Many in today’s society see video games as a giant waste of time and utterly pointless and yet, it is becoming one of the biggest industries in the world that takes many different talents to create. It takes computer engineers, coders, artists, musicians, writers and actors just to create one game. Now arguably, not every game is made specifically as “art” such as the annually released “Call of Duty” games, but those that tell an amazing story or have an amazing art design are qualifiers for art.
Now, what I mean by art is that it has an impact on someone playing it due to its visuals, music, or play-ability. For example, when I first played “Assassin’s Creed: Unity” the game was buggy and the story was dry, but the world in which it was set (revolutionary Paris) was beautiful. The stained glass windows in the cathedrals were gorgeous and the world felt real. Another game to mention is “Flower," a game where you play as a flower’s petals dancing in the wind gathering other petals until you are a beautiful train of petals diving and rising through the breeze. There is no action, plot or violence. You just play the game and enjoy the music. The game is there for people to de-stress and enjoy the scenery and the beautiful music.
Surprisingly, the video games that make the best “artistic” games come from independent developers instead of Triple-A developers trying to make as much money as possible. It is always important to pay attention to the indie games that come out because those are the ones that are worth paying attention to due to their amazing stories and artwork. This is not to say that Triple-A games are not worth your time and do not have engaging stories. Some of them have the best concept design that I’ve ever seen and are some of my favorite games to play. There’s just something about dropping $60 on a game whose sequel will be out next year instead of paying a maximum of $20 for an indie title that will change the way people view video games as a medium for storytelling and art (looking at you, Undertale).
These views are not shared by all. Some folks in the gaming community are die-hard fans of just Triple-A games and could not imagine just playing a game because the music is amazing or that the story is one of a kind and could not be replicated. And that’s okay. It’s their preference to enjoy what they enjoy and to play whatever makes them happy. I have differing opinions because I am a writer. I personally engage with video games who have an amazing story and also have stunning visuals. Sometimes video games are the only way to convey a story well.
Video games are relatively new to the world, only having been around since the ‘80s and already things have changed from 8-bit graphics to motion capturing professional actors to convey a role. Video games are in fact an art form because it takes so many people from different areas of study to build one little game that will be played and enjoyed, thus making their dream a reality.
