Clive Barker calls Roger Ebert on his crap

Recommended Videos

Clive Barker was one of my literary heroes long before he entered the gaming universe. Rarely is such a perverse and twisted individual simultaneously intelligent and beautifully spoken, but Clive’s no stranger to this mixture. Not one to take rubbish lying down, Barker addressed Roger Ebert on the Digital Trends podcast, saying:

“[Ebert’s] a pompous, arrogant old man, and he’s not going to stop us from making games or enjoying them or… making them art.”

Praise the Gods for this man. This remark is not the first of its kind, following a letter Barker penned to Ebert after his claim that games are not art and Ebert’s publicly posted reply. Barker passionately supports the positive end of the games as art argument, especially in this tidbit from the podcast:

“If you walk into the National Gallery in London, you are presented with masterpieces of impressionism and glorious Dutch miniatures and so on… countless styles and forms of genius represented. One day it’ll be like that for games… and we will be looking at these things the way we look at the great animated cartoons of Disney.”

That’s a point of view sure to be argued to death, but I love the beauty of the idea. As it is, games are already interpreted in many different types of art forms from paint to craft. It’s not just the work of enthusiasts that populate this genre, but also artists that see the history of games for what it is: A rich resource for all types in inspiration, from 8-Bit to Modernism. Cheers to Barker for his passion and courage on the topic. Maybe we’ll get lucky enough to see Ebert have his innards chewed out by Cenobites in a Barker painting in the future.

[Via GameDaily – Thanks John]


Destructoid is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article Helldivers 2 players receive Quasar Cannon and Heavy Machine Gun Stratagems to support Automaton obliteration
helldivers 2 heavy machine gun HMG quasar cannon stratagems unlocked
Read Article The Witcher 4 development is forging ahead at CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 4 update
Read Article Bungie reveals Into the Light weapons are time-gated and Destiny 2 players aren’t happy
Related Content
Read Article Helldivers 2 players receive Quasar Cannon and Heavy Machine Gun Stratagems to support Automaton obliteration
helldivers 2 heavy machine gun HMG quasar cannon stratagems unlocked
Read Article The Witcher 4 development is forging ahead at CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 4 update
Read Article Bungie reveals Into the Light weapons are time-gated and Destiny 2 players aren’t happy