10 Answers

  1. The question of whether computer games belong to art cannot be answered until we make a digression and at least briefly understand what art is, what its goals are, whether there are criteria for evaluating art and what can rightfully be called a work of art.

    The Encyclopedia Britannica defines the term art as follows:

    “Art is the use of skill or imagination to create aesthetic objects, settings, or actions that can be shared with those around you.”

    From this definition, we can conclude that the main criterion of art is the ability to evoke a response from other people.

    Leo Tolstoy in 1897 wrote an essay on this topic called “What is art?”, where he examines the most diverse aspects of this term, as well as art from the point of view of its social status. Tolstoy rejects the usual criteria based on the” beauty ” or truthfulness of the work. He focuses on the emotional response and the ability to” infect ” the viewer with an emotion or idea of a work of art. At the same time, Tolstoy recognizes that art can be called not only paintings, sculpture, or literature. He believes that the concept of art encompasses any human activity that can evoke a strong emotional response in the viewer or listener. In his essay, Tolstoy quotes the words of the French writer Guyot, who told how a glass of milk he drank in the mountains brought him aesthetic pleasure. He also gives the following example to illustrate his point:

    “So, the simplest case: a boy who has experienced, say, fear from meeting a wolf, tells this meeting and, in order to evoke in others the feeling he experienced, depicts himself, his state before this meeting, the situation, the forest, his carelessness and then the appearance of the wolf, its movements, the distance between it and the wolf, etc.All this, if the boy relives the feeling he experienced during the story, infects the listeners and makes them If the boy had never seen a wolf, but was often afraid of it, and in order to evoke the feeling of fear he had experienced in others, he invented an encounter with a wolf and told it in such a way that he evoked the same feeling in his listeners as he felt when imagining a wolf, then this is also art.

    In the same way, it will be an art when a person, having experienced in reality or in imagination the horror of suffering or the charm of pleasure, has depicted these feelings on canvas or marble in such a way that others are infected with them. And so it will be art if a person has experienced or imagined feelings of gaiety, joy, sadness, despair, cheerfulness, despondency, and the transition of these feelings from one to another, and has depicted these feelings with sounds so that the listeners are infected with them and experience them just as he experienced them.”

    That is why many people (including me) reject the idea of art as a tool for “introducing humanity to the beautiful.” Art can not only be beautiful, it can also be ugly, because art can reflect absolutely any aspect of what surrounds us; any idea or emotion that the artist wants to convey.

    In my opinion, one of the main functions of art is the creation and transfer of experience from the creator to the viewer. An experience that should further expand the horizons, emotional perception, and add new divisions to the viewer's perception of the world around them. Take the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”.

    Thanks to the fact that Bryullov perfectly coped with Tolstoy's “infection” of the viewer with feelings, the person who has never seen a live volcanic eruption and has not been in the place of a victim of such a catastrophe feels an incredible effect of presence and is quite clearly aware of the emotions that people in the picture experience. You can stand in front of it for a long time, look at each individual participant in the picture, try to form his image, life story, character traits, motivation, based only on emotions, posture, action.

    “The Last Day of Pompeii” resonates and gives the viewer a very valuable experience, which then has some influence on his worldview. It is doubtful, of course, that after seeing this picture, his whole life will be turned upside down, but the fact that when he leaves the museum, he may think about the value of each day and hug his children more tightly than usual is quite likely.

    For art, its relevance to the viewer is also important. Surely, in terms of the level of emotional response, the rock paintings of our ancestors, or the film” Arrival of the Train at La Ciotat station ” by the Lumiere brothers, fully correspond to the status of works of art, despite the fact that they do not touch modern people due to the lack of modern problems and conflict in it.

    The Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies edited by S. Ya. Levit gives the following definition of the term work of art:

    “A work of art is a product of artistic creativity, the result of processing a particular material (speech, stone, canvas, paint, etc.) in order to create an object that is a carrier of meaning, both personal and superpersonal, individual and objective, responsive to previous objects of the same kind and at the same time relevant for the recipient-beholder in the present and future; related to life practice and abstract ideology, but not aesthetically, not practically or ideologically significant).”

