Elbert – Video Games Cannot Be Art

Just from the title, this article caught my attention; Video Games Can Never Be Art. Who is to say what is and is not art? I thought art was subjective. According to Roger Elbert, he is “convinced that in principle, video games cannot be art.” I disagree with most of his arguments, because like Kellee Santiago mentioned in her ted talk, the closest definition to art she could find was the Wikipedia definition, “art is the process of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions.” I mainly agree with the first part of the definition. For instance, if I decide to arrange an array of objects in a specific arrangement and display it in a public event as “art” who is to say it is not. I specifically arranged the objects in a way that looked good to me and I believe I created art. Again, this is all subjective, but to say video games cannot be art is absurd. I believe when it comes to video games, the way a game is not only played, but the process of getting to the end of the game is a story therefore, it is art. This can be a different experience per person, but I think that is what makes this an interactive art form

When Elbert argues the idea that video games cannot compare to filmmakers, I disagree to an extent. At the end of the day both video gaming and filmmaking are different art mediums, so they can only compare so much. I recently came across the new Cyberpunk 2077 cinematic trailer. The trailer was stunning, and there were definitely film elements involved in the creation of the trailer. Although the game itself will not look exactly like the trailer, every program and maneuver a character does was created by someone, and I believe that is what makes it art. Creating these games entails so much work and design and deliberate programing, so the game functions a certain way. I think it is naïve to say that video games are not an art form. It might only attract to certain people, just like not everyone likes horror films, or painting from the renaissance era, but that does not mean it is not art. In other words, you do not have to like it for it to be considered art.