Anton Smith English 102H Professor Knippling 2/29/12 Video Games: Modern Art Art is everywhere in the modern

world. It plays a role in everything we do, from entertainment to advertising. Modern art itself takes many forms, including movies and symphonies and abstract sculptures. But one medium in popular culture has yet to be recognized as a true art form. Video games started out as the subject of ridicule by pop culture, but the industry surrounding it has since risen to multi-billion dollar profit status. This is an enormous leap from the early days of Atari Inc. and the release of Pong as a home video game in in 1975 (Bellis). But even so, many people still view video games with an air of disdain, because of their use of graphic images and mature themes. Some accuse them of corrupting the 1980s and 90s generations (desensitizing with the use of shooter games) or of being immature wastes of time. Others, such as Denis Dutton, Professor of Philosophy at University of Canterbury, UK, thinks that video games have no need to be art, saying Isnt being fun enough? (Murphy). However, I believe that video games can be something deep and meaningful; something that can rival any movie in greatness. When one considers all the evidence, can video games be considered an art form?

Before we begin to call video games art, we have to come to a consensus on what art really is. Looking for a simple objective answer, I went to the dictionary. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines art as the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects, and works so produced, and Dictionary.com says that art is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. An appropriate translation of this would be that art is whatever could be considered creative or beautiful, or made by skill. A dictionary only serves as a one dimensional view of this subject; a more direct comparison between accepted art and video games is necessary. The word art is representative of many things, and trying to define it as a single thing is similar to trying to define truth or knowledge, something which philosophers have been trying to do for millennia. However, listing criteria or characteristics of art is much more manageable. During my research, I managed to break down most modern art into three main sections: visual design, audio, and storytelling. Visual design is most similar to what we think of as art, mainly paintings hanging on a wall or sculptures on display in a gallery, and deals with color, spacing, and visible aesthetic. Audio is most akin to music, covering everything from symphonies to rock and roll. Storytelling is in its purest form in novels, where the visual aspect is cut down to words on a page and the soundtrack consists only of ones own breathing. The lines between these characteristics are not always so clean cut, however. Music can tell stories, such as classical pieces written for operas when the content is most certainly made to follow the action of the story. Images can also tell stories, like what happened before and

after, and what importance it has. The most blended of these three, however, is film, where they all mix and work together, and (in some of the best works) they create atmosphere and emotional response. These are not as much characteristics of art as they are the effects of art. Video games, much like movies, also exhibit these three aspects of art, and can create emotions and atmosphere as well as any blockbuster. A video game has a soundtrack (sometimes written by accomplished composers), impressive visual creativity (including multiple camera angles on any scene), and story (which can be immersive and fluid). It is important to have some context with which to make an accurate comparison, and now that we have a standard for art, we need several examples of video games. In 2010, Roger Ebert, a writer for Chicago Sun-Times, wrote an article about how video games could never be considered a real form of art, saying that the medium itself keeps video games from being art (the idea of choice makes it confined to the realm of entertainment only). However, in response, Samantha Murphy, writer for NewScientist Online Magazine, wrote a piece in which she interviews several game designers and academic enthusiasts. She says that one viewpoint stood out: you cannot analyze the art behind video games without having actually played them. With this in mind, here is a simple summary of my experience with the four examples used in this paper: Half-Life 2, Halo Series, The Elder Scrolls Series, and Portal. Half-Life 2 starts as you awaking from a dream-like introduction sequence on a train that pulls into a city, known as City 17, a dystopian society ruled by an alien police-state. You soon find yourself accosted by a group of what seem like police-men, but they are obviously not human. You soon escape, and proceed to find the resistance group, fighting the police-like

Combine Soldiers and aliens, including the infamous headcrab. The gameplay is simple, a first person shooter, but the true brilliance of the game is in the writing and atmosphere, as well as some very detailed design in the characters. Halo 1 starts in a space battle, where the human ship is running from an onslaught by the Covenant, a theocratic alliance of multiple alien species. They land on a strange spacestation known as a halo, and unwittingly release a horde of creatures known as The Flood that threatens the galaxy. The series spans 5 games, as the main character travels from halo to halo, fighting Covenant and Flood. The game shines with its impressive commentary on politics and religion, as well as engaging gameplay and an impressive soundtrack. The Elder Scrolls is almost comparable to a great fantasy series. Having only played 3 of the 5 games, I cannot give an entire description, but the series spans many centuries of history of the continent of Tamriel, inhabited by humans, elves, cat-creatures, and lizard creatures. The storylines of each is individual, but that is what makes the games so immersive. Tamriel has a rich written history which is consistent between each game, as well as a well-designed and convincing polytheistic religious system. The most recent game in the series is Skyrim, which shines as an example of modern graphic ability. Portal 1 and 2 are my favorite games of all time, and therefore this section is burdened by my bias. A game with a simple story, it is made as a puzzle game, solving block-and-button puzzles one at a time until a spine-tingling twist. The game is an excellent example of subdued storytelling, as well as being impressively humorous.

