Video games and Art

Before you let out that sigh, know that this isn't one of those overly long essays on why games are definitely, totally art. It may be long, but don't expect to see the words Braid, BioShock, and Shadow of the Colossus being constantly referenced in every paragraph. Rather than trying to argue that videogames are art, I found analysing the question "are videogames art?" provided more solid, satisfying answers. This article attempts to accomplish three goals: explore the idea of art, examine what this question is really asking, and to determine a solution to the question. This debate has made little progress lately so I hope this new angle will breathe new life into this discussion.

Where's The Graphic Novel of Video Games?

I hate the term "videogames." Its banner spans too far and its definition too narrow. To be a little elitist for a second, I dislike how works like Red Dead Redemption share the same label as social games like Angry Birds. When I say, "I play video games," it could mean literally dozens of different activities. It could mean I play Wii Fit, FarmVille, or Shadow of the Colossus. This term has such a massive umbrella, encompassing such a wide variety of interactive activities, that anything electronically interactive is considered a video game. It's a shame, because as long as titles like Mass Effect, L.A. Noire, and LIMBO continue to be referred to as games, this art form will continue to be less credible in the eyes of the mainstream. The term "videogames" is too broad for such a diverse range of activates, yet it does not effectively define all areas of the medium.

Is the Popularity of First Person Shooters a Phase?

Currently, First Person Shooters like Call of Duty, Homefront, Battlefield, and Medal of Honour dominate the sales charts and gamer's free time. Many gamers however (myself included) are frustrated with this genre's current trajectory, criticizing its lack of innovation, uninspired settings, and predictable, rushed experiences. There's no doubt FPSs are one of the most (if not the most) popular and profitable genres in all of gaming, but will this trend eventually fizzle and give way to the next best thing? Is the current popularity of First Person Shooters just a phase? I heed warning before venturing further; the answer may be a little discouraging. Allow me to elaborate...

Failure of the MMOFPS

 

Granted, I've never played an MMOFPS, so I'm not nearly as experienced as I should be on this matter, but I find the consistent failure of the MMOFPS genre very interesting when MMORPGs can achieve such massive success. Why can't the FPS, the most popular and profitable genre in gaming, be translated into the massively multiplayer space? Why can't games like PlanetSide or Tabula Rasa attract and maintain sustainable audiences like Blizzard's World of Warcraft? Some say it's the nature of the FPS genre that makes creating a compelling MMO experience impossible. However, I think MMOFPSs have simply been approached from ineffective perspectives and need to be re-worked and re-thought for mass audiences. It's fascinating that MMOFPSs have failed, time and time again, to be a reliable and viable platform to develop games. I think this genre is full of untapped potential and it's only a matter to time before the MMOFPS blasts its way through the genre's seemingly impenetrable dark crevice of the gaming sphere.

State of the Franchise: Halo

Halo: Reach may have received financial success and critical acclaim, but Reach showed the age of the franchise and how it's not the console power-house it was a few years ago. With Call of Duty rising above and beyond Halo's success, I wouldn't be surprised if the next Halo instalment attempts to reinvent itself by straying drastically from its roots. If Halo: Reach taught me anything about the state of the franchise, it's that Halo is getting predictable and boring. Yes, I'm aware Call of Duty is extremely predictable year after year as well, but its rise to power was only recently, its game design more modern, whereas Halo has been dominating -and mostly unchanged- for almost a decade.