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News 80 games selected for art exhibition

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by arcticstoat, 6 May 2011.

  1. arcticstoat

    arcticstoat Minimodder

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  2. Guest-23315

    Guest-23315 Guest

    Goldeneye 007 is alsp art. FACT.
     
  3. Paul2011

    Paul2011 Minimodder

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    no i cant agree that games are art, they are ment to be played not looked at. But there should be a museum to visit or somthing similar, i think it would do well especially if you could play the games there
     
  4. Jake123456

    Jake123456 Surprise!

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    I'm surprised Crysis isn't there.....Stunning game..
     
  5. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

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    Some really strange choices there, some games I'd never have thought of, let alone put them in they categories they were listed in.

    Gamers have always known that games are an art form, its only the intellectual asshats that said they weren't.

    After all, every art-form has its use of nudes as a common thread - any everyone knows that games use excessive amounts of boobage to attract gamers. All of which makes me wonder: why aren't the Tomb Raider games included? They're the archetypal boobage-in-games example, and if art = boobage, then surely Tomb Raider is one of the highest forms of gaming art? (notwithstanding the poor storylines and crap gameplay of the more recent incarnations of Ms Croft)

    Just because games are meant to be played doesn't stop them from being an art form. It's possible to appreciate the beauty of the graphics and backgrounds as you're playing. I think most game studios' art directors would probably disagree with you :D
     
  6. FelixTech

    FelixTech Robot

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    It is all very much down to the game. I think "narrative art" says it all really. Games can encompass film, animation and performance, but also books and in some cases 'sports' (StarCraft II?). I'm not sure if books are considered 'art', and I certainly wouldn't want to pay to go and look at a screen from a text based game. On the other hand being able to interact and play a game is pretty much the same category of experience as any interactive art installation. So yes they can be art, but not neccessarily good exhibition art, and definitely more time consuming.
     
  7. sotu1

    sotu1 Ex-Modder

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    Crysis is a stunning technical achievement. I wouldn't classify it as art though. It's storyline certainly isn't good art!

    Much the same for a painting that's lifelike. It's technically skilled, but art isn't a skill, but more of an interpretation.

    The 'are games art' argument could probably be shortened to 'not all games are art, and not all art is good' and that would be it.
     
  8. pimlicosound

    pimlicosound What's a Dremel?

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    I can't believe we're still having the "are games art?" debate. Just take the Wiki definition:

    "Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items (often with symbolic significance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect."

    If you don't think video games fall under that definition, you're reading it wrong.
     
  9. DrTiCool

    DrTiCool Minimodder

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    hmm, Rez
     
  10. Aterius Gmork

    Aterius Gmork smell the ashes

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    This could as well be called "A Brief History of Console Gaming". If they'd have swayed a bit from their console path they might have found a few real pieces of art, not more and more of the same in better graphics.
     
  11. Roboduck

    Roboduck 01110001 01110101 01100001 01100011

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    I find it interesting that Portal made it in but none of the Half Life series made it :confused:
     
  12. guvnar

    guvnar What's a Dremel?

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    I scanned the article looking for the original Elite... and nothing!!!

    A classic art image would be the approach to the space station - what I'd give for a large poster of a classic Elite screenshot...
     
  13. Zurechial

    Zurechial Elitist

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    A big step in the right direction and egg on Ebert's face, but..

    No Deus Ex? No Planescape Torment? No Half-Life?
    Fail.
    Bioshock got in?
    Fail.

    Some entries are confusing though. Are these games being judged solely on their visual artistic merit, or as whole artistic packages?
    If the latter, then why did Kristoffer Zetterstrand get the credit for Minecraft when Notch is the genius behind the game itself and the one directing its development from the beginning?
    Nitpicking on my part, maybe.

    All in all the list isn't too bad, but the exclusion of Deus Ex is just a travesty, regardless of its lack of visual fidelity.
     
  14. Woodspoon

    Woodspoon What's a Dremel?

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    Somewhat surprised the Eve online isn't there, may not be the most interesting game at times but it can look very very pretty.
     
  15. ObeyTheCreed

    ObeyTheCreed What's a Dremel?

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    *Blink* Well of course gaming is an art form, are you telling me that these dumb asses didn't know that? The way the character's are created just right to mix with the storyline; how the storyline has to be captivating enough for gamers to come back for more, yet realistic enough to let you believe you are actually living the game, now that is art that is truer than any painting.
    P.s. I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes, i had surgery Wednesday and my right arm is in a cast so im typing using my left.
     
