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10 videogames which could be considered art

September 01, 2007 in News comments 30

Ever since that jerk Ebert started preaching that videogames aren't art there have been several attemps to prove him wrong. Here is a list of 10 videogams which could be considered art

1 Bioshock
2 Shadow of the Colussus/ICO
3 Okami
4 Psychonauts
5 Black and White
6 American McGee's Alice
7 Metal Gear Solid
8 Rez
9 Eternal Sonata
10 Takeshi's 'Challenge

Games as art
Video games are a viable artistic medium, capable of presenting both superficial beauty and deep commentary. Here are 10 video games that can be considered, for various reasons, works of art.
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Most recently commented on by on Sep 2, 2007

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  • 0
    Existenz Sep 1, 07
    So many games there were much more artistic than Bioshock... It seems Bioshock only got to number 1 because graphically it shits on the rest, Shadow of the Collosus should be 1st atleast.
    • 0
      Miller Sep 1, 07
      Artistic relevance: Objectivist commentary and interpretation, art deco aesthetics
      Related artists: Ayn Rand, Hector Guimard
      • 1
        Existenz Sep 1, 07
        Bubblegum could be given artistic relevance, that doesn't mean it is relevant to art.

        Oh i love how they have used this vibrant pink to craft this rather unique block of bubblegum, the sudden machine cut ends and the rather tame outer wrapping just adds to the shock factor the pink delivers...

        Please anything could be talked about in an artistic light, that doesn't mean they are art though.
        • 0
          FidoDido Sep 2, 07
          ^^ True enough (Existenz).

          Of course, any "games are art" discussion has to be preceded by finding a definition for art itself. In my view, art is anything that makes a statement about the human condition.

          Going by this definition of art, games like Okami and BioShock aren't art. They're visually pleasing and visually unique, but does this alone make them art? Nope. If we also go by my definition, you could argue The Sims is an example of a game as art - certainly, not many games comment on the human condition quite as well (rampant consumerism, vanity, status anxiety, and insecurity - particularly in matters of the heart).

          But then that's the problem - there are so many possible definitions of art, that these lists are usually void before they're even published. Art means different things to different people.

          Here endeth the rant.
    • 0
      DragoniteBallZ Sep 1, 07
      Bioshock is art more than just being a technical graphical achievement. But the feel of an underwater urban setting with a 1960s theme. That's art of character.
    • 0
      Xenctuary Sep 2, 07
      It's a list, not a countdown.
  • 0
    SSJ3 Trunks Sep 1, 07
    I can agree with the metal gear solid. Bioshock...eh, not so much.
    • 0
      volacide Sep 1, 07
      Are you mad?! BioShock is more artistic than Metal Gear Solid in every facet and I'm a HUGE MGS fan.
  • 0
    Dance Floor Killah Sep 1, 07
    I disagree with Eternal Sonata... but that's just me.
  • 0
    Jaw Knee Sep 1, 07
    I don't agree with a few games. BioShock came out literally like four days ago. Metal Gear isn't art either. I really agree with Okami though.
    • 0
      Sonic Flash Sep 1, 07
      A game isn't a wheel of cheese where you have to watch it age before you can appreciate it, it's a game, and since it's a 360 game, you can beat it in 4 days.

      I've only watched a bit, but I'd have to agree with the nomination of Bioshock. It's quite cool, very with the time frame it was set in, and the characters have a lot of personality to them. The fight scene against the surgeon? I'll remember that scene forever, tbqh. The name Bioshock doesn't really do it justice; just call it 'Rapture' and get people intrigued.

      Shadows of the Colossus was quite artsy as well, but it wasn't really that immersive. You don't really have to pay attention to back story, your location, the subtble nuances of the boss fights and their personalities; you're just taking a long time to kill very large bosses. Each boss is stylish in their own way, but Bioshock really sets a better mood and is more immersive.
    • 0
      Gogetenks Sep 1, 07
      The original Metal Gear Solid(and it's remake), much more so than the rest of the series, is actually a surprisingly artistic game, but not in a literal sense. It does have a purposely muddy look, which adds to the atmosphere. However, what they mean by artistic is art as a whole, not only visual art. It's a work of art because of the deep personalities every character has, how even the NPCs talk to each other, communicate and watch each other's backs. It's the sense that every character is actually alive, something that few games have ever pulled off. I'll admit, I really felt for Sniper Wolf when she died, and she was an enemy. The story was hell in it's own way, and it was a masterpeice.

      Visually, it was nice, and it had some style, but in that sense it isn't visually artistic like Okami is. It's artistic in another sense, a rare one that few directors besides Kojima have ever pulled off.

