Comments
01:25 Fri May 2nd, 2008
I don't think high sales always mean a potential for high art, but I do think the reason games are so popular is because they offer something so vastly different than most other forms of media. This distinction of being highly involved in the narrative and being able to do and experience almost anything artifically can work for or against games as an art form, at least in the snobby sense.
06:34 Fri May 2nd, 2008
Mandysue, my background in games is so limited I don't really feel qualified to answer, but I will say this: Games have a far greater capacity to become an artform, imho, due to their enhanced ability to allow the player to have some say in the outcome. When we watch a film or read a book we can be delighted, disgusted or whatever at the outcome, but we can't change it. Not so with games. I'm guessing that answer didn't really help you out at all, but there you go!
14:58 Fri May 2nd, 2008
I most definitely think games can be an artform. There are certain kinds of moments that can only happen for an audience when they are engaged in an interactive situation - the idea that you've found something out, or discovered something, or achieved something unique adds a different kind of impact to the storytelling I think
15:14 Fri May 2nd, 2008
I think game are definitely as much of an art form as any other type of medium. Even if the story is told poorly (as in a lot of games), that's just the same as how a lot of movies/television shows are poorly done. Meet the Spartans doesn't make movies not an art form, just as any bad game doesn't diminish the fact that games are art. I think Metal Gear Solid 3 did a really interesting job of trying to simulate the feel of it being less of a game and more like a movie where the viewer controls the characters. I don't think they quite achieved it, but it was definitely a lot more cinematic of a game than most that I've played. It definitely lead to a different experience than other mediums could offer. Art, definitely.
18:40 Fri May 2nd, 2008
Games have so much potential, a lot of which is only just starting to be tapped. The main difference is when you have a game company that wants to make a memorable game, or just enough money to get to the next title.
22:10 Fri May 2nd, 2008
I agree that there's a lot of shitty movies, books and television out there. I guess the best way to gauge if a medium has artistic merit is to judge it when it's at its best (e.g., Citizen Kane or Buffy (*ahem)). And I think games are on their way, but they still have the potential to be even more powerful than they currently are. Anyway, I realize this is a fairly pretentious topic for me to bring up, but it's interesting to think about.
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Fetternity
19:13 Thu May 1st, 2008
I entirely agree. Just look at GTA4 sales, scaring movie studios into releasing their movies later. It's become that powerful commercially, so it can be that powerful artistically, hands down.