Roger Ebert Retracts "Video Games aren't art."

[Gavik]

Article

The Video's good too.

So what's your take? Are video games art?

 

[Mirage]

Yeah, making video games is definitely art. It's the creation of a world, an environment that only an artist could come up with.

Is "playing" video games art? Absolutely not. It's a hobby, or in some cases, a lifestyle, but the act of playing such games is certainly not an art by any stretch of the imagination. :lol:

 

[Merc]

I don't think people are discussing playing or making them Brix, just if games themselves can be art. The resounding answer is yes. Most games are not, but some could put the biggest Hollywood films to shame in terms of story writing and character development. The favorite example amongst gamers is Bioshock. Also, I could just point out the overwhelming ambiguity of the term 'art' itself as an end-all to this argument. Needless to say, Ebert is losing it in his old age and this is just further proof.

 

[Gavik]

I don't think people are discussing playing or making them Brix, just if games themselves can be art. The resounding answer is yes. Most games are not, but some could put the biggest Hollywood films to shame in terms of story writing and character development. The favorite example amongst gamers is Bioshock. Also, I could just point out the overwhelming ambiguity of the term 'art' itself as an end-all to this argument. Needless to say, Ebert is losing it in his old age and this is just further proof.

And as the video pointed out, the irony of it all is that film had such a hard time being recognized as art in the first place.

 

[RJ-Cool]

Yeah, making video games is definitely art. It's the creation of a world, an environment that only an artist could come up with.

Is "playing" video games art? Absolutely not. It's a hobby, or in some cases, a lifestyle, but the act of playing such games is certainly not an art by any stretch of the imagination. :lol:

I agree with Hybrix. The creation of video games is an art as it entails creating characters, worlds, different environments.....etc
Playing them on the other-hand is for sheer entertainment or for some people .......a job.

 

[Puck]

I've never really sat down and played a videogame but I don't see why they can't be classified as art. As a non-gamer but one that is interested enough to read articles on various games, I can say I agree with what Constantine said about character development, settings, storylines, etc. being as good, if not better than Hollywood made movies. If you've never given them a chance and know nothing about them, you simply can't judge.