  16. SMIFFYDUDE

    SMIFFYDUDE Supermodders on my D

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    No Grim Fandango, for shame. That game should be included automatically.

    I've heared movie posters described as art so why not game box covers and C64 game loading screens?
     
  17. zatanna

    zatanna What's a Dremel?

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    more info on the selection process, criteria and curator (chris melissinos) can be found via the smithsonian site. for those wondering why certain games didn't make the cut:

    "The museum invited the public to help select the video games to be included in the exhibition. The 240 games on the ballot were selected by Chris Melissinos, who worked with the museum and an advisory group consisting of game developers, designers, industry pioneers, and journalists. The games were selected based on a variety of criteria, including visual effects, creative use of new technologies, how the game fit into the narrative of the exhibition, and how world events and popular culture influenced the message of the game."
     
  18. Sloth

    Sloth #yolo #swag

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    Art isn't just for looking at. Performing arts don't really focus on the visual aspect (many great plays are historically done without props) and literature obviously isn't about visual appeal. Games have the ability to blend the visual appeal, story line, and experience of other art forms into one.

    As for selections? Welcome to art. What you like and what others may like can be two totally different things.
     
  19. SuperScrubber

    SuperScrubber Mad Chemist.....buwahahaa

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    For what the humblest of my 2p is worth, I think this is the fundamental barrier & issue for classifying games as art forms. While I'm older than I want to admit, having the played games from between "Era 1" & "Era 2", I really don't see how they can't be classified as art.

    In so far as moving images have gained widespread status as art-forms how can an interactive moving image be classified otherwise ? Surely the greater investment of an individual's time & emotions qualifies games more based on the definition of art above ?

    As much as I am glad that the Smithsonian is trying to raise social conscience of games as art, there's the obvious issue of how to exhibit them for everyone to appreciate. The graduation from still to moving to interactive art is a tricky dilemma. Staring at a Constable or a Turner in the National Gallery, you are presented with the entirety of the piece from which you can freely form an opinion. Contrast that with trying to exhibit The Shawshank Redemption or The Godfathers to a fleeting audience. It's nigh-on impossible to convey the emotion these invoke in the time most people will spend in an exhibition. That doesn't make them any less of a work of art, simply harder to capture. Contrast that again with a game that can last multiples of time longer than a film & the issue is obvious.

    That said, & again for what my opinion is worth, I think the selection is actually pretty fair & representative of the games that are considered to have impacted on people or shaped the path of the industry.

    My single observation would be to agree that the role of the PC has played has been significantly underestimated. As an obvious point there is nothing between 2000 & 2006, which seems criminal given the releases in that time. It might be contentious but there is a strong argument that PCs (for a multitude of reasons) have been more suited to pushing accepted boundaries than consoles which surely makes them more likely to host expressive pieces than volume focused console releases.

    I guess what I find is telling is that, having looked at the list, how many of the choices I agreed with were based on the games I had played & invested significant time in. If nothing else, this suggest to me that games are undoubtedly art-forms but that their influence is dictated by the player & their circumstances when they play it. The step from this is that truly great games (& arguably works of art) are the ones that have the widest impact & that can influence individuals significantly regardless of their situation. In that respect surely the same thing that results in people mutually appreciating a painting or sculpture should equally apply to games.
     
  20. Bauul

    Bauul Sir Bongaminge

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    I think there are two definitions of "art", and whether a game can be considered as one is very dependent on which definition you use. They are:

    1) Creating a technically impressive recreation of a tangible object through the use of creative materials. Doesn't have to emote anything.

    2) Creating a series of emotions through the arrangement of otherwise unemotive materials, often beyond those originally designed by the artisit. Doesn't have to involve any particular technical ability.

    Many classic paintings are arguably definition one but not two - and there are many, many games that definitiely do fit the first definition. The gameplay might not be deep, but the architecture of Bioshock definitely does for example, so I can fully understand why they included it.

    The second definition, of which most modern art falls into, is the area where definitely most arguments about games come from. No doubt most AAA titles certainly don't produce any emotive response above and beyond precisely what the developers originally intended.

    However, a few certainly do - although typically they're not the AAA titles. One that springs to mind is The Graveyard. Occasionally you get games that can fit both, perhaps Braid or Limbo, but certainly there haven't been any that undeniably fit the bill.
     
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