Are Games Art?

TPV's Cal: "Personally, I find Art to be such a nebulous concept, it has no real definition. These days literally anything can be classed as Art. From Films to music, if a medium exists; chances are someone has declared it a “Work of Art”.

Much like films, to find the more thought provoking experiences you need to look beyond the mainstream marketing machine. Lets get one thing clear though, I have no problem with what you would call ‘mainstream games’. Your Grand Theft Auto’s and Call of Duty’s sustain the game industry, while also being quality products in their own rights."

[Pikajew]

If a games looks nice like Braid or Okami than it is art. But if a game looks like BF3 or Crysis than its not because they take what they see in everyday life and make it look the way they see it. Somthing has to be unique to be art

[Yi-Long]

... just like movies, books, paintings, whatever... a game CAN be art, but isn't by definition art.

It also doesn't have to be 'unique' in that sense that it can be formed in an already existing 'genre' or 'style', yet still be special or impressive enough to be considered art.

Take portraits for instance. There have been millions of portraits throughout history, yet a select few are considered art. Same goes for landscape-paintings and abstract stuff etc.

Also, in this day and age, 'art' seems to have been hijacked by those who are out to claim a quick buck by calling something 'art', in the hopes that investers will fall for it, meaning that slowly the term 'art' has lost it's meaning a bit.

[iamnsuperman]

I can't stand arty movies. They are pretentious nonsense and more often than not it is Quentin Tarantino diarrheaing on the roll of film.

In games (like films) for me the art is in the story . Games have specific art directions but that just not enough. For me the main art in games is the wonderful stories

[Yi-Long]

... he just steals the bits from the best movies of a certain genre, blends it all together, and comes out with his own thing...

Kim Ki Duk and Wong Kar Wai and such directors are 'arthouse', and I like those movies, but I pretty much enjoy all kinds of different movies.

[Dan50]

The National Endowment of the Arts says so. :D SO do the supreme court.