      Having Bioshock at first is a bit of a stretch, but I agree that it is a work of art in it's own right. Absolutely amazing game, and it deserved a spot in the top 10 list. Rapture's cityscape alone deserves awards, it was one of the best I have ever seen out of any medium, whether it be paintings, games or otherwise. It had some amazing visual art, as well as an atmosphere that few games compare to. I actually muted the game for a while .
      • 0
        Miller Sep 2, 07
        "I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose...RAPTURE!" *Cut to cityscape* - Epic.
        • 0
          TurMoiL911 Sep 2, 07
          I agree. When I played the demo and that part came up, I nearly shit myself in sheer amazement. The dialogue really helped add a lot more drama to it, too.
  • 0
    volacide Sep 1, 07
    I disagree with you guys, BioShock is an artistic masterpiece, if you haven't played it then you don't know shit, I'm talking full game.
  • 0
    Miller Sep 1, 07
    Indeed, everything in the game made me feel like I was in the 60's from the "Pop art" posters to the cheesey 60's style radio commercials..
  • 0
    Seeker X Sep 1, 07
    So....wtf is Heavenly Sword? Seeing as it was more of a movie than a game, I expected it to beat AT LEAST "Psychonauts"...

    Again, another shitty list.
  • 0
    Incidnia Sep 1, 07
    Still haven't got around to playing BioShock but it's a beautiful game.


    gd news tho. lolol not!
  • 0
    Shadow of Death* Sep 1, 07
    Not really fair for me to judge, since I haven't played many of these games...

    But from what I heard of say...Ico, I would have to agree that it is art...Ditto with Okami...But I don't think that Bioshock deserves first place..Though it might deserve a place...

    Art is really subjective, and can encompass many sorts of qualities that can judge it as 'art'...

    Visual (being a graphical masterpiece, or simply having a more unique visual quality...Okami is an example of the latter)

    Immersive - How well the object d'art draws you into it...does the storyline, and gameplay just suck you in, and take you to a fantasy/surreal world? Is it so 'ultrarealistic' that you feel 'part' of the experience? Does it emulate it's 'world' in a very believable fashion?

    There are more ways of qualifying something as art...and of course, people's opinions are a big part of it...
  • 0
    black doom Sep 1, 07
    I found the Ocarina of Time very artistic personally. It was masterpiece a treat to the ears and the mind. I have always thought of art as something which highly stimulates thought and/or emotion and the Ocarina of Time did that a lot for me. Leaving the forest, I actually felt a little for Saria and Link. As Zelda was chased away I felt shock and was freaked (and psyched) to See Gannondorf, then I felt, I don't know the words for it, but let down and 'weak', when Link w2as knocked down. Then when he traveled through time thought and emotion switched places as time slipped back and thought became much more important. Not ignoring the thrill of combat and the thinking needed for puzzles.

    But how much one can take out of something, and how much one can put in, are in a sense, one and the same. And so, by my view it is very easy for me to see how so many different can see things in different ways
  • 0
    Sayyed Sep 2, 07
    Shadow of the colossus should be number 1. Okami has the right spot. The fact the games graphics are based around japanese art.
  • 1
    Warsun Sep 2, 07
    So glad BioShock is number 1. I also agree with the placement of Shadow of the Colossus and Okami.


    A MAN CREATES.

    A PARASITE ASKS, "Where is my share?"

    And Steinman's recording about Picasso and surgery was *bleep*ing awesome I could go on and on, and one day I will, but volacide is 100% right.
    • 1
      volacide Sep 2, 07
      Dude I know what you mean, I was telling my friends about the "what if I were to do the same with a scalpel" quote the next day.

      AMAZING stuff, and I'm still not done with it. Just got to Frolic Front or something.
  • 0
    Xenctuary Sep 2, 07
    Great article, the artistic interpretations were certainly interesting to read. And I had no idea Takeshi Kitano (of Takeshi's Castle and Battle Royale fame) had his own "game"!
  • 0
    Sayyed Sep 2, 07
    Oh snap, I just saw REZ in there. That game was amazing!
  • 0
    ConkerASkyJockey Sep 2, 07
    Some of them aren't really a surprised. They all have great art looks.

    Shadow of the Collosus deserves a 2nd place, it showed great graphics and art structure, but BioShock was too great for SoC.
  • 0
    Arcaida Sep 2, 07
    Odin Sphere. The visuals in that game are breathtaking.
  • 0
    FidoDido Sep 2, 07
    Any "games are art" discussion has to be preceded by finding a definition for art itself. In my view, art is anything that makes a statement about the human condition.

    Going by this definition of art, games like Okami and BioShock [see my self-correcting comment below - BioShock does actually say quite a bit about the human condition] aren't art. They're visually pleasing and visually unique, but does this alone make them art? Nope. If we also go by my definition, you could argue The Sims is an example of a game as art - certainly, not many games comment on the human condition quite as well (rampant consumerism, vanity, status anxiety, and insecurity - particularly in matters of the heart).

    But then that's the problem - there are so many possible definitions of art, that these lists are usually void before they're even published. Art means different things to different people.

    Here endeth the rant.
  • 0
    Miller Sep 2, 07
    Did you honestly just say Bioshock doesn't comment on the Human condition?
    • 0
      FidoDido Sep 2, 07
      Ah, OK - I stand corrected. Didn't really think that one through, did I.

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