communication device or the programming, music, storytelling, voice characters in games where they don’t communication, itself; art allows us acting and interactivity. For a videogame speak. Where I have to put my own another avenue to share points of view, to be considered art, do each of these story in where one doesn’t exist. to help us empathize with others. Art can have to follow the rules for art? Just a Have you ever drawn/painted/sketched a also help us better understand ourselves few, maybe? Even, perhaps, only one? It also reminds me of how I end up still life in a group? While everyone in as we look at another’s interpretation of getting attached to the individual units in the group was looking at the same a subject and contrast how ours are This week, The Escapist focuses on just a game. I might really try hard to create subject, more than likely each person similar or different. one of these many layers of art in a squad of elite rangers in Generals or had a different outcome. One person videogames: visual design. Visual 2-D or keep alive that one marine who got 7 focused on the lighting and shadows; From what I say above about art, one 3-D art is one of the most accessible kills. I think of the first as my elite go-to one person focused on a smaller area of can conclude (correctly) that I have a layers for the general population, as squad, or if I’m playing China, an elite the subject; another focused on rather broad opinion of what constitutes most of us have participated in this art sniping unit. The second becomes my perfecting the colors; a fourth focused art. Does it convey someone’s view? form, whether as creators or viewers. It promoted NCO who keeps peace in his on perspective; and the last one seemed Does it evoke a response, emotional, is the aspect most often pulled out when squad, and makes them more effective. … to focus on not much at all. mental or physical, in someone the “Are games art?” debate heats up. In There are no gameplay mechanics to experiencing it? If so, it’s probably art. It this issue, our writers discuss their own reasonably support either story. But I do This happens with other art, as well. I may not only be art. And not all those experiences with, and speak to those it anyway. know I’ve talked with a group of friends who engage in an activity are artists – a who create, visual style in games. Enjoy! about a new song playing on the radio child may be drawing, but unless he’s - Tom Beraha and each of us has said something drawing pictures of high-fashion models, Cheers, completely different: “The lyrics are chances are those stick figures probably In response to “The Great Continue great,” “The use of strings in that one aren’t really how he interprets the world. Screen in the Sky” from The Escapist part was cool,” “I liked the vocals.” We Forum: I’ve often wondered how I’ve all listened to the same song, but it My “rules” for art, and many other developed my view of the cosmos, and spoke to us in different ways. people’s for that matter, get cloudy on I’m sure my odd views (which align the subject of videogames. Why? themselves closest with Buddhism) come True, that scenario is not really the Videogames, like movies, musicals or from games like Zelda, as well as the old artist’s interpretation of the subject, but ballet, are the combination of several TV shows like Battle of the Planets and rather the audience’s. That interpretation defined forms of art. Just as a musical is In response to “Back Story” from Monkey Magic. is just as valid: Art is expression, both a combination of dance, music, singing, The Escapist Forum: This article by the artist and by the person acting and storytelling, a videogame reminds me of how I generally have - FunkyJ experiencing the art. It’s a includes layers of visual art, conversations in my head for my In response to “The Great Continue In response to “Bungie’s Epic of the war back home and within the Screen in the Sky” from The Escapist Achievement” from The Escapist country you’re fighting with. Forum: I kind of see the continue screen Forum: I think you will find that the as having very capitalist overtones, the people at Bungie are actually relatively - shihku7 more money you have the more chances intelligent and I know that some are you have to finish the game , it’s almost certainly very well read. These In response to “My Hindu Shooter” as if money can buy you anything - even similarities may be the result of from The Escapist Forum: On that life, I don’t know if that makes home conscious research and application of the note, when I finishedGhost Recon: gaming communism though. idea that good stories are those that Advanced Warfighter on the 360 a week survive. If you want a good story you or so ago, I discovered that I’d - TheMonkeysAteMySoul should look at those ones that have massacred nearly 600 Mexican rebels. As stood the test of time. the uplifting music played and the credits In response to “Bungie’s Epic rolled, I felt very ambivalent about the Achievement” from The Escapist - Simon.McCallum moral framework espoused by the game. Forum: Don’t get me wrong, I really like Yes, I prevented a secret weapon from videogames and I think that they can In response to “My Hindu Shooter” falling into the hands of a notorious achieve “art” status. I also have nothing from The Escapist Forum: I’ve always terrorist, but I had to perpetrate mass but total respect for Bungie (I was a Mac thought it’d be cool if semi-realistic war murder to do so, and the game did gamer for many years before Microsoft games like Battlefield 2 and 2142 had nothing but cheerlead my slaughter. flashed too much money in front of non-fatal ways of dealing with enemies. Bungie’s eyes), but I found the premise And that these ways would net you GR:AW was a very good game, but behind Halo more notable than the bonus points for NOT killing your enemy. where’s this generation’s Shadow of the delivery of the story. Maybe I was merely Basically, you could kill your enemy and Colossus? I’d like some moral ambiguity distracted by the awesome gameplay score 1 point, or you could take the with my murder, please. and physics while a truly “epic” story more difficult route of disabling and was being presented to me, but I think capturing him and score 2 points. - Ajar this may be why some people might find it hard to draw comparisons between To me this is also a realistic method of Halo and The Aeneid ... or at the very warfare. Nowadays many militaries are least, appreciate them. trying to find more ways of dealing with enemies in non-fatal ways, because this - Echolocating can increase the public relations points “Videogames represent a loss of everyone has his own definition of art, those precious hours we have and each definition rests in the mind of available to make ourselves more the beholder. cultured, civilized and empathetic.” - Roger Ebert So, is it a problem of definition or a problem of perception? Perhaps it’s both. It’s a chicken/egg question, from a certain point of view: Are games a form The history of game art is a lot like that of art? The question can be (and usually of everything else related to videogames: is) reduced to semantics; what is art? Is People started making games, decided the definition of art some communal they needed art to go with games and thing, some mutually agreed-upon hired artists to make it. When the art standard to which all things are held and actually started appearing in the games, by which art is judged? If so, who does things got interesting. And now that the judging? One of us, or all of us? making art for games has become its own (lucrative) career niche, the potential for Perhaps the definition of “art” is to be chaos and misunderstanding has decided by those who make it. If so, one snowballed into an ongoing debate from would have to consider the opinion of a which none of us, it seems, will ever be very large number of people calling able to extricate ourselves. themselves “artists,” who have studied art and how to make it, and are now Not without help, anyway. making their living by applying what they’ve learned about art to the art I recently spoke with three men who are making of videogames. And yet, there deeply involved in both videogames and are some people who call themselves art. One is an actual artist working on artists, who have been granted federal actual games, the second is a cartoonist funds for the making of “art,” and yet who makes art about games and the whose work has been widely vilified for third is a developer working on a game not being anything closely resembling which will ostensibly teach players how art. All of this seems to say that to make their own art. All three consider themselves “artists” and, to varying intended to be beautiful or thought- happening in art and games.