THE defining feature of video games is >>>interactivity<<<, this undermines the contemplative experience, which is in turn essential to art. Video game developers are creative, I can tell whenever I play a great video game of the past. But creativity alone does not make something art.

Does this mean that video games are not art? No, I actually do think it's art, but here's maybe the most "depressive" part that people don't really ever talk about, it's BAD art. And it can't ever be GOOD art. Video games will never be able to produce anything close to something as significant as the most influential pieces of literature, cinema or music. Over 40 years of video games history, and I still see nothing even remotely comparable to the most influential and significant pieces of cinema.

So, why are people and developers so obsessed with video games needing to be seen as art? It'll only hurt video games. It's already hurting it, because I see a bunch of fucking hacks creating "cinematic" walking simulators that put in 0 fucking effort into innovating the DEFINING feature of video games, INTERACTIVITY. The GAMEPLAY. If video game developers truly care about advancing the medium of video games forward, think about how you can evolve the interactive experience.

>>716170874
You cared enough to post in the thread.

Who are you, essayfag's retarded cousin? Piss off, midwit cunt.

>>716172728
Why are you so upset?

>>716170874
i like you

>>716170629 (OP)
Correct

>>716170629 (OP)
The moment a medium requires "interaction" to be appreciated or known, it means a good chunk of the human population will never ever do anything with it.

For you to appreciate a good painting you only need to see
To appreciate a good song you only need to hear
To appreciate a good book you only need to know how to read
To appreciate a good videogame, you need to learn how to play it, much like learning a sport or a skill.

Even if the greatest game of all time were made today, you would not be able to show it to a random person and expect them to simply enjoy it as they would a painting, a song or a book, they would have to learn how to play it.

>>716174891
Do you think that video games are art or not? Do you think they're art, but bad art?

>>716170629 (OP)
>THE defining feature of video games is >>>interactivity<<<, this undermines the contemplative experience, which is in turn essential to art.
Disagreed, the interactivity can often be a vehicle to get immersed in the sights and sounds of the game world. I feel the thought that goes into how the player interacts with the game can take a fair amount of artistry in itself. Sure the player flying around in God mode shitting on everyone might not be seen as beautiful or sophisticated but to some that's just the simple beauty of the medium.

>>716175353
Videogame are the sum of many types of art, it would be silly to consider it not.
Would the works of shakespeare stop being art if it had an soundtrack to go along with it?

The problem is, with interactivity, being good or not becomes much more subjective.
If a person cannot play a videogame, they will likely consider it bad
Do blind people enjoy paintings?
Most people just can't play videogames. Be it because of physical limitations, or mental ones.
Videogames can be good art, but they are MUCH harder to have an universal agreement on being good art than any other artform.

>>716170629 (OP)
>THE defining feature of video games is >>>interactivity<<<, this undermines the contemplative experience, which is in turn essential to art.
You can create pieces of art with video games that cannot be achieved through other means because of the medium's inherent interactivity. Placing the player in the role of an actor and allowing him choices can create a visceral, emotional reaction, or simply be entertaining and varied; this is not anti-art, it is an aspect of this form of it.
Anyone who disagrees with my take is wrong. There is no more discussion to be had.

>>716174891
>The moment a medium requires "interaction" to be appreciated or known, it means a good chunk of the human population will never ever do anything with it.
majority of people have no idea how to appreciate art at all, because they don't know how. So many people will look at art and say "it's just x y or z" or say "that's pretty" or "that's not pretty" or something mundane and not think about it beyond that.
Foreknowledge is required to appreciate.

>>716170629 (OP)
you can't define what is and isn't art dumbass

>>716170629 (OP)
Fucking based. Not only they're bad art they're a bad hobby, in fact, playing videogames is as bad as gooning as a hobby

>>716170629 (OP)
I agree. If interactivity made art better, the choose-your-own-adventure book would have surpassed the novel- which itself is now only the first stop a story makes on its way to the screen.

>>716178228
Can gooning be art?

>>716177775
>Videogames can be good art
Does a video game exist right now that you consider to be good art?

>>716174891
So if I made a cool painting with colors in frequencies the human eye could not see unassisted it would no longer be art?

>>716174891
>you would not be able to show it to a random person and expect them to simply enjoy it as they would a painting, a song or a book
Paintings and songs, sure, but books are much more comparable and often also require learning additional knowledge to be fully appreciated.

>>716180019
Like?

>>716178245
I disagree for the opposite reason. interactivity does make art better, thats why people still remember those shitty ass choose your own adventure books. they were not good enough stories to stand on their own, they needed interactivity to be memorable. nobody would look back on them fondly if they were generic short stories

the real problem with interactivity is that you need to make so much more stuff to handle it. its extremely difficult to write a choose your own adventure book and have all possible routes include full length stories. the overall book would have to be thousands of pages long

>>716170629 (OP)
Whatever, nerd.

>>716180164
Historical context for one.

>>716177775
people have to interact to play chess yet its regarded as a hallmark of intelligence. The art of chess is a very real thing

>>716180650
Theatre is a better example of interactive art.

>>716170629 (OP)
>this undermines the contemplative experience
Contemplation is post facto, while creativity is in the middle of the act. Even with movies and plays, the contemplation occurs in the discussion after the show, not during the show.

People can play video games and then contemplate the experience afterwards.

>>716181335
Precisely.