
- Games must challenge the player
- Gaming awards must change (not only technical aspects)
- Need of critics instead of only reviews
In my opinion, there is no question that video games can be art because it has a lot in common with different art types. The most similarity is with the literacy art because of its narrative characteristics. The video game industry developed some stories and characters which are becoming cult and will last a lifelong (e.g. Super Mario Bros, Pacman etc.). Video games are also responsible for some new visual design aesthetics like pixel graphics. Moreover, some video game devices are industrial design milestones (e.g. Gameboy). These few examples illustrate the variety of video games in the different art aspects. Maybe it is exactly this variety that makes it difficult for some art theorists to accept video games as art because video games can't be classified distinctly to one art type. But of course, not every video game is art, like not every movie is art, too.
Reference
Adams,
E.W. (2007). Will Computer Games Ever be a Legitimate Art Form. In: Clark, A.
and Mitchell, G. Videogames and Art. Bristol: Intellect. 255-264.
Super Mario Clouds (Cory Arcangel, 2002)
Almost everybody knows Nintendo’s video game hero “Super Mario Brothers”, which first appeared in 1985. The game was a pioneer for the so-called jump and run genre and is still available, of course, adjusted to today’s visual and technical computer standards. To describe the game itself as an artwork would be go too far, although it was a milestone in the video game history but the fun aspect has obvious priority. It rather was a commercial success and an icon of the pop culture.
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| Screen Shot "Super Mario Brothers" |
Cory Arcangel shows in his artwork “Super Mario Clouds” how this famous video game classic can be transformed into art. He hacked the first Super Mario Brother version and removed the whole game content, that only the clouds in the blue sky are available. Due to the reduction of only these elements the game is shining in a complete different light. The composition of the pixel clouds creates a visual tension and imitates some former artist, who also worked with clouds in their artwork. For example, John Constable with his cloud studys in oil on canvas from the 19th-century.
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| John Constable "Cloud study" |
Reference
Reena, J. and Tribe, M. (2009). New Media Art. Koeln: Taschen. 28-29.
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