Alex Schuh

The Art of Games

A look at a new art form.

Alex Schuh

What is Art?

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• Skill acquired by experience, study, or observation

• The conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects

• Decorative or illustrative elements in printed matter

Definitions by Websters

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Forms/Styles of Art

• Painting• Sculpture• Music• Theater• Graphic Design• Digital Art• Game Design

• Classic• Modern• Abstract• Expressionist• Contemporary• Interactive

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Walter BenjaminAnd Aura

• Benjamin lists aura as the emotional value the individual places on an object– Due to mechanical reproduction, those

objects now have less meaning• Example: Mona Lisa

• Games are a prime example of mechanical reproduction– Example: Halo

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Are Games Art?

• History shows that great works of art take time to be recognized by society– Video Games have only been around about

30 years

• Games in a sense grew up too fast– Gaming now makes more money than

movies

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A Perpetual Cycle

• Scenario– A game is developed and becomes a major

hit– Due to its success other developers attempt

to recreate the game• The original developer in turn creates a sequel to

the game or another mirror image of the game

– The market becomes over saturated – The public loses interest

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If it ain't broke don'tfix it

• This is the mentality that must be reexamined – Developers must begin distinguishing

themselves and gamers must open their minds to new possibilities

• They must take themselves seriously before others will

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Games as Art

• “Art is something designed to evoke emotion through fantasy” Cris Crawford

• Games are an interactive art form– Others are passive (quietly observe)

• A painting, sculpture, or piece of music is created and is meant to be observed– Games are created and meant to be

transformed

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• In a painting the artist invests the most emotion into the piece

• In games the audience invests as much if not more emotion than the artist or “programmer”

• Developers hide behind the statement “We are in the entertainment business.”

• Technology is the domineering force in games

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Other Interactive Art

• There is now interactive theater– Audience changes the script

• Physical interactive art– Text Rain: letters of poem fall and can be

interacted with

• These are different from games, however, because games require interaction

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Reflection

• Some games reflect the traits of their creators– Ex: Mario; Metal Gear Solid, and Pokemon

• The creators of these games drew from their life experiences to create these games

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Creating the experience

• Games in general allow the user to create their own experience

• Games like The Sims allow for nearly infinite creativity– However, is a Sim that is created by a

player art?

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• Consider ceramics• A person can go spend a few hours

creating a vase in an arts and crafts store– This vase, although it may not be awe

inspiring would be considered art– However, isn't the vase limited by the

spinning wheel and the kiln that are used to create it

– “So is it the medium or the creation that makes something art?” Chi Kong Lui

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Compare toMotion Pictures

• In the early days of cinema movies were considered a novelty or past time– It wasn't until movies like The Man With A

Movie Camera that cinema began to be taken seriously as an art form

• Avant garde films would also add to film as art

• Kinetoscope machines were also the precursors to arcade machines

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Opposing argument

• Games are games not art– They are there own separate form

• Games are not uniform through time– Games change due to interactivity, a

sculpture will always stay the same

• Entertainment for the masses– Designed to promote play not thought

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How can games betaken seriously as art?

• Use new innovative technology in a alternate way – But how?

• Games that use other art– Ex: playing Doom while a poem is

being read

• Art that is created from games– Ex:Play Doom and have what you

do changed into a picture

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• Games that allow for character creation come close but more is needed– Create the character and the story– Developer creates freedom but the overall

game play has a message

Change the system

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Conclusion

• The graphics of games have come a long way and now have incredible realism– However, there is more to games than the

graphics, and pictures aren't the only form of art

• If developers want their games to be considered as art they need to be willing to deviate from the norm

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Resources

• http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

• The Art of Computer Game Design, Crawford,Chris, 1996-1997, http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html

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• Are Video Games Art?, Lui, Chi Kong, 27 May, 2003,http://www.gamecritics.com/are-videogames-art

• The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical of Reproduction, Benjamin, Walter, 1936,http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm