Are games in general Art?

[Mr. Achie]

Hello,

First of all, hats off to the ES development team. Awesome new chapter. I really enjoyed it.

I have a question regarding games in general. Are games art?
I personally think that games are art because if you look at the development side (just like the ES Team is doing), you have to make art for the game itself, make concepts, audio design and of course also program the game. But is programming itself art and are games art?

Sorry for my bad English.

Thanks!

[Valfader]

Art is a term that describes a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities, but is most often understood to refer to painting, film, photography, sculpture, and other visual media. Music, theatre, dance, literature, and interactive media are included in a broader definition of art or the arts.[1] Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences, but in modern usage the fine arts are distinguished from acquired skills in general.

Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art.

In other words; yes - games are art.

[ansatsusha_gouki]

Of course,games are art.....I dont see why not,if people consider music,movies,and animation art,why not video games

[Falco Girgis]

A game is at least partially composed of graphics and music, which are inarguably forms of art. Games as a whole must be considered art to some extent whether you consider coding an art or not...

[wtetzner]

Are games art?

The U.S. Supreme Court thinks they are: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-27/tech ... _s=PM:TECH

[Falco Girgis]

Are games art?

The U.S. Supreme Court thinks they are: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-27/tech ... _s=PM:TECH

Oh, snap. Good one.

[Albionremain]

Objectively art is defined as a piece of work infused with One's own values, judgements and personal philosophies. There are some things that are considered 'art' which really are not valid forms of the word, eg: photography, as it simply captures or records exactly what the camera sees and therefor is very limited to the message that can be delivered.

Video games, and their included graphical and audible art, are very much a valid form of the word. I can see where code could be questioned as a valid form but only in the sense that it's presence isn't, at first glance, as prominent as the above mentioned assets. However, if graphical art is the look (sight) and music/sound effects are the sound (hearing) of a game then the code is the feel (touch). The code of a game/program is always as unique as the person who writes it. Yes, there are 'best practices' in coding but if you were to give a problem to a room of programers, each one would present a entirely unique document back to you as a solution. Reading someone else's code gives you an insight to their metal thought process as well as their characteristics as a person. Are they neat, tidy and efficient or are they a cluttered, just-make-it-work, robust sort of person?

The feeling of a game is the unique experience of the game itself... while graphical and audible art serve as a pleasurable backdrop, the gameplay and 'feel' of the game itself highly defines the user's experience.