Story And Music Elevate Video Games As An Art Platform

"Proclaiming video games as art will undoubtedly illicit anger from traditionalist. Many do not see such ‘kiddy’ entertainment as valuable enough to be ever considered art. Fortunately, I’m not one of those people. " | Explosion.com

[-Gespenst-]

There's a difference between art and craft. The creation of games is largely craft, and some of those crafted elements produce art, some don't. There are elements of it that can be considered art. The music, the visual design, the story and it's themes and messages, and all those things amalgamated.

As for the interactive side of videogames - the defining aspect of them - I'm not sure you can call that art. I suppose it depends how it links with or is informed by or informs the aforementioned artistic elements of the game, but in a lot of cases, videogames are more like sport: You develop the skills required and you play to win.

A person playing a game and controlling their character on the screen... that isn't really art, but it can be depending on how it interacts with the other artistic elements. Art can unfold as the player plays.

On the other hand, the creation of a game, the programming, that's not art. That's pure logic and mathematics. That's craft that isn't art in and of itself.

So basically there are elements of games that are artistic and elements that aren't. Which makes saying "videogames are art" kind of problematic.

I'm gonna be honest I've sort of confused myself but I think most of those points hold...

[animegamingnerd]

great controls story music are what really get immerse in a game more then anything else

[AdvanceWarsSgt]

Music more so than story elevates games into art. Music can also elevate the enjoyment of an average game. Take Sonic 3D Blast for the PC. That game is average through and through, but the tunes for that game resonate so well with the levels that it makes the player want to continue to play.