Visual design of video games has developed thoroughly since the rectangles and pixels of pong and other early Atari games. This is the most easily identifiable artistic portion of modern video games, the impressive visual effects used to create a virtual environment. Such effects are used in games like Half-Life, Halo, and Skyrim when developing far-reaching vistas, which make the player feel like they truly are standing in a ruined city or on an alien planet. Games like Skyrim, which present a free-roaming environment, have to account for visual elements being viewed from any direction and from any distance, making the amount of detail involved in designing landscapes rivals any landscape painting. Major video game companies have begun assembling NFL-roster size teams of increasingly specialized artists to compete in the growing video game market says writer for USA Today Mike Snider. In his article Artists Whove Got Game, he quotes Nick Heitzman (game developer) as saying artists of all times will be in high demand to provide visual elements . . . at the quality we demand (Snider). There has recently been a strong push, with the development of computing technology, towards the more realistic visuals in video games. Just as there was a movement from 2-D to 3D games, there is currently a move from the cartoon-like graphics seen in many games to the realistic immersion seen in many of the newer releases. Skyrim shipped 7million units in the first two days (Sharkey), and exploding sales of Halo: Reach hit $200million in the first 24hours (Crecente), showing that there is an intense public interest in this manner of game. Both feature lifelike graphics and realistic environments, Skyrim taking place in a Nordic-esque region and Reach on an earthlike planet. This obsession with the natural and real can also be seen in an artistic movement of the mid-19th century: the Realism Movement. During this time period, a large number of experimental artists sought to portray what they saw without

idealizing it.an unembellished rendering of natural forms (Realism). I believe we can see evidence of such an artistic trend in the ultra-realistic games of recent years, putting video games into a position to be compared with forms and materials that are simply themselves (Realism). This realism trend speaks to the desire for humans to emulate nature through art, as we can see, also by extension video games. However, Roger Ebert, who we have mentioned before, says that it is not enough for video games simply to emulate art; plenty of artists have drawn exactly what they can see and not been counted as great masterpieces. A true work of art improves or alters nature he says (Ebert). While I might agree that this is true, its not mutually exclusive. Just because something isnt world-changing or revolutionary doesnt mean its not shown in art galleries or in museums. A large part of what gives art importance in culture is its ability to have an emotional effect on the audience. In visual elements, I call this the Wow moment; when an image can make you stop and appreciate whats in front of you or around you. Landscape paintings can have a wow moment, so can sculptures. However, video games can also have this moment of appreciation. The Halo Series prides itself on its visually striking scenes, where you can suddenly turn a corner and be presented with a crystal clear ocean, sunlight striking the surface and the reflection of the mountain behind it visible in the water. On a certain level, Id often drive the given car around the island we were supposed to escape just to see the rock formations across the beaches. Similarly, Skyrim presents a full landscape of mountains, tundra, beaches, and forest to explore and appreciate. And with the free-to-roam design, there

are no loading screens, and no invisible walls meant to keep the player on track. The entire world is (figuratively) composed of outstanding photographs, and certain scenes can rival photos for the wow factor. Visual aspect is only the first and most superficial aspect video games artistry. The soundtrack is a very important aspect of any modern game, and a lousy one can easily lead to a game that flops on release. However, some composers go above and beyond when creating a soundtrack for a game, such as Marty O'Donnell, composer for the Halo series of games. The first Halo game, which topped 5 million copies sold, has an incredibly well developed soundtrack, with the main theme rivaling Oscar-winning pieces for common recognition, not to mention a full symphony was used in the development of the soundtrack for Halo 2 (its not jus t for film or concerts anymore). Not only was the soundtrack well developed, but in an interview with Michael Thomsen of Billboard, ODonnell reveals that the music for a video game is way more cued off of what you're doing as a player than most people would be aware of (Thomsen). For example, in concerts, musicians play at a set pace, often written by the composer. In film, the music is conducted to match with what is occurring onscreen. In video games, since there is no set rhythm and so much is up to the player, timing of climatic parts of the soundtrack are carefully *adapted+ to everything the player does says ODonnell (Thomsen), meaning the soundtrack is always slightly different. This flexibility in the score takes impressive skill and creativity to master, much like any artform. The audio of a game is integral to its atmosphere, either setting up a raucous into-thefray feeling of Halo, the changing pace of Skyrim and Portal, or the intense paranoia in a

survival-like game such as Half Life. Half-Life in particular uses a large variety of sound effects to create its fear atmosphere. While not an inherently scary game, it presents a dystopian society where you are often in extreme danger. One of the enemies, the Head-Crab, attaches themself to your companions and turns them into lumbering zombies with bone-chilling screams. Half-Life can terrify you with sudden screams or tantalizing silence, just as any good thriller movie should. Lev Grossman, writer for Time Magazine, said about Half-Life 2 *its+ long, ringing silences, too bright sunlight, and empty streets deepen the sense of Orwellian despair in an article defending video games as an art form. He concluded by saying that *it+ is one of the most frighteningly atmospheric games Ive ever seen (Grossman). The final main aspect seen in most contemporary ideals of art is storytelling. Novels, movies, and even music and wall-art often tell stories one way or another. Novels, as mentioned before, are the purest form of storytelling, where events occur on a page and in the readers minds. Storytelling in video games has a new feel, much more identifiable with movie stories, but also takes on the feature of collaborative storytelling, where the player influences the minor details of each story, and (depending on the game) some of the major events too. In our case studies, this interactive storytelling (as the game developers call it) is most prevalent in Skyrim, where there is no set order in which to do the storyline. While Skyrims main storyline is not very engaging, it is an excellent example of how the player is involved in making the decision, making the storytelling involved more personally touching, and allowing the player to identify with the character. This is something which crosses between video games and novels, where it is very important to have the reader identify with the main

