My english class recently had an assignment for the class where we had to pick a topic, choose a stance on it, and write an argumentative essay about it. These types of essays are quite common for an English class. However, this time I decided to do things a little differently. I decided I would choose a topic that I really cared about. Thus, I created an essay about the debate on whether or not a game can be considered art. I thought the paper actually turned out quite well, so I figured I would post it up here. Here's the essay, in all its glory:


Games as Art

With the rapid advancement of modern technology, the gaming industry has seen huge leaps and bounds in the development process. Only twenty years ago, video-games were nothing more than pixelated, electronic toys. Now they can be their own masterpieces; using plot and graphical marvel video-games to tell stories and express ideas. Thus, a large debate has begun in the game industry, the subject of which is the comparison of video-games to art. On one side, there are those who believe video-games will always only amount to a toy. However, there are many now pushing for video-games to be recognized as a new form of art. In truth, the latter is correct. Video-games can be considered a form of art, as can be seen in how it compares to art itself. There are certainly games that evoke emotions in the player. Many games also exist that can be fully analysed to find themes and ideas, just like many art forms. Gaming is also very subjective in the same way as art is, with beauty in the eye of the beholder there are always many different opinions on what pieces of art are considered great; the same goes for video-games.

Many artistic pieces are able to instill feelings in their audience, evoking emotion and provoking thought. Music is a great example of this; both old and new songs can have the ability to reach their listeners and create emotions. Ranging from upbeat and happy music to more somber pieces, a large range of thought can be instilled in different people. This same ability holds true for the gaming scene. In video-games, the emotion and thought is derived from specific moments in the game. Sometimes the moment is created by the game's designers. They create a moment in the game's plot that can evoke emotion and create thought. An example of this can be seen in the game Shadow of the Colossus, by Team Ico. Throughout the game, the player is taken through many emotions and thoughts through the designer's plot. Wander, the game's protagonist, attempts to revive his deceased lover by defeating majestic beasts known as the Colossi. The designer concludes the game with a thoughtful ending; Wander's desire to revive his loved one becomes so great that the consequences for his actions are of no concern to him. In saving her, he unleashes a great evil and causes himself to never be able to be with her the same way again. Using the stunning conclusion in the plot, the designer causes the player to feel for Wander and his motives. Shadow of the Colossus can be seen as an example of a game to be considered art, as the designer's plot evokes emotion in the player. Furthermore, players can analyze certain games and find themes, ideas and symbols; exactly like a piece of art.

One identifiable trait in art is the ability to find the hidden themes and ideas in an artistic piece. For example, a painting can be taken at face value and be seen only for what is depicted in the drawing. However, when analyzed closely, a painting can reveal its thoughts and ideas to the viewer. Video-games can be created to do so as well. There are cases in video-gaming where a game is capable of being analyzed to find larger themes within it. Namco's Tales of the Abyss is a good example of themes and ideas in a video-game. Taken at face value, the game can be viewed as a strong role-playing game with a great story. Once analyzed, however, the plot of the game reveals many themes and ideas through the advancement of the characters and their relationships with each other. Arguably the largest theme in the game is that of truly knowing oneself. This theme can be taken from the game by analyzing the character Luke and his relationship with the other figures in the plot. Throughout the first part of the game, Luke believes that he doesn't need to find out who he is. Self-discovery is unimportant to him, making him very ignorant and closed-minded. However, as the plot progresses, Luke is given opportunity to learn about who he really is. Though he tries to push these offers away, his ignorance leads to a turning point in the plot where Luke is forced to learn of his true self. This point in the story causes him to question everything about who he is, eventually leading him onto a path of self-discovery. This theme is very present throughout the game and, much like a painting, it is found by analyzing the piece of art that Tales of Symphonia is. Also, as with every art form, video-games are very subjective in that its experience to the gamer will differ from person to person.

Subjectivity has always been one of the main points in every art form. The saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" holds especially true for art; every person's opinion on the emotions, themes and overall quality of each art will always differ at least slightly, if not completely. One person can read a poem and get one reaction from it. Another person can read the very same poem and have a reaction that is absolutely different. Moreover, neither of their opinions may be the same as the reaction the author of the poem intended the poem to give. Such is the way of the subjectivity of art, something which is very apparent in the art of the video-game as well. Though a game designer may make a video-game with the intention that the player will take certain thoughts and ideas from it, the eyes of the player may very well view something different. Some gamers may get a completely different theme from the game than the designer intended. Other gamers may not find anything significantly artistic within the game at all, just as some readers of a poem may find themselves seeing absolutely nothing within the poem but the story it tells. In video-games, an example of this subjectivity can be seen within Jason Rohrer's independently-made game, Passage. This game, lasting no longer than five-minutes, was made with the full intention of being viewed, played and analyzed as a form of art. Centering around a nameless protagonist (though it is meant to be the designer himself), the player controls the protagonist through his life of a young adult growing into an old man and then eventually dying. Played by many, the game has had a countless amount of different interpretations for its meaning. Some people saw nothing from it, writing it off as a waste of their five minutes. Some saw a morbid struggle to experience everything life has to offer, even though such a task is impossible. Others saw how every different path through life eventually leads to the same result. Still others saw a very positive side to the game, viewing that the end result is without matter, so long as you had fun for those few five minutes. All these theories are technically correct, as subjectivity shows how nobody can be truly right or wrong. This is the beauty of art, in all its forms. Overall, this shows how video-games and art are truly one and the same.

Every form of art in today's modern world is significantly different from one another, but they still share some specific traits. These traits are also apparent in the video-gaming industry. Though some believe that gaming will never be more than a simple toy for our entertainment, gaming has become something completely different. Video-games are now a form of art; side by side with the many other arts people have created. Video-games can evoke emotions and are thought-provoking, which is a key in all forms of art. Games can also be analyzed and have themes and ideas viewed from their design and plots, another trait that is common with all art forms. Gaming is also something subjective, with each game's artistic ability within the eye of each of its gamers. This mannerism is something that holds true with every form of art. As proven by these traits; video-games are now just as much a form of art as writing, music and drawing are.


-- So, what do you guys think?