Presentation:Videogames - But are they art?

a). Key quotes
Brett Martin of Should Video Games Be Viewed As Art
“Every time a new technology provides a fresh medium in the art world it is met with a lack of respect, in difference, or indignation, and must go through an acceptance process by the art world.”


What Is Art?, Leo Tolstoy, 1986
"Art is to pass on cultural values from one generation to the next, to serve a sort of moral purpose."

b).Key Links
http://obama.net/north-korea-attacks-south-korea-first-direct-attack-since-1950%E2%80%99s/ 
http://www.socialimpactgames.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=165

http://www.artificial.dk/articles/artgamesintro.htm
http://www.newsgame.com/
http://www.wikipedia.com/art_game

 

c). Key Books and Articles
Video Game and Art,edited by Andy Clarke,Grethe Mitchell,2007,Intellect Books Ltd
Will Computer Games Ever Be A Legitimate Art From, Ernest W. Adams 
Better game characters by design: a psychological approach From Katherine Isbister, The Interview of Gonzalo Frasca
Critical Play:Radical game design,Mary Flanagan,p,239

  d). Case study

Game Name:September 12: A Toy World

Developer:Gonzalo Frasca

Date of release:September in 2003

Nowaday since the technology is being advanced, many medium are being explored or created that can be considered as an art form. The most critical one is that does video game have the potential to be an art form and do we have example to prove that. In this essay, i will try to explain why September 12: A Toy World can be considered as an art.


I will divided the essay as three parts. The first part is the brief introduction of this game. The second part will explain how this game can fit with Adam's idea. And i will explain that with content and aesthetic way. Thirdly, i will express my oponion that why video game can be an art form.


This game caled September 12 : A Toy World. It is designed by an artist Gonzalo Frasca and released on September 2003. This is a shooting game, players need to focus the terrorists, five seconds later, a bomb will destory the location.


The reason why this game can be classified as art because the content of this game fit with the characteristic of art. As Adam mentioned, art must have content, new idea, make you feel something and have aesthetic value. And in this game-September 12: A toy World also has these characteristic.
Firstly, I will explain the content of this game. Adam said that art must have content to convey message. If the game have contained, it is easier for the artist to pass the social value to the next generation."What Is Art? Leo Tolstoy, 1986". Besides, according to this websites http://www.artificial.dk/articles/artgamesintro.htm  also states that the content, the intention behind the game can makes it become art. Go back to the game, we can find that there is a message behind the game. Although players can shoot the terrorists, however, the most interesting point is that the terrorists cannot die. The bomb does create some damage and destroy such as the collapse of the building and generate the "collateral destroy" and kill the innocent civilians. After the civilians are being killed, they will become to the terrorists. It is because the terrorists cannot die, it is easily for the players find out that they cannot win at all. Violence begets more violence and it is not the only way to solve problem. Trying to looking at the past experience such as the World War Two, we cannot see that if we always use violence, many lifes are being killed and just makes people want to take revenge. It is a vicious cycle. From the interview of the game artist, his intention of making this game is to critic the US policy towards Irag that war may not the best solution. As the content of the game, it is no doubt that they game convey the message about violence.

Apart from that, i also think that this game shows the social value - the important of peace. Trying to look at the news these days,
http://obama.net/north-korea-attacks-south-korea-first-direct-attack-since-1950%E2%80%99s/  
We can see that there may be a fight between North and South Korea. After these attacks, many presidents such as Obama are all blame with this action because of the past experience, people notice that war may

just beget more violenece and may easily killed the innocent, peace is the thing that people always finding for. This game tells the negative of violance and shows the importance of peace. And this value may affect the players and educate the next generation. Because this game have content, so it can be considered as an work of art.

Second, art must contain ideas. The meaning of contain ideas is that the ideas should be interesting and new. Back to the game, this game provides a new perspective for the players to play this game. It provides a “big/large picture” of the situation, so the player can easily realize the changes of the innocent civilians .This is very new since this perspective can make the message stronger. Most game designer usually makes the first- person game to make the game more realistic, create a feeling that you are in the game world,  in order to make money such as CS online. However, it is a third person shooting game. this approach is very new to the players since it is not the traditional approach, and this approach can make the message more stronger.