    Computer games, along with movies and literature, are now one of the most popular forms of art. If you look at everything written above, it is obvious that computer games meet all the above criteria for determining art:

    • a computer game causes an emotional response in a person, “infecting” him with emotion, introduces him to some new feeling for a person;
    • a computer game gives you an experience that expands the horizons and emotional spectrum of the player;
    • a computer game is absolutely a product of artistic creation and processing of material (graphics, code, speech, etc.);
    • a computer game is a carrier of artistic meaning.

    Computer games are a spectacular dynamic art form. Unlike movies, literature, photography, theater, or any other field where the viewer is just an observer, games have one huge advantage, which is the incredible degree of involvement of the viewer in the process of absorbing art. This makes it possible to convey an experience to a person to an even greater extent and evoke a much greater emotional response in him than through other types of art.

    Imagine that Karl Bryullov decided to create the game “The Last Day of Pompeii”. In it, you would be a resident of the city who has his own house, his own family, plans for the future and everyday chores. You complete game tasks, interact with neighbors, go to the market, play with your children, and get ready to sit down to dinner with your family. And suddenly, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius begins. You try to pack your bags, take your family and escape. You calm your wife down, even though you don't know what to do and are panicking. Here is a game process that would allow a person to experience what is depicted in the picture a hundredfold, because in the case of the game, the viewer ceases to be an observer and becomes a participant in events.

    In such a comparison, is Bryullov's painting a work of art, but the game is not?

    Not every game is a work of art, however, there are a great many games that are works of art.

  2. You can find the answer in the article of the cultural critic Leonid Moyzhes “Are video games an art form?“. In short, the problem is not that video games worthy of the status of art have not yet appeared. The problem is that the gaming industry itself insistently maintains the reputation that video games are something frivolous, thoughtless entertainment. The industry needs this to protect itself from criticism and social responsibility. But it also deprives her of the power to create serious works and fight for her place in the art world.

  3. At a minimum, this game should have a cultural value, as much as possible reflect the context and historical stage of society. This can be done by both straightforward and possibly even primitive means (a vivid example of “Super Mario” from Nintendo, no one will dispute its significance in popular culture) And a rather complex system of images-context – history of the author-other things in the aggregate, as an example, we can cite “Pestilence. Utopia ” by Ice-Pick Lodge and Nikolai Dybovsky in particular

  4. This question is too complicated – everyone has their own taste. However, the main thing is good graphics and a great story. Most of the best games stand out with perfect character features and landscapes

  5. Indeed, I read that not so long ago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York recognized several computer games as works of art. Well, in general, the dispute on this topic is constantly conducted. From my point of view, in addition to the obvious quality of the game itself, games with two special components can claim the title of a work of art. First, the graphics. Have you watched Sex, Love and Robots, a very popular mini-series right now? Here is something of the same level. Secondly, some really good story with a strong message.

  6. To recognize video games as works of art in general, it is necessary to vote in the UN Assembly on this issue, followed by the creation of a generally recognized narrow specialization of certified video game critics. In our time, this entire segment is given over to streamers and there is complete anarchy in it. After all, there are film critics, theater critics, literary critics, and other narrow-profile art critics. And video games are like Kazan orphans.

  7. There are actually two in your question. And you also need two answers.

    1. Any game is a work of art. Good or bad is another matter, but since games are an art form, any game is a work of art. And bad games – well, movies, books, paintings, sculptures, performances are also not all good, to put it mildly.

    2. If we talk about recognition from the “criminal subculture of art critics”, as E. Lukin would say, then this will be a game that they will be persuaded to play 😉 Well, or for a commendable review about which they will pay. And the opinion of these same art critics, by and large, is only of interest to them. Well, and those unfortunate people who learn from their opuses.

  8. A computer game can combine many types of art. It can be extremely cinematic, it can have a good plot as a literary work, the game can have a great musical accompaniment, etc. You need to emphasize or all at once.

  9. This is a technical question, really. About society – not about games and art.

    The game just needs to make an appropriate impression on an influential humanitarian professor. All. No more , but no less.

  10. There are not many good games, because they are all monotonous and have a number of disadvantages.
    In order for the game to become a masterpiece in the world of games, it must have(s)::
    – Interesting-original plot
    – Main and secondary characters
    – No annoying donat or no
    donat at all – Convenient controls
    -Port on the console
    -Compatible with popular operating systems
    – Good graphics
    – Gamepad support
    -Physics
    -Music (in the background)
    – Optimization
    If at least this is done with a soul, then the game will be recognized as a masterpiece by critics and fans.

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