Interactivity does (or doesn't) ruin the artistic merit of video games
Added 2025-02-04 00:40:10 +0000 UTC
Comments
I like this idea of film subsumption of previous forms, and video games just being another step in that direction. Good comment.
Austin
2025-02-04 19:12:22 +0000 UTCMy first thought about this is that games are broad in media scope - they contain visual art, music, sound design, cinematography and everything a film contains. And they contain interactivity - so like sculpture can look at different angles. Only they have narrative and emotional interactivity too, which is unique. So I more feel they subsume previous media in the same sense film subsumes music and visual art and adds a temporal element. "Subsumes" doesn't make the previous forms have no worth, but in terms of skill and craft to make a game you need to in some sense include all the forms.
Francis Irving
2025-02-04 08:48:47 +0000 UTCAlso, humans made it to be enjoyed by other humans. That's art! Its purpose is to be enjoyed!
Mr. Puddin’
2025-02-04 05:04:32 +0000 UTCOf course video games are art! and Echoing KJ's comment, art is interactive. Whenever we spend time engaged with something, we are interacting with it, be it a video game, painting, a novel etc. Whenever we suspend our disbelief and look for meaning in something, we are making ourselves vulnerable. When we find that meaning, we grow our understanding and feelings about the world, that's art. Also, art doesn’t have to be “good.” Conker’s Bad Fur Day from the N64 is a pretty garbage game, but to this day, I still get a chuckle whenever I catch myself humming the Great Mighty Poo’s song. It’s not good art, but it’s good enough to live in my brain rent free for nearly 20 years. Also, Michelangelo’s David is a great example of subjective experiences from viewers with different perspectives. When looking at it standing in front near his feet (as most viewers see it), he looks majestic and powerful, towering high in the room. But those viewers can’t see his face very well. When other viewers look at him from a balcony off to the side, they can see a frightened-flinch look and it’s a totally different vibe. https://twistedsifter.com/2016/11/detailed-close-ups-of-michelangelos-david/
Mr. Puddin’
2025-02-04 04:49:13 +0000 UTCThe counter point being “games are actually MORE intersubjectively understandable than other mediums” is extremely cool and I appreciate you saying it
Austin
2025-02-04 04:22:38 +0000 UTCGreat type of content to get here, appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Bel
2025-02-04 02:27:54 +0000 UTCI think with video games: 1. The barrier between artist and consumer is thinner. Even while following the artist(s) vision, the player and their desires are heavily considered, almost making them a direct part of the creation process. 2. To generalize, the range of experiences that are had by video game players is narrower than that of other art forms. The same abstract painting will make some sad and some happy, while Mario Wonder is unlikely to have such a disparate effect. Games are simply larger and usually more direct in what they are trying to say. I think people who care about what is more or less "artful", prefer a stronger barrier between creator and consumer, and prefer works that create a wider array of responses. Whereas I (and perhaps most people here) think the dialogue between game artist and player can lead to a more interesting work, and prefer art that while I interpret it through my own lens, I don't usually have to *guess* at what the artist was trying to say. Idk I'm yapping
Austin Hasten
2025-02-04 01:23:20 +0000 UTCHappy Monday!
Jellybean The Brave
2025-02-04 01:18:04 +0000 UTCWhat precipitated this mini-essay
Gary Rickelman
2025-02-04 01:06:19 +0000 UTCAll art is interactive. Perhaps, (and I am just saying this without thinking about it, but it seems right) it isn't art if it isn't interactive. The paintings I have in my house are extremely interactive. I see something new, and they make me feel something different each time I spend time with them. I prefer mostly abstract art, so perhaps my thoughts are biased. Video games take that interactivity to the highest level. Tonight as kind of a joke I put Super Mario Land 2 on an 84 inch LCD display in our local community hall. That blew my damn mind. A totally different interaction and experience than playing it in the back seat of the van on the way to the grocery store in 1989.
KJ NE
2025-02-04 00:53:45 +0000 UTCfhank you austin
thalia
2025-02-04 00:47:51 +0000 UTCI recommend you check out Slay The Princess. (blind, if possible)
boomshockalocka
2025-02-04 00:42:49 +0000 UTC