Third person shooting game

First person shooting game

Third, the game needs to make you feel something. According to this game, it is no ending so the players cannot win. It is the feature of this game and this can make the player feel something. How can the game achieve this notion? According to a comment on Gamegirladvance.com, a player commented that this game is interesting and most important, this game make she first thinking. At first, he just want to play this game, but while he is playing, he noticed that he cannot win the game and try to think the reason, why the designer make a game that cannot win at all. Then he understand that violence cannot solve problem, this game makes he think more. From this comment, we can see the impact of the video game; video game can make the players to know the artist’s intention. I think this is another kind of interaction between the artist and the audience. Video game can be more than fun, to educate and interact with the players.  

I try to make a table about my opinion of interaction:

Besides the content of the game, this game also has some aesthetic value. First, the artist uses the contrast colour to classify the differences between the terrorists and the civilians. We can see the civilians are blue in color and the terrorists are white in colour. No matter how small the figures are, it can also easily let the players realize the changes of the civilians. Second, the figures are all in the suitable proportion, so when the players play the game, they will not feel strange even they are using a new perspective viewing point to play this game.

The book ,Video and art has mentioned that"Every time a new technology provides a fresh medium in the art world it is met with a lack of respect, in difference, or indignation, and must go through an acceptance process by the art world". I think it is true since many games are commerically based, this makes the people hard to accepted that video art as art. However, i think we cannot always stay in the old period, many new medium will be created and explored, and it is also a another choice for the artist to use those new medium to create new art work, express their ideas and emotion. Therefore, video game should be considered as an art form, but if we want to consider the game is an art or not, we need to consider that do the game contain content and aestetic value. In the game September 12th, since it contain the two impotant features, so this game can be classified as an art, 

Because this game fit with the ideas that Adam mentioned. Also, we can find out that this can share the social value and make the players feel something,so the September 12th sould be classified as an art.

 

Video Games- Are they art?

1). How does Adams define art? Do you agre with his definition?

In Adams's essay, he can classify different four main types of art, and he points out that why there are many types of art because"the boundaries between art and non-art are not had and fast; there is a gray area"

The four main types are:

Literary arts:  writing, drama, film, television
Fine arts: painting, sculpture, music, dance
Decorative arts: wallpaper, fabrics, furnishing
Architecture and industrial design

Because there is a grey are between art and non-art, so there is a room to discuss weather video game is an art or not. And if we want to dicuss weather it is an art or not, it should

"contain content"
"have an aesthetic"
"have ideas"
"make you feel something"
"not formulaic".

According to the definition of art, first, i think that this is really hard to draw a line to divid weather is it an art. It is because in nowadays, more software or medium will be explored/created, may be those are also have the protential to be an art form such as video game an photography.

Second, from the Adam's idea, he thinks that "art must contain content" and i agree with this point. It is because i think the function of arts is to educate or catharsis people, if there is an content in the aert work, it is easilier to achieve this goal. Besides, having idea can give something new to the people, to let them surprised. Just like we are alll surprised when we see the Andy Warhol's work, if nowaday, someone trying to do the Campbell Soup Pianting again, what you think is that you are doing something similiar with Andy Warhol, the power of the art work may not be stronger than Andy Warhol's work. Apart from it, i will say these definition is a very general line to idifity what ia an art or not, since the line is more broader, the artists will not be constracted to do the art work, they can really do what they want to do.

According to Adam, what is needed for videos to be considered as art?

First, the video game must be more than fun. If the game is more than fun, it woulb be easilier to make people feel something.

Second, the video game should have aesthetic value.

Third, the video game developer must experiment. It is because the artist may not know the power of other new medium if they would not try. May be another new medium also have the potential to be an new art.

Forth, the game must challenge the players. It can explore the players' view.

Fifth, the game awards should change.

Sixth, The game need critic, not only the viewer.

Seventh, the game needs an artist.