character, to form a bond through empathy or sympathy. In video games, this is achieved through shaping the character yourself through decision making. The impact of the storyline itself truly depends on the game; some can flop, others can be outstanding. While Skyrim is not masterfully written, it does show an impressive consistency over the course of 5 games, creating a language, intricate polytheistic religion that is evident in life, social structure (that affects how you play), and history spanning one and a half thousand years. Something similar is not seen except for in classic epics or champions of the fantasy genre like Lord of the Rings. It also contains powerful social commentary with regards to racism and religious persecution; it does not shy away from topics that would typically not be involved in purely amusement based media. Games like Halo, Half-Life, and Portal also all have their shining moments, but in very different aspects. Half-Life 2, as said before, is written in an Orwellian style, set in a dystopian future and you are the one hope for humanity. The one hope for humanity meme can be seen throughout many video games as a way of making the player feel special. He (meaning you, indirectly) plays the archetypal hero, given trials and an enemy to defeat. For example, in the first 3 Halo games, you play a character named Master Chief, a member of an elite fighting force known as Spartans, a people historically very heroic. You are called on to assist in humanities darkest hour, and pitted against the onslaught in trials (or levels) of ever increasing difficulty, and as you learn and improve on your journey, your character grows. Writer Lev Grossman described Halo 2 as Wagnerian opera: you fight through vast Olympian structures and . . . titanic foes, and the

effect is . . . [a] mixture of awe, terror, and wonder (Grossman). The writing in Halo is obviously not very subtle, with all of these allusions laying on the surface, but it does include several political subplots, regarding the true nature of a theocratic alien alliance. It also does a very good job of creating an emotional bond between you and some of your companions, with the deaths of several characters being as sudden and heart-wrenching as any movie. An example of novel-like storytelling can be found in Portals 1 and 2. In this game, not much is left up to the player; it is more about the experience than the interactivity. The game is a puzzle-solver, and it is your job to go through all the test chambers to fully test the experimental portal gun. There is no introduction or explanation to the background of the game, but as you proceed through the levels, you slowly get a grip on what it is you are to be doing. However, the most impressive part is that as you start to figure it out, you also start to notice certain things to be wrong. There are observation rooms looking into every chamber, but no one in them. The seemingly friendly computer, who guides your progress, slowly seems to be less sincere, her jokes turning into dark humor. Then, right when you think youve finished the testing, there is a massive plot twist, and the game seamlessly goes from solving puzzles like a rat in a maze to running through a destroyed and abandoned lab building, with horrifying last words scrawled on walls of hidden rooms, each adding to the players understanding of what happened. While many games depend on cut-scenes or blatant explanation when it comes to plot or story, Portal is the best example I have found of a form of subdued storytelling, where a reader slowly interprets what is going on around them to come to their own conclusion, even though its the conclusion the book has been purposefully but subtly leading them to.

All of these features of art which are so strongly evident in their mediums of wall-art, music, and novels all work in partnership in the medium of film, which is the medium closest to video games in terms of physical similarities. Not only that, but video games are starting to become more and more similar to movies, as the obsession with realism becomes more widespread. Motion capture is being used to create character animations, much like CGI in movies. Movies are the most recent accepted addition to the club of classic art, not having been popularized until the 20th century. Video games could arguably be the next step in the evolution of this art form, taking these moving pictures that utilize sound and story and making them even more touching and meaningful to the audience by involving them directly. This more in-depth connection creates an even more real emotion response in the audience. Games such as Halo and Portal that have a series of several games manage to create emotional bonds between the player and companions, such as the artificial intelligence Cortana in Halo, with which you are stranded on an alien planet with and who sacrifices herself to save you, an event which left me with an intense feeling of survivors guilt. Another more basic emotion, fear, caused me to fall out of my chair while playing HalfLife 2. I was walking down a dark street, my flashlight very close to dead. Screams come from the buildings around me, and I know there are headcrabs waiting around each corner, but just out of sight. I only have 3 shells left in my shotgun when I find an alleyway, which I decide to follow. Halfway down, my flashlight dies, leaving me stranded in the dark. I could see the light around the corner of the tunnel, so I continue down. I turn the corner and turn on my

recharged flashlight, only to see a dark figure halfway through clawing my face off. I yelp and flinch and fall out of my chair, much to the chagrin of my roommate. Any game that can physically move you is doing something right. Videogames are the culmination of three different media into one art form, where proper atmosphere can put the player mentally into the situation, where they can experience a full range of emotions, from fear to love to loss. Not every game fits this description, just like not every drawing is a masterpiece. But certainly, there are several games that shine above the rest and that can truly be considered a work of art.