The discussion of games as an art form is one that has raged for decades now. While the general conclusion of the discussion seems to be that some could be considered to be a form of art while others could not, that’s a conclusion that can also tend to lead to some general snobbery about which games are inherently superior. As always with anything that’s grounded in preference, taste is subjective, and there’s never going to be a conclusive answer as to when one is better than another.
However, does it matter if a game isn’t trying to be art? If itsimply puts entertainment first, or even puts its own monetization ahead of any design philosophies? Read on for a discussion as to whether it’s necessary for a game to be seen as a form of art.
Your Enjoyment is the Most Important Part of Gaming
Gaming is about your enjoyment, at the end of the day. The waters can get muddied when certain games are perceived as somehow manipulative or underhanded—at which point the player might be at risk of falling prey to a danger that they aren’t aware of. However, it could be that the games in question are more upfront about how they are designed. This is the case with the games you might find at Casinoza casino, which everyone can immediately understand as being casino games—experiences that revolve around the possibility of monetization.It’s in the form of loot boxes, and other more disguised techniques, that the discussion might become more contradictory—as seen in how some legal systems respond to these systems in games.
Consider the Efficacy of the Message
When a game is trying to be art, that might not always be a feature that always inherently elevates it above the competition. If a particular game takes a bold swing at a specific message, theme, or direction, only to have players mostly agree that it failed to achieve any of what it was striving for, it might not be considered art at all.
Obviously, the definition of art is hazy. It could well be argued that any game is art—even the ones that are purely out there to make money in underhanded ways (a message might still be conveyed, after all). Art is often found in the way that a player responds to a game, and if meaning is found, there’s no way that someone else can claim otherwise. This makes it difficult to ever discern whether or not a particular game has “failed” in achieving what it set out to do.
Look for Art Within Games
Sometimes, it’s not so much about every aspect of the game coming together to form a cohesive work of art; instead, it might be more about individual aspects or systems that stand out and do the heavy lifting. Music is a prime example of this, and it can go a long way towards creating a mood or atmosphere that sticks with players even when the game might not be aiming for such an avant-garde effect. Other times, the art design itself might be what helps a game to stand out, doing more to push a game forward than raw graphical fidelity alone might be capable of achieving.
