Games as Art

Games as Art

           Video games are some of the advances in digital technology. In today’s world, many people use video games daily as forms of entertainment. Video games are based on many subjects, including sports, fiction, non-fiction, action, space exploration, among many other subjects (Gee, 59).Personally, I am an active user of video games, as a firm of entertainment during my free time. Some of the video games I have played include No Man’s Sky, Fire watch, Mafia III, and The Last Guardian. All these video games are mostly based on art. Arguably, video games appreciate art as one of the best ways of expressing ideas and giving meaning to drawings. This is the reason most of the video games are based on art.

Modernism and advance of digital technology have contributed to the fade of art and the rise of prominence of video games and cinema.  Generally, modern art has been restricted by capitalism and restrictive policies by governments.  However, video games have been branded as “a complete waste of time” by some critics who argue that their aesthetic value is insignificant. The contentious issue has been the argument that video games have no specific storylines and are just combinations of computer-generated images. In general, video games are simply live performances of pieces of art.

While all video games are considered works of art, this has been disputed by some critics. However, the relationship between art and video games is apparent, although there are many similarities between video games and cinema. The main purpose of both video games and cinema is that they are both made for entertainment. This means that the makers of video games and cinema expect to gain money for their productions. The main difference between video games and cinema is that cinema is based on a story, while video games are not.

The main point of contention between art and video games is whether video games can be considered art. Video games have existed only in the digital era, while art has been around since medieval times (Smuts, 6). This shows that there must be a distinct difference between art and video games. Generally, it can be argued that video games are simply a combination of art and science. Without digital technology, most probably, there would not be video games. This has borne a lot of criticism from artists who argue that video game makers have unfairly taken away the limelight from genuine artists who have made world-renowned sculptures. This is because some video games are made from three-dimensional modeling of sculptures made by art. Despite the philosophical proposition that all video games are works of art, a lot of questions linger about the role of expressive elements such as storytelling, graphics, and music.

Conclusively, video games have changed most of the perceptions of traditional art. In the contemporary world, digital technology and computer technology have revolutionalized everything about art. Ancient sculptures have been reproduced, and this has led to the loss of the aesthetic value of these pieces of art. Despite these concerns, video games have contributed the most in the fall of art, and in essence, taken all the limelight away. Artists argue that governments should step in and ensure that the position of art in society is protected. There should be a clear distinction between art and video games.

Works Cited

Gee, James Paul. “Why game studies now? Video games: A new art form.” Games and Culture 1.1 (2006): 58-61.

Smuts, Aaron. “Are Video Games Art?.” Contemporary Aesthetics, 3.1 (2005): 6.