Are Video Games a Form of Art Persuasive Essay

Gamers: They’re all basement-dwelling, Mountain Dew spewing, keyboard smashing people who lack an appreciation for art. This has become a consensus that caused an overall demonization of video games by media, parents, and artists alike. This view of games and gamers has sparked a question that has popped up in recent years: Can a video game be art? Many have viewed video games as a disposable medium, something more on the level of college football than Michaelangelo. But as technology and the video game industry expands and evolves, I would argue that they have the potential to be closer to Michaelangelo than college football. Thus, A video game can be a work of art that fulfills the definition of art by being a vehicle for creativity, being challenging to make, and because they have intrinsic value.  

The main point of disagreement with this topic is the actual definition of art, something that is quintessential in order to draw any conclusions. The catch is that there isn’t any definite answer to that question. There are a variety of interpretations of what art is and of what it means to be art. Art can be a can of soup, art can be a bunch of paint splattered on a canvas, art can be an indistinguishable sculpture. Why not just start with the Merriam-Webster dictionary‘s definition of art, which is “the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects”. Video games undoubtedly fit this definition. Video games are consciously made with skill: According to the CG Spectrum College of Digital Arts and Animation, making a good video game requires a rigorous planning, production, and post-production process. Incredibly complex code is necessary for all of the polygons, shadows and textures the user sees on the screen. Complex aspects of design and ideas are required for a game to be successful, so there’s no doubt it takes some serious skill to make a good video game. But not only that, video games are an incredible outlet for creative imagination. This can simply be proven by showing the wide varieties of video game and video game genres there are, from turn-based strategy to open-world, from Undertale to BioShock, the possibilities of creative expression are endless. This is thanks to the different elements that make up a video game. Visual stimulation and style, music, screenwriting and dialogue, and player choice are all components that make video games the impressive creative outlet they are. Hollow Knight and Celeste are games well known for their beautiful art design and style. While books are simply words, movies and plays being simply visuals and audio, video games transcend both mediums with their various ways of expression. Therefore, developing video games requires a conscious use of skill and creative imagination, fulfilling Merriam-Webster’s definition.

Unfortunately, however, the answer to the question of whether video games are art or not isn’t quite that clear. Art is not a defined thing, it is an extremely loose term that has caused speculation and debates between philosophers and ordinary people alike for centuries. So while video games may fit into a dictionary definition, it may not sit well with others. Take Roger Ebert for example. Roger Ebert is a famed film critic, incredibly influential in the world of film criticism. One of his most popular opinions is his opinion on video games. Roger Ebert claims that not only are video games not art, they also could never be art. One of his main arguments is that video games are quite literally “games”. He argues that they all have set rules and objectives that make them coincide with sports and not art because it means their intrinsic value is to be won, not to be experienced. Yet Ebert is worlds away from the truth. While this principle may largely apply to most games,  many games lack substantial rules and objectives and have intrinsic value within their narrative, their design, their music, or any myriad of components as mentioned in my last point. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an example. The game has a very loose end goal of saving Zelda from the castle, but the rest of the game lets you explore and experience the world before you. The game has beautiful graphics, art design, and music that are greatly appreciated by people who experienced the game such as myself. There are games with rules and objectives such as The Last of Us that have gripping and thrilling stories. The Last of Us follows a man who had lost his daughter in a zombie apocalypse traverse the apocalypse with a girl named Ellie, whereas we see the man follow a character arc that keeps us wanting to keep playing. The story has incredible writing that immerses the player to the point where it isn't about the fun of the game, it’s about the experience of the story. When Ebert was posed with examples of video games with immersive stories, he claimed they weren’t video games; they were “representations of stories”. This is simply incorrect. Unlike art, video games have a much more established definition. According to Merriam Webster, a video game is “an electronic game in which players control images on a video screen.” Therefore video games can still incorporate player input but have immersive and beautiful stories, as well. The player input is just the means of experiencing the story. So while there are games that are incredibly difficult such as Dark Souls which maintain an instrumental value of being won or beaten, there exists a myriad of games that have incredible stories, themes, and aesthetics that are prized and henceforth create intrinsic value. 

In conclusion, video games aren’t quite comparable to Michelangelo yet. However, there is no doubting the potential that video games have. As we have seen them grow from the Stone Age  of Pong to the Information Age of Red Dead Redemption 2, we have seen them grow as mediums of entertainment. And as they have grown, many games have transcended the boundary into art by offering more than just a game. Through various vehicles of creativity such as music, visual design, and story, video games offer an experience.  And even if most games might be used for mindless entertainment, it is definitely possible for a video game to be a work of art.