The TRUTH about Art.

Art. It's quite the hot topic these days in the video game industry, isn't it? It seems like not a month goes by that I don't see some game journalist/developer/designer/publisher weighing in with their opinions as to whether or not video games are a legitimate art form. First off let me just say that if these game journalist'/developers/designers/publishers would put this kind of thought into their reviews/games/game designs/games published, then we would all be much, much happier gamers.

Anywho, to get on with my point, the topic of whether or not games are art or not has been a hot topic in the games industry in recent years. We've seen prominent people in the games indusrty on both sides of the argument. John Carmack (creator of such legendary games as Doom, Quake and Wolfenstein 3D) was qouted some time ago on saying that video games were in fact not "art." On the flipside, game industry fav "Cliffy B" (creator of the Unreal and Unreal Tournament games and the upcoming Gears of War) believes that games are in fact, art. And the list goes on and on with many people on both sides. Movie critic Roger Ebert was qouted some time ago as saying that he, in his very humble opinion (yes, I added that part), believes that games are not art. Hmm, give me a moment to ponder the logic of whether or not a movie critic's opinion of whether or not video games are art, has any real bearing on the subject at hand..........nope, didn't think so. Moving on....

Now,we could sit her and ponder and theorize over whether or not games are art until we're blue in the face, or we could go ahead and solve this thing right here and now, once and for all. Like I said before, lots of folks have their "opinions", but what I am offering are the cold ,hard facts.

Now first, before I do the unthinkable and answer this simple question that has obviously baffled the minds of so many others, allow me to first elaborate on the very definition of "art". Now first ,before I give you the professional definition of art, allow me to give to you my opinion on what art is. I believe that art is whatever your God-given talent is. That's it. Everyone is born with some special talent, whether it be making music, painting, driving, cooking, speaking, writing, whatever. So, in essence, anything could be considered art. I believe that everything that God created is beautiful and is in itself "art".
Now that I've given you my opinion on what art is, allow me to present to you the professional definition of the word "art" :

art1 Audio pronunciation of "art" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (????rt)
n.

1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature.
2.
a. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium.
b. The study of these activities.
c. The product of these activities; human works of beauty considered as a group.
3. High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value.
4. A field or category of art, such as music, ballet, or literature.
5. A nonscientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts.
6.
a. A system of principles and methods employed in the performance of a set of activities: the art of building.
b. A trade or craft that applies such a system of principles and methods: the art of the lexicographer.
7.
a. Skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation: the art of the baker; the blacksmith's art.
b. Skill arising from the exercise of intuitive faculties: ?????Self-criticism is an art not many are qualified to practice????? (Joyce Carol Oates).
8.
a. arts Artful devices, stratagems, and tricks.
b. Artful contrivance; cunning.
9. Printing. Illustrative material.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ars, art-. See ar- in Indo-European Roots.]

Synonyms: art, 1craft, expertise, knack, know-how, technique
These nouns denote skill in doing or performing that is attained by study, practice, or observation: the art of rhetoric; pottery that reveals an artist's craft; political expertise; a knack for teaching; mechanical know-how; a precise diving technique.



Now I could take the time to point out and go over key parts of the definition to further my point, but I have to assume that anyone reading this is intelligent enough to put two and two together and get four. But if by some chance there are those who just don't see it then let me just point out descriptions 2:a,3,6:a,6:b and 7:a. Now if anyone has any idea of how video games are made then after reading this professional description there should be no doubt in anyone's mind as to the obvious answer to this question.

Lastly ,I would like to one last time reiterate to you unequivocally as to why video games are in fact "art". Here, for this final "hoorah", so to speak, I will take the scientific approach. Real quick, here goes:

Video games are essentially made up of 5 main parts (I am aware that there are more parts than this, but these five pretty much cover all categories), these parts are:

1. The Coders
2. The Artist
3. The Musicians
4. The Writers
5. The Designer/s

Now to break it down:

The coders: I have been actively trying to teach myself how to write code (programming language) for some time and in the beginning of the book that I am reading it says, without fault, that writing code is an "art form". After asking around it seems apparent that this is something that is widely accepted. Point made, moving on...

The artist: Self explanatory,moving on...

The musicians: Music is accepted by everyone as art form, moving on...

The writers:Literature is also accepted by everyone as art form, moving on...

The designer/s: Now design, at first glance, may not seem as obvious a candidate as the ones mentioned before it, but think of it like this: the actual definition of "design" (at least one of them anyway) is this :To plan out in systematic, usually graphic form: design a building; design a computer program.
So taking that definition into account you have to accept design as a legitimate art form. I think everyone agrees that great architects are artist, no one would argue against the fact that the Staue of Liberty or the Eifel Tower's designers were artist.

So here is my scientific conclusion:"If it has webbed feet and quacks , then it must be a duck". Case in point: if all the parts used to make something are known art forms then the end product must be a work of art. There you have it, love it or hate it, those are the cold, hard, scientific facts. So there you go, question answered, problem solved.

Tune in next week and read as I easliy answer another one of the world's great mysteries.

Haon