Video Games as Art

Before I get started today there are a couple pieces of business to take care of. First, I have created a new e-mail account for messages related to this site: mikewantsagamejob@gmail.com. Please use it instead of the e-mail address mentioned in my very first post. Secondly, I hope to begin podcasting within the next couple of weeks so keep your eyes open for that. New podcasts will be posted every other week or sooner, depending on how quickly it takes me to create a new episode.

Now on to more interesting matters: a couple of days ago I was referred to an article by CHUD.com's Devin Faraci regarding the controversy surrounding the adult only rating for Manhunt 2. In the article the author uses this issue to assert that the videogame industry is still primarily targeting teenagers, a fact which severely limits its potential as an art form. Until videogames present their audience with intellectually, emotionally, and philosophically mature themes, he argues, they will forever be a form of crass entertainment.

As a gamer, I found the article completely infuriating, but I must admit that it made a number of excellent points. Certainly a game like Manhunt 2, the main selling point of which seems to be how much brutal, disturbing violence it can showcase, does not meet commonly accepted standards of art, but are there games out there that do? Furthermore, what constitutes art? Is it the intent of the artists, the ability of the work to evoke something in its audience, or is beauty simply in the eye of the beholder? This is a subject with too much complexity to delve into in a simple blog post, but it's something I plan to explore with more depth and perspective in my podcast. For now, I would like to say this: there are not many games out there that I would consider art, but they are indeed out there. In games such as Planescape: Torment, Okami, and Katamari Damacy, it is clear that the designers and artists responsible for these games created worlds, characters, and stories that they poured themselves into in order make them beautiful and inspire awe in their audience. For Mr. Faraci to call the work of these dutiful men and women "disposable junk" is incredibly insulting both to them and to the audiences that enjoy them. Certainly there are games out there that were clearly treated as a product to be marketed, but games such as the ones I mentioned do not deserve to be lumped into this group, as I am sure movie aficionados would be loathe lumping together Pirates of the Caribbean 3 with Citizen Kane.

Like I said, I'll be exploring this topic more in the future but for now I would like to end on an upbeat note. This video is a must-see for any old-school Nintendo fans, particularly those that faced the endless frustration of Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, and Mike Tyson/ Mr. Dream.

Goddamn I hated those guys.

One Two, One Two Punch, Mac.

-Mike