I know I have been a bit busy to continue posting but something I had read has spurned me to write.  I had just finished reading a blog post by Ebert regarding his opinion on (Electronic) Games being Art.  You can read the post Here, but below is a quote of what I will be talking about.

“I thought about those works of Art that had moved me most deeply. I found most of them had one thing in common: Through them I was able to learn more about the experiences, thoughts and feelings of other people. My empathy was engaged. I could use such lessons to apply to myself and my relationships with others. They could instruct me about life, love, disease and death, principles and morality, humor and tragedy. They might make my life more deep, full and rewarding.

Not a bad definition, I thought. But I was unable to say how music or abstract art could perform those functions, and yet they were Art. Even narrative art didn’t qualify, because I hardly look at paintings for their messages. It’s not what it’s about, but how it’s about it. As Archibald MacLeish wrote: A poem should not mean, but be.

I concluded without a definition that satisfied me. I had to be prepared to agree that gamers can have an experience that, for them, is Art. I don’t know what they can learn about another human being that way, no matter how much they learn about Human Nature. I don’t know if they can be inspired to transcend themselves.” -Ebart

Out of the post, this was the Core argument of it.  What Defines Art to him and how it applies to games.  Oddly I have to agree with him for the most part.  True Art is there to touch upon your emotions, thoughts or ideas in some way to move you.  Something that will make you stop and think about it even if it is just for a slight moment.  But for each person this is a different thing.  So while this definition of what Art is seems to fit well enough.  What becomes Art is for each individual to decide as what will really impact us is different.

For Ebart, he is moved by the classical styles of art.  Paintings, Sculptures and Stories (books/movies).  Those are the things that get to him past the cursory value of imagery or entertainment.  He isn’t as affected by music or gaming as they involve more than a pure Visual experience.  It’s just how he see’s the world and there isn’t a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to go about it.

Personally, I have grown up in a mix of the older Arts and the new age Entertainment.  My parents and teachers had instilled the understanding to seek meaning beyond the face value.  Family vacations to US parks to see the amazing things the earth can Create, museums of Art and History to find deeper meaning in everything around me, a plentiful book supply to immerse myself in Story and the craft of song and voice that brought meaning to Music.  Each of these things holds a deeper meaning and has made me stop and ponder.

Gaming is something that wasn’t taught or shown as ‘Art’.  It was simply Entertainment to have fun and pass the time.   There isn’t any ‘teaching’ behind catching 150 creatures, hiding in a box or saving a princess.  But eventually, there seeped in a few games that brought more to the gaming world than just pure enjoyment.  The first that comes to mind for me was Call of Duty (single player).  I admit to being a shooter fan but this was the first time the Experience of the game became something more than just simple entertainment.  The music, the battles and characters were all there.  You met people, battled along side them, watched them die to help bring victory to those left alive.  For once a game had instilled the emotions of Joy at victory but with the deeper understanding of it’s importance past just winning a game.  Appreciation for those who had to live through those hard times for the sake of our freedoms.  Among many others that I still fell even though I played the first game years ago.

There have been a few others since then and all of them delve into making you experience a Story.  Making me Feel and Think about things not only in the game but real life as well.  To me, this is qualification for it to be an Art.  Not the graphical work, not the entertainment but the ability to Move me.

Lately, the gaming industry has taken a turn away from this in an attempt to assembly line games for sales.  Sequels upon sequels or trying to improve an aspect of game play we really don’t care about.  There really hasn’t been anything recently (that I have played) that goes past Entertainment or Comedy and really involved you into the story.  Thankfully I have a nice weekly dose of dice RPG’s that I play/run right now to sate my need for that…