Slamdance controversy: Are video games art?
As an artistic absolutist, I have always believed no topic is off-limits in terms of artistic expression.
Any artist can create a book, play, movie, TV show, painting or sculpture about anything. It's up to the marketplace of ideas whether that work is accepted or rejected. Arts organizations - theater troupe, gallery, movie theater, etc. - decide whether to put that work on display, and arts patrons decide whether they want to see it.
So I shouldn't be bothered with the idea, as reported in the Tribune today by my colleague Vince Horiuchi, about a video game based on the Columbine tragedy. After all, if Gus Van Sant can make a brilliant movie about a school shooting in "Elephant," why can't a video-game designer construct an interactive experience that could be equally moving?
(The game was pulled as a finalist from Slamdance's Guerilla Gamemaker Competition, leading to protests, walkouts by other competitors and now the withdrawal of one of the competition's sponsors, USC Interactive Media Division.)
But the notion of "Super Columbine Rampage RPG" does bother me - because while I recognize the creativity and even artistry put into video games, I don't believe video games have yet risen to the level where they can be considered works of art.
Works of art represent the point of view of an artist. A painter shows you what he sees. A writer tells you what he wants you to know. A filmmaker shows you images to evoke the emotions he wants to invoke in you.
A video game doesn't do that. It presents the situation and location, like a set designer dressing a stage. But the only point-of-view in a video game is the player's. Though the game designer may manipulate you into certain situations, ultimately it's your choice which direction to go.
That's not art, that's a game. And while a work of art about Columbine may be tastefully handled, a game about Columbine is just tacky. What's next? A 9/11 flight simulator?
Any artist can create a book, play, movie, TV show, painting or sculpture about anything. It's up to the marketplace of ideas whether that work is accepted or rejected. Arts organizations - theater troupe, gallery, movie theater, etc. - decide whether to put that work on display, and arts patrons decide whether they want to see it.
So I shouldn't be bothered with the idea, as reported in the Tribune today by my colleague Vince Horiuchi, about a video game based on the Columbine tragedy. After all, if Gus Van Sant can make a brilliant movie about a school shooting in "Elephant," why can't a video-game designer construct an interactive experience that could be equally moving?
(The game was pulled as a finalist from Slamdance's Guerilla Gamemaker Competition, leading to protests, walkouts by other competitors and now the withdrawal of one of the competition's sponsors, USC Interactive Media Division.)
But the notion of "Super Columbine Rampage RPG" does bother me - because while I recognize the creativity and even artistry put into video games, I don't believe video games have yet risen to the level where they can be considered works of art.
Works of art represent the point of view of an artist. A painter shows you what he sees. A writer tells you what he wants you to know. A filmmaker shows you images to evoke the emotions he wants to invoke in you.
A video game doesn't do that. It presents the situation and location, like a set designer dressing a stage. But the only point-of-view in a video game is the player's. Though the game designer may manipulate you into certain situations, ultimately it's your choice which direction to go.
That's not art, that's a game. And while a work of art about Columbine may be tastefully handled, a game about Columbine is just tacky. What's next? A 9/11 flight simulator?
10:05 AM
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1 Comments:
If video games evoke emotion in people? I'm sure that anger, confusion, and excitement are common with gamers, but what about emotions commonly associated to heralded art, like sadness or joy?
I don't think I've felt those things via video games, but maybe others have?
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