Legitimizing Video Games as an Art-Medium

Abstract

Are video games Art? There is certainly much creativity in the medium but little of what one could consider Fine Art. The focus of most video games is reflected in the rise of the behemoth video game corporations with an eye solely on the profitability of titles. As such, much is known of the history and business models of the industry but there has been little discourse on the practicalities of legitimizing this new medium as an Art form. Artists have begun to use the culture of the video game as a field of experimentation but nowhere near the level of that in film (seemingly its closest artistic rival). The complexity, variance of skill-sets and size of teams involved in producing a contemporary video game is such that it has the effect of alienating those who would wish to produce from outside the industry.

It is time for a call to arms for artists and those within the industry to begin to explore the collaborative possibilities. The potential benefits would seem to be a mutual pushing-forward of the medium towards an expansion of our understanding of what a video game can be, and also where interactive art could be within the next decade.