Video games as art
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MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) in New York City has decided that video games are art, and they are opening an exhibit this spring dedicated to this newly declared art. So far they have acquired 14 games for the exhibit. What say you CP? Clickety[^]
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) in New York City has decided that video games are art, and they are opening an exhibit this spring dedicated to this newly declared art. So far they have acquired 14 games for the exhibit. What say you CP? Clickety[^]
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
I agree that it's art. Some of the scenery and the characters are truly amazing. To be able to conceptualize it and draw/paint it, I definitely couldn't do. On the other hand my son is going to Full Sail in Orlando, FL and getting a degree in Game Art. He has a eye for that type of stuff. He definitely didn't get that talent from me.
If you can’t have fun at work, then why go to work?
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MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art) in New York City has decided that video games are art, and they are opening an exhibit this spring dedicated to this newly declared art. So far they have acquired 14 games for the exhibit. What say you CP? Clickety[^]
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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I agree that it's art. Some of the scenery and the characters are truly amazing. To be able to conceptualize it and draw/paint it, I definitely couldn't do. On the other hand my son is going to Full Sail in Orlando, FL and getting a degree in Game Art. He has a eye for that type of stuff. He definitely didn't get that talent from me.
If you can’t have fun at work, then why go to work?
A couple of my friends went to Full Sail for film production. They were both into the lighting and special effects stuff. I think one of them is still there, and the other is in Los Angeles now. I know he's worked on a couple music videos and maybe a movie or two. Not bad for a 21 year old kid that's only been there for 5 months.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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How so? I think it is an excellent example of great storytelling in a video game and is an amazingly original idea.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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I think the "art" in the case of Portal is the virtual world. The bending of reality is pretty neat. Most games create a 3D world that mimics real life, but Portal created something not (yet) possible in real life. It also did so in a very flexible way (i.e, some games, like Spyro, have created similar portals, but not ones that players could create).
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A couple of my friends went to Full Sail for film production. They were both into the lighting and special effects stuff. I think one of them is still there, and the other is in Los Angeles now. I know he's worked on a couple music videos and maybe a movie or two. Not bad for a 21 year old kid that's only been there for 5 months.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
My son's doing some concept art on a game that a friend of his and a group of guys are trying to put together and market. The friend graduated in November and has a job up in Chicago I think. I told my son if he got his name on a published game, he couldn't buy that type of advertising or credentials to put on his resume. He trust the friend but he's not sure about the other guys, so he's made sure to sign all his artwork and keep the originals so there's no question that he did the work. The friend said they couldn't pay him for his work but if the game got to market they'd pay him royalties. I told him the credentials to his name would probably be worth more than the royalties. But he'll take the royalties too. I know they do some really exciting things. Sometimes the NFL draft is done from one of their studios. Some of the ESPN sport cast are too. They had a quarterback come in and get filmed to improve his throwing. Some of the students get to work on real recordings that go to cd. I was told that it was some Full Sail students who created the video scenes for Sunday night football opening sequence. Several of the graduates from there worked on the Thor movie and another one that had a lot of special effects. It's the place to be if you want to go into media arts. The connection to the industries are huge there.
If you can’t have fun at work, then why go to work?
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I think the "art" in the case of Portal is the virtual world. The bending of reality is pretty neat. Most games create a 3D world that mimics real life, but Portal created something not (yet) possible in real life. It also did so in a very flexible way (i.e, some games, like Spyro, have created similar portals, but not ones that players could create).
The definition of art is subjective, obviously. But to me art is supposed to invoke a strong reaction; awe, disgust, self examination, etc. Portal and its world are cool and original, but not qualified as art in my opinion; not more-so than many other games.
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How so? I think it is an excellent example of great storytelling in a video game and is an amazingly original idea.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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It is an original idea in the mechanics of the portal, but under the surface it is a level based puzzle solving game; not that original. The story is pretty decent, but not awe inspiring.
wizardzz wrote:
a level based puzzle solving game; not that original. The story is pretty decent, but not awe inspiring.
How many other level-based puzzle solving games won loads of Game of the Year awards...? Also, what video game does have an awe inspiring story? :doh:
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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wizardzz wrote:
a level based puzzle solving game; not that original. The story is pretty decent, but not awe inspiring.
How many other level-based puzzle solving games won loads of Game of the Year awards...? Also, what video game does have an awe inspiring story? :doh:
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
Accolades don't make it art. My Cousin Vinny won an Oscar (best supporting actress). My Cousin Vinny is not art. Crash and Chicago won best motion pictures. Not art. Anyways, I think the just picked "cool" games. I was not blown away or even really absorbed in the story line of Portal to be honest. It was short, cool, fun, but not art.
