Video Games - Are They Art?

*Red Dead Redemption pictured above.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so they say. But does art have to beautiful? No, not all the time. Does art have to be engaging? Well, maybe? Does art have to have a purpose or is it just simply there? For me, no. Art can and cannot be a lot of things. However, it does have to be one thing. Art does not have to be told it is art.

For many decades now, since the emergence of the “artistic generation” of the ’60’s and ‘70’s, art has taken many shapes and sizes (no pun intended). Even recently within the last decade, I have witnessed first-hand the rise of ‘street art’ (graffiti to some). I have seen how “artists“ take paint and adhere it beautifully, artistically, and flawlessly to walls and other structures. But, just as I interpret that as art, someone else may not; And how I view, interpret, respect, and appreciate videogames as an artistic means of expression; not only culturally, but individually; someone else may not.

Similarly, within the last decade when ‘street art’ was gaining momentum, so was the video game culture. Now, within the last five years or so, I have seen a huge push from the developers of these artistic oddities, to push the boundaries of what electronic art can be.

*Bioshock pictured above.

The games included in the aforementioned description, that come to my mind are: Red Dead Redemption, The Uncharted Series, The Bioshock series (maybe not Bioshock 2), The Fallout franchise, The Grand Theft Auto franchise, The Mass Effect series, The Elder Scrolls franchise, and many more that I, unfortunately, cannot think of right now. To me these games have stood out in the forefront of my mind because, ultimately, they let me appreciate, or just view something that I did not notice, or was simply just unaware of, in different way. Which I think, is the best reason someone could appreciate art, aside from the entertainment and enjoyment value.

Lately, it seems that The Grand Theft Auto franchise has done an exceptional job in that regard. Their latest entry GTA 5, was done exceptionally well, not only was the gameplay fluid and rewarding, but the writing (which I think where the game really shines) was outstanding. Everything about the writing, from the dialogue where I would hear Michael (one of three protagonist; Yes, Three! a very original concept for the action/adventure third person genre) complain about his son being an unemployed- live at home, cause the job market is too bad- pothead; and how that takes a toll on not only Michael, but his wife as well. Then seeing how Franklin (one of the other three protagonist’s) copes with life living in the urban neighborhood of Chamberlain Hills, from doing odd jobs for friends to repo-ing cars with his friend Lamar; only to lead him into a life of crime when the jobs just don’t pay enough, while having to support himself and his stay-at-home aunt.

*GTA V (PS4 Edition) pictured above.

Grand Theft Auto 5’s writing captured the average life of three very distinct members of society so well, I believe it is an artistic classic for the genre and for video games as a whole. But, just as I interpret the dialogue and character decisions as art, because the people who created the characters Michael and Franklin are living in Edinburgh, Scotland, half a world away from the representation of Los Angeles (Los Santos in the game). Someone else may not, and that’s okay. Because not everyone has to agree that something is art for it to be art. I do not view fine cooking as an art form; more that of a finely tuned skill, but someone else might. I do not view mechanic work as an art, but someone else might.

So, are videogames art; to me, yes. All of the things I described for GTA 5, I could not have experienced through any other means; it would not have impacted me the same way (i.e. books, movies, television). I had to experience those things for myself, to understand those things for myself. The same way a person never fully understands war, until a person is in a war (not that I’m comparing the two); but the theory is the same. Try to imagine reading the novelization of your favorite movie; it’s just not the same. There’s something about experiencing a particular event a certain way; that grabs you both emotionally and intelligently at the same time.

That’s the way video games allow you to interpret and dissect their artistic attributes; and I believe that’s the way the creators of that content intended for you to absorb them.

*Fallout 4 pictured above.