Are video games art, or merely a form of entertainment? A comment by celebrated critic Roger Ebert once sparked a debate on whether video games should be considered an art form: “I am prepared to believe that video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful. But I believe the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art … That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.”
While Ebert has a point, overall, video games are a valid art form.
The amount of work that goes in to a game is incredible. Most blockbuster games have multi-million dollar budgets and take two to four years to make. Games are made by teams of hundreds of people, ranging from programmers – who are skilled in computers, advanced math, physics and artificial intelligence – to highly skilled artists and composers, among others.
If you look at recent games on Xbox360, you’ll notice that the graphics are striking. Part of that is due to the technology created by programmers, but there are also highly skilled artists who create the lifelike characters we see in modern games. Games like “Mass Effect” and “Final Fantasy XII” have intricate worlds that are teeming with life. “Final Fantasy XII” features some of the finest artwork to be seen in a game. The airships and cities are incredibly detailed, which makes this fantasy world come to life. “Eternal Sonata” is another example of incredible artwork in a game. The anime-style art in this game set against the music of composer Frédéric Chopin gives this world a vibrant feel. With such detail, the games make you feel as if you’re in an animated movie.
Some game sales are even generated primarily by the graphics. “Gears of War” and “Crysis” have some of the best graphics ever seen in a video game. Without the jaw-dropping animation, it is unlikely that “Gears of War” would have gone platinum.
Visual art is only one aspect of amazing games. Unlike mainstream games like “Madden” that feature popular artists, games like “Final Fantasy Tactics,” “Chrono Cross” and “Secret of Mana” have soundtracks that are worth listening to even outside the game. The beautiful scores help drive the story and make the player feel emotion. I remember feeling sad, happy and somewhat excited at the appropriate moments even in games like “Final Fantasy IV,” which debuted way back in 1991 on the SNES. The soundtrack for that game was so amazing that it was included in school textbooks in Japan.
Sound effects and voices also play an important role in modern games. In games like “Halo” and “Mass Effect” you can hear the direction that a weapon is coming from if you have surround sound.