Gaming A Letter to Minecraft

its a fun game, but i think everyone could spend there time on something more usefull.

 

Wrong meaning of purpose there. You mean "usage". Paintings, sculptures and literature can't be used for anything, their only purpose is to exist as art. They can be exploited for a purpose, like making money or a political point, but the actual objects themselves do absolutely nothing but sit there looking pretty or taking up space on the coffee table. Oh, and meaning is not a requisite for something to be considered art so what you said about art being a vessel is just rubbish.

Sorry, I should have attributed my semi-quote there, I expected people here to know it already (duh). Rupert Maas said that "an object d'art can have no other purpose than to exist as art" and he should bloody well know what he's talking about (look him up on wikipedia). It's the current viewpoint of pretty much the entire art establishment, although the more fringe sections of the art world would disagree and there are always arguments about whether certain things are exceptions to that rule (eg: cars, buildings).

Considering they can't even decide whether a building can be art, computers will never get anywhere near classified as art in the eyes of the art establishment. Artistic - yes. Art - no way in hell

 

I dismiss the existence of art, yet I really enjoy Minecraft. C'mon then Columbo.

 

Calling things art is sketchy anyways. You could take a shit on a door mat and put a cocktail umbrella in it and call it 'art', and there would be people who would agree.

 

I'm glad someone from the "art establishment" can confirm that art is useless and may even be meaningless!

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect". Specific to this definition, a symbol must have a meaning (it must symbolize something to exist!). Additionally, emotions (with some exceptions, such as cold colors making people sad) and intellect require a meaning to be influenced, so I'd say that's not exactly rubbish. Literature, for example, is calligraphy when you take away its meaning, or at best an interesting story. In order to evoke emotions and thought it must mean something to the reader.

Of course, to continue with literature, conveying a message to the reader must strictly be forbidden to be art because it is another purpose. Social commentary, for a common example, could not exist because it serves the purpose of informing the reader of the author's observation. Unless conveying a message is to be defined as influencing the intellect, in which case a great deal of publications are art.

It serves no other purpose than to exist as art, so it seems so. The scent certainly influences the senses!

Remember, the words "good" and "art" are not mutually inclusive according to the powers that be! Just wait a few years until someone comes up with a new clause to keep your **** on a doormat out of the clubhouse.

 

I think the single player mode is really fun, this is the one you can adventure yourself through the game's world, killing monsters, crafting weapons, tools and stuff. It's the multiplayer that has no purpose imo.

 

I LIKE DO BUILD A CASTLES IN MYCRAFT

 

Awesome.

 

After a long discussion with my other half, I should clarify that the definition is for *a work of art* rather than art itself. Bad Stoney

I would dispute the use of the word "symbolic" in that definition and point out that only one of the other definitions of art you can get from the first page of a Google search for "art definition" actually even uses any form of the word "symbol". Plus MC Escher and Mondrian would be most disappointed if we downgraded much of their most influential and ground-breaking work from being art merely because of a badly worded Wikipedia entry.

Purpose in this context refers specifically to a practical outcome of an object's use. Cars are transportation and buildings are shelter, it's their primary purpose and any artistic merit they may have is secondary to that. Damn, considering all this really makes you think about how words are used, no wonder there's so much argument over all this

My other half brought up the installation by Tracey Emin called "My Bed" in our discussion. The word "installation" in that sentence seems to be what makes the whole thing count as art, rather than merely a collection of carefully arranged crap, so I'm guessing "Poop sur une Doormat avec petit Umbrella" will be sitting in an art gallery near you soon and possibly for a very long time.

 

haha yes it does! And I'm sure an artist could come up with what that piece of.. 'art' represents. Would all be baloney though as it came to my mind in an instant flash of brilliance (grossness).

If that ever happens you will know that the idea was stolen from me. That, or I have changed careers to become une artist lol.

 

You're welcome.

It could be, but it isn't.

 

To be fair, unless your playing a real cash online game (Entropia Universe comes to mind), its all just pixel crack and completely worthless.

Don't get me wrong I sink a LOT of time into MMOs, but ultimately - to each his own.

 

i cant believe this has turned into a 5 page argument (or can i?).

the fact is, this is an opinion thread. noone here is right or wrong because there is no right or wrong answer here.

people who like minecraft like it. people who dont, dont. whats the big deal? why does everyone feel the need to justify their personal opinion?

 

Sloth,

so you're happy now that your dull prejudices have been confirmed by a (one) "member of the art department", allowing you to happily live on in its stench?

Art has a purpose, but usually it is a "transcendental" and not an immediate one.

 

You like improving your COD7 KDR and skills? Good for you, you could do that in COD1-6 too by the way.

Finally, a game with a bit of originality comes along and you bash it over the head.

Why is this article on bit-tech btw?

 

So, lemme get this straight? People who love the game play it and adore it, and people who don't bash it? Well, welcome to the freakin world! To each their own. Besides, arguing online....well, I'm sure you all know where that one goes.

 

wait what? ... what the hell are you implying?

why play any video game then, or watching a movie... or do anything at all were "nothing of value" is actually created... I really don't get your way of thinking.

 

That's the best argument that can be made really. It's what it all comes down to, and nobody can really argue against that. Unless you are playing a game that can make you real life money, then they are all just about the process of playing and none of them really achieve anything.

My angle on the argument though, is just that I just think there are better games to play. Whatever it is that you get from Minecraft, there is likely a far better alternative. If you like the spooky dark depths filled with monsters, then play an RPG or MMORPG where some of them have incredible intricate dungeons, far more advanced, far spookier. Or Condemned, or Doom 3, or something like Amnesia The Dark Descent, pretty much crap your pants scary according to most people. Or if you like creating and crafting things, look at something like Vanguard where there are thousands or recipes and you have a gigantic gorgeous looking world to travel and you have to harvest the materials and then there is a real crafting process on a real workbench, with mishaps that you have to solve and stuff. Then you can sell your items to real people. In fact you could actually make real money in that game by doing that. Or building, there are games like Sim City 4 where you build entire cities, and it has more depth because you have to balance your income and expenditure, and you have to provide everyone with sufficient police and fire coverage and water. Or Tropico 3, or a TBS game where you have to expand your race. Or if you like fighting the zombies, there is stuff like L4D2 or Resident Evil or Dark Messiah or even WoW or whatever.

It's just hard for me accept Minecraft because I'm a big RPG player. So I've got games going back 20 + years that have crafting, exploration, combat. They are like Minecraft but better.

To me Minecraft is just a very basic building and hole digging game but without all the challenge and action. It's an alpha so... hopefully they will add the good stuff in the future, but for now, I can't go along with all the hype. I think it's nuts.

 

have you tried building logic gate traps yet? I have never discovered a game like this where the principles allowed you to build simply whatever your imagination wanted. Can you build 7 segment displays and tickers and rollercoasters or lava pits in Vanguard? Nope

Its the open ended-ness that makes it soo much fun. You can create whatever you want - and the law defying physics are great too.

Minecraft is definately not just a "very basic building game" if you tried it you would notice this about it. If all you could do was build a castle - I would find it pretty boring. It seems that's all people who haven't played it much seem to think you can do in it.

Hell you can even build an Arithmetic Logic unit in it. Don't tell me you don't think that sounds like fun!