Are video games art?

Greg Bear has an interesting article over at Kotaku about how video games might change the way we look at other media, especially books (he’s a sci-fi author). Check it out here.

It brings to mind an interesting discussion that has happened in recent years – can video games be art? Roger Ebert says no, but then, I haven’t agreed with him on anything for a long time. The easy answer is ‘yes.’ Just look at any JRPG (especially the Final Fantasy series) and you can say, without a doubt, games are an art form. The upcoming “Epic Mickey” also begs the question.

Granted, games are supposed to be about enjoyment, having fun is a means to an end, right? You could hardly call early games, such as Frogger or Space Invaders, “art.” They were very utilitarian, even though they were handicapped by their graphics.

Pretty graphics don’t make something art, though. The invoking of emotion does. That’s why the majority of shooters or party games could conceivably not be called “art.” It’s a fine line. A recent Kotaku article on the upcoming shooter Homefront explained how it tries to create a more personal, harrowing experience, instead of the usual meatgrinder. Similar to Halflife 2, it deals just as much with the civilian, interpersonal experiences of the game-world than juts “kill all bad guys.” The author tells of how moments such as a mother telling her child to look away as she is lined up against a wall to be executed can create a sense of anger and unease not typical in gaming. I’d certainly call that art.

But then, I’m not an art critic; sometimes a can of soup is just a can of soup.