Some games are made to be art, some games are made just to be played.
Games like CoD don't take a lot of artistic value in to them. Sure, BO looks nice, but it doesn't have as much emotion as a game like Prince of Persia (08) or The Path.
There is nothing wrong with a game that is not artistic, they are just 2 different choices.


If you like, compare it to this; the photos you hang on your wall that you took with your camera, probably not all that artistic. The photos that a professional photographer takes, probably a bit more artistic (ya know, the kind where stuff is out of focus and colourful and all that).
I guess the nostalgia of taking the photo yourself is a whole other story...

I took a few photography classes and think that my photos are pretty artistic. ;o
I still consider relatively shallow games to be art though. Just not as good. Like a pop song or a logo to a good album or a painting.

I think all games are art to varying degrees.

Yes, they are, but like I said, there are varying degrees of 'artistic'.

Miley Cyrus vs Pavarotti
That elephant at the zoo that paints pictures vs Da Vinci
A random code monkey vs Randal L. Schwartz

You get the idea.

Surely it would depend on how you define "artistic". Is it the intent, or the product that counts? i.e, if you set out to make a piece of art, is it necessarily better than something that looks nice that just happens, like the shape of spilled milk?

Well IMO:
If the game creators set out to make the game arty, then the game is artistic.
If the game creators set out to make the game for any other reason, then although it can be interpreted to be "artistic", that's not what the creators were after.

Sorta like if I splashed a crapload of colours onto a canvas "for the lulz" and then someone came over and interpreted it as an emotional depiction of my life and childhood and offered me $500,000 for it.

Do you play just 1 game? Or a few? Or do you amass games and play them all?
Well right now i'm playing quite a few games, sort of a balancing act between Freelancer, Risen, Two Worlds II, Crysis 2 Demo, Black ops, Minecraft and Toribash.


What genres do you play? Action? RPG? RTS? FPS? Futuristic? Medieval? Modern?
My competetive gaming life started wiyj RTS games, like Starcraft and DoW, eventually I just got bored of RTS games but I still wanted strategy so I went into TBS games, basically chess, I eventually quit after I was 3rd in a regional tournament. So yeah now I play RPGs or FPS' whether it's futuristic, modern or medieval i'm not picky.


Do you play for competition? To pass the time? Just for fun?
I used to play for competition back in my strategy days but now it's solely for fun :3


Do you like graphics? The story? The gameplay? The experience?
The gameplay is by far the most important detail for me closely followed by the experience and story ( in RPGs), graphics aren't important but i probably will lean toward better graphic games.


What kind of gamers do you look down on? Do you consider yourself to be a gamer?
Anyone that goes for a cheap win, eg. shovels, noob tubes, ak74u.
Yes i consider myself a gamer ._.


What do you think of elitism?
I think I act elitist sometimes, so my opinion on elitism is nothing but positive


What do you think of 'games as art' vs 'games as entertainment'?
Games as entertainment, my artistic side of the brain isn't exactly well developed :B


What do you think of casual games, like Farmville (and any other Facebook game)?
I don't play them but I have no problem with them :P

fat: I don't really want to try and answer the question "what is art", because its so philosophical and wide. I will just say, I know it when I see it.

Striving to define something that is so personal will not really be helpful. if you find the dynamics of Modern Warfare 2 to be artistic, and I certainly can appreciate that some people find the dynamics of combat to be as elegant and intricate as the finest ballet, then so be it, I will not tell you that you are wrong.

Do you play just 1 game? Or a few? Or do you amass games and play them all?
I have my favorites, like mass effect, CoD MW 1+2 and warcraft. But im fairly proficient in most types, i play games like l4d2 and trackmania nations all very well.

What genres do you play? Action? RPG? RTS? FPS? Futuristic? Medieval? Modern?
im more of a RPG / FPS person

Do you play for competition? To pass the time? Just for fun?
I used to play CoD MW1 competativly in our national league, which i did ok in, but it takes the fun out of the game when it gets too serious, now i play socially, i play to win, improve and compete, but i dont play in competitions.

Do you like graphics? The story? The gameplay? The experience?
The whole thing. Storyline and vibe i suppose is the most important aspect, but if the gameplay is boringor the graphics are crap, then it wont keep my attention and i wont enjoy the game.

What kind of gamers do you look down on? Do you consider yourself to be a gamer?
Ingame Trolls, sore losers, disrespectfull twats. generally those that arent nice. Yes, i do consider myself a gamer.

What do you think of elitism?
Elitism and elitists are necesary for growth, people need someone or something to look up to and work towards.

What do you think of 'games as art' vs 'games as entertainment'?
Doesnt good art make good entertainment?
games have focal points. in order for a game to be succesfull, it needs to work on those points. FPS games need to be smooth, fast and efficient, therefor most FPS games arent that artistic.
RPG games are more focussed on storyline, and less on speed and efficiency, the art is used to reinforce everything, set the mood and create the whole environment, therefor games like mass effect, prince of persia and assassins creed can afford to be much more creative in their conventions and graphics.

You could argue that every aspect of the creation of games(except the coding ofc) like mass effect can be put as a work of art, from the scripting, to the concepts to teh concept art, to the storyline, to the texturing, scenery etc etc etc.
the same can be said for games like CoD and similar games. RPG's would just do them... better.. because of the genre or style they fit into.

What do you think of casual games, like Farmville (and any other Facebook game)?
Or peggle delux or plants vs zombies. casual games are great, no pressures, simple, takes your mind off things.
casual games also dont need to be confined to being small games, i play toribash, l4d2 and trackmania nations on a casual basis.

Anything else you can think of?
thug life. ::headbang::


I think its safe to say he's refering to the aesthetic qualities. or creativity of the artistic area.
As apposed to the creativity of game mechanics

a game like black ops or bad company wouldnt be what he's refering to, theyr realistic, not creative.
their art is in the realism of the textures. rather than ridiculous things that dont exist and have to be CREATED from the mind of the artist.

while prince of persia and mass effect arent meant to be as realistic, the creativity in the scenery cant be compared to a photo, nor can the armour, or the weapons.

originality, creativity and flair vs. realism and accuracy.

nope Ben, not talking about purely aesthetics ;)

Game art is a lot more than just looks.

But you do have it right that fidelity doesn't mean better looks ^^