Video+Games+and+Art

 Overview
Can video games be considered art? Video games can and are referred to as art by many. However, not everyone seems to agree. The video game aesthetic may not be for everyone but what medium or art does appeal to everyone? Roger Ebert sparked a rather heated debate about this question when he claimed that video games could never be art, but since then he has expanded on his beliefs and made a few concessions. ([|His position can be read here.)]

What do the people who believe that video games are art argue? There are many solid arguments for why video games are art, but Jesse Schell’s is particularly strong, Marcel Duchamp once said, "I have come to the conclusion that while not all artists are chess players, all chess players are artists." Gaming and play bear an interesting relationship to art. Like art, play is experimental, creative, flexible and immersive. It is done for its own sake. And like art, games can challenge and transform us. So can video games be art? They certainly incorporate many artistic elements: painting, architecture, music, sculpture, acting, writing, animation and dance.

Schell is an Assistant professor of entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon University and CEO of Schell Games. Schell seems to be particularly qualified to comment because of his academic and gamer credibility. To read what others have to say click [|here].

It seems that because so many different people are arguing about whether or not video games are art that there is only one answer. It depends. Along with other forms of modern art the debate over whether or not they should be considered are will rage on.

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