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Accolades don't make it art. My Cousin Vinny won an Oscar (best supporting actress). My Cousin Vinny is not art. Crash and Chicago won best motion pictures. Not art. Anyways, I think the just picked "cool" games. I was not blown away or even really absorbed in the story line of Portal to be honest. It was short, cool, fun, but not art.
wizardzz wrote:
My Cousin Vinny is not art.
GET OUT! :laugh:
wizardzz wrote:
I think they just picked "cool" games.
What games would you select to be part of the exhibit?
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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wizardzz wrote:
My Cousin Vinny is not art.
GET OUT! :laugh:
wizardzz wrote:
I think they just picked "cool" games.
What games would you select to be part of the exhibit?
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
Probably the games in which the songs, images, and stories effected my dreams. The Legend of Zelda for NES is an example of that. Probably some of the better Final Fantasies. Possibly the original Mortal Kombat. (I took the time to learn how to draw, just to draw the characters for MKI and MKII). Since it's an exhibit on Contemporary Art, perhaps the influence on pop culture could be weighted, then Portal would definitely be included. I will give it that, "The cake is a lie." is one of the best single video game lines.
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Probably the games in which the songs, images, and stories effected my dreams. The Legend of Zelda for NES is an example of that. Probably some of the better Final Fantasies. Possibly the original Mortal Kombat. (I took the time to learn how to draw, just to draw the characters for MKI and MKII). Since it's an exhibit on Contemporary Art, perhaps the influence on pop culture could be weighted, then Portal would definitely be included. I will give it that, "The cake is a lie." is one of the best single video game lines.
I think they plan on getting The Legend of Zelda, and I would assume that at least one Final Fantasy will make an appearance eventually. I also noticed the lack of fighting games, but in the list of games they want, they have Street Fighter II which is arguably the greatest fighting game there is.
The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin
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The definition of art is subjective, obviously. But to me art is supposed to invoke a strong reaction; awe, disgust, self examination, etc. Portal and its world are cool and original, but not qualified as art in my opinion; not more-so than many other games.
wizardzz wrote:
The definition of art is subjective
True, I have many different categories/definitions of art. One is traditional art (paintings and such). Some art something which simply alters a medium (e.g., the first person to add physical depth to paintings with extra materials). Other forms of art initially defy categorization, and that is what makes them art. I would categorize Portal as avant-garde. I guess I place the most value on art that is novel. Others, like yourself, feel more strongly about art that evokes a reaction. I suppose each perspective shares some of the other; novel ideas tend to evoke reactions, and evocative art is in many cases novel.
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It is an original idea in the mechanics of the portal, but under the surface it is a level based puzzle solving game; not that original. The story is pretty decent, but not awe inspiring.
wizardzz wrote:
under the surface it is a level based puzzle solving game
Under the surface of the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David is just paint and stone (or whatever it's made of). :)
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wizardzz wrote:
under the surface it is a level based puzzle solving game
Under the surface of the Mona Lisa and Michelangelo's David is just paint and stone (or whatever it's made of). :)
Hmmm, not the best analogy. If you said Mona Lisa was a portrait of an ugly woman, and David a sculpture of a badly endowed man, you'd be accurate. Your analogy is better suited if I were to have called Portal, a bunch of 1's and 0's under the surface. ;P
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Hmmm, not the best analogy. If you said Mona Lisa was a portrait of an ugly woman, and David a sculpture of a badly endowed man, you'd be accurate. Your analogy is better suited if I were to have called Portal, a bunch of 1's and 0's under the surface. ;P
I was considering using "painting and sculpture" instead, but I didn't like the sentence construction. Aesthetics are very important, you see.
wizardzz wrote:
Mona Lisa was a portrait of an ugly woman
Or an attractive man.
wizardzz wrote:
David a sculpture of a badly endowed man
Or a well endowed woman.
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I was considering using "painting and sculpture" instead, but I didn't like the sentence construction. Aesthetics are very important, you see.
wizardzz wrote:
Mona Lisa was a portrait of an ugly woman
Or an attractive man.
wizardzz wrote:
David a sculpture of a badly endowed man
Or a well endowed woman.
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I agree that it's art. Some of the scenery and the characters are truly amazing. To be able to conceptualize it and draw/paint it, I definitely couldn't do. On the other hand my son is going to Full Sail in Orlando, FL and getting a degree in Game Art. He has a eye for that type of stuff. He definitely didn't get that talent from me.
If you can’t have fun at work, then why go to work?
Could I suggest that we consider the technical aspects as art as well? A game like tetris is not great in visual stuff, but it's an art to take something that simple and make it as successful as tetris is (dunno how financially successful it is though). The 'user satisfaction' levels of tetris / pacman / etc is also so unexpected I would like to suggest that it is an art.
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