Art is defined as "the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination." I believe that video games fall into this category, as do many, though this is not an opinion that is universally recognised. Therefore, I will present an argument in defence of video games as art, based on its emotional impact and immersion.
Video games offer a level of immersion that is not found in any other art form. To watch a film is a passive experience where the audience is at the mercy of the director. They see only what he/she wants them to see, they feel only what he/she wants them to feel, through the combined use of visuals, characterisation, and music. In a video game, the user has control over his experience. Yes, the overall journey is still dictated by the game creators, but by giving the user control of the protagonist, it allows them to veer into areas where the creators may or may not have wanted them to go, and they are able to craft their own experience from this. This level of connection between the character and the user creates a deeper sense of immersion. It allows one to step into the shoes of a character, and experience a new world through their eyes and their perception. Recent games (e.g. Heavy Rain) have gone even further in creating emotional experiences by crafting a cinematic adventure whose outcome is determined by the actions of the player, and through the use of 'quick time events,' where the user presses the correct buttons on the controller when the icon appears on the screen, they are able to extract real emotion from the user as they frantically hit the buttons, feeling each swerve and near miss as if they themselves would experience the real consequences of failure.
Of course, the level of immersion and the overall feeling one gets at the end of an experience such as this is entirely up to the individual, as it is in any art form. It is for this reason that I would call video games an art form, as they have the ability to make users feel, and it leaves a lasting impression even after they put down the controller. What other device allows one to share in the pain of a lone traveller traversing endless sands, then engaging in heart-wrenching battles with monstrous creatures whose motives are not necessarily ill; or the simple, perverse joys of pulling out an rocket-propelled grenade launcher in the middle of a fictional, though eerily realistic city street, then going on a rampage of biblical proportions,? In real life these actions would be either impossible, dreadful, or extremely impractical and morally reprehensible. In video games, however, we are allowed to indulge these dark fantasies and experience journeys that in older days would have been confined to ones imagination, and never realised on screen, nor done with the level of immersion and user freedom that modern video games have to offer.
Opposition may argue that indulging these emotions is a negative thing, and would cite real-life massacres and point to video games as the catalyst for these events. I would submit that, rather than enticing these negative emotions, video games offer a catharsis to normal, morally responsible human beings (i.e. people who, in real life, under normal circumstances, would never kill another human being.) I would argue that one who commits an act of violence does so not because of video games, but as the result of their own fractured psyche. To blame video games would be to ignore the deeper emotional problems of the individual.
Ask any gamer to describe an emotional experience that they had with a video game, and you will receive a story. They may describe their frustration at a near impossible boss battle, where they became filled with rage as they threw their controller to the ground, only to pick it up again with purpose, and keep trying until they conquered their enemy, and then they would describe the pure ecstasy of success when they finally accomplished their goal. They may share the sadness they felt when a beloved character died, a character that they had been with for hours, investing in their emotional arc, and then feeling real despair when this character was gone. These moments are no less powerful than they are in film, or in books, or in music. I would suggest that they are even more powerful, as the user is in control, and in some cases it may have been their actions that led to the heart-wrenching moment that stayed with them as a reminder of that amazing journey.
Of course, video games as pure entertainment still exist, as they should. The medium is still relatively young, and yet it has made huge strides towards its recognition as a respected art form. The stigma that video games are reserved for the fringes of society has passed, though the negative connotations surrounding it still exist. For every game like Heavy Rain (and there are not many) there's another Call of Duty (there are many), which has become a source of cheap thrills and big explosions, eschewing the great innovations that its fourth installment put forth, which is what made it extremely popular in the first place. That series seems to have encouraged a new gamer stereotype: the immature, illiterate, and emotionally stunted teenager screaming profanities into his headset as he runs around the map, guns blazing. I would submit that these games are simply the equivalent of the mindless Hollywood films that are shoved down our throats every summer. They are no less infuriating to those who appreciate artistic integrity, but they have their place. If that last statement sounded pretentious (I think it did) I should clarify by saying that I enjoy Call of Duty for its epic set-pieces, mindless though they may be, and its fast-paced online multiplayer with its constant reward system that is extremely addictive and fun, and I don't pretend for a moment that a game has to have artistic value to be good (though good games do tend to have artistic value). I simply believe that the potential for high artistic value is inherent in the gaming medium.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that video games should be recognized as an art form alongside film, literature, and music. For it's level of immersion, and its ability to place us into worlds once confined to the imagination, video games offer unique experiences, and they make us feel, as any great art form should.
Note: I wrote this article in less than an hour, and since then I have noticed some decently major flaws in my arguments. I'll probably revisit this subject later with a more realistic perception of modern gaming, but for now I'll just include this paragraph acknowledging the generalisations in this article of an issue that can get somewhat deep (the issue of whether or not something can be called art)... Now I'm wondering whether or not it is fair to say that this is a deep issue. I should really just stop typing. now. I could go on. But I won't. Sorry.
Source for definition in the opening paragraph: Google
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