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Alyssa Jojola

ENG-105

February 18, 2020

Mary Petty

Are Video Games Really Art?

“For many people, I suspect the image of videogames is still one of rather crude digital

entertainment… But recent times have seen the technical and artistic sophistication of games

grow to an amazing degree.” (Grant Trainor, 2009, p. 11) When a person thinks of art or any art

form what most likely comes to mind are traditional artists and writers such as Leonardo da

Vinci or William Shakespeare. If video games were brought to the discussion many people

would be quick to judge and think it is entirely impossible for video games to be anywhere near

compared to art. Entire companies and the many people that it takes to create a video game

would beg to differ due to the amount of time, effort, work, skill, and artistry that go into

creating these masterpieces. Video games are an art form because similarly to art many games

have compelling narratives, express creativity, and simply inspire others the way all art should.

The most unexpected view of expressing that video games are art is through literary

expression. When it comes to video games many would expect that the focus in these games

would be just defeating the unrelenting enemies or solving the challenge at hand with no well

thought out plots and characters. Which for the most part there are games like Grand Theft Auto

V or Fortnite although very enjoyable games due to the fact there are over millions of people

who play the games worldwide, but these games have no literary expression or have a want to

tell a story. According to Michael Zimm, who has even taught literature and went to Yale

University undeniably believes that video games are an art form and he even includes that games
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are worth studying in a university. Michael Zimm shows video games have a significance due to

very popular games expressing literary expression, Zimm includes, “Games like Uncharted 2,

The Last of Us, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are interactive, experiential art that deeply immerse

the player in the narratives. The immersion allows the player to explore personas, themes, and

moral quandaries in a way that few other art forms can match.” (Michael Zimm, 2019)

The video game creation process is very extensive, prolonging, and is a process where

like art starts from a concept or idea. The creative director, Neil Druckmann, behind very well

known games that have earned many awards and great ratings such as Uncharted and The Last

of Us that have a specific creative process in order to create these games. The process is

somewhat similar to film, but the most different step is during production the story is written as

the game is put together. Including, the story is not written in order and during production, in a

video game it is very different because there is more room for the actors to give input in the

script. In an interview with Druckmann further revealing his creative process, he explains,

“When you make a game, you have these different pillars that you're trying to balance. It's

graphics, it's gameplay, it's story and you're trying not to let any one pillar overwhelm the other.”

(Southern California Public Radio, 2017) It is important to note that The Last of Us won a

“Writers Guild Award” in which writing is a form of creative skill or art.

Art as a whole is always continuously evolving, but the most commonly accepted and

more well-known art is music, film, literature, theater, painting, and photography. Many of those

forms of expression through art have been commonly accepted because of the amount of time

they have been used throughout history. Although, one of the more recent forms of art is

photography and it can be compared to video games because both are used with technology, are

constantly evolving, and including photography at one point was even questioned even if it was
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art. In a scholarly journal, it discusses the many questions and perspectives of if video games are

art it even includes, “Photography, for example, was initially not recognized as a form of art…

they need to acknowledge that art is continuously in transition and that technology also

influences how we look at and experience art.” (Bourgonjon, J., Vandermeersche, G., & Rutten,

K. 2017) This expresses a hopeful tone on how video games might one day be eventually

accepted as art and, like photography it is going to be a difficult road. Video games like the other

art forms that have been discussed have the potential to express creativity if they are eventually

accepted as such. Many games such as Minecraft and Super Mario Bros. Maker encourage

players to make the creation they desire through digital worlds. The Journal even discusses how

much potential video games have including in this passage, “Video games do not just offer new

possibilities to established artists; they contribute… by enabling people who would not have

been able to express themselves creatively with other media” (Bourgonjon, J., Vandermeersche,

G., & Rutten, K, 2017)

When it comes to art whether it is music, painting, or film many people draw inspiration

whether it be through creating their own art or just getting through a difficult time. Video games

like the other forms of art mentioned are a form of escapism for many teenagers and children

from the harsh realities of the real world. Although that would sound kind of ironic due to many

of these games being very harsh and violent, these games help many people going through a

tough time. A prime example of this is the interview previously mentioned with Neil Druckmann

he includes from his own experiences that, “Somebody approached me… they told me they had

this really tough part in their life where they broke their hip, got divorced, were suicidal and

"The Last Of Us" helped them get through that part of their life.” (Southern California Public
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Radio, 2017) Everyone no matter who they are or their point of life can be inspired or use art as a

form of escapism for strength because that is what video games are for a lot of people.

Overall, video games are a new form of art emerging and it is going through the same

difficulties that photography once did. When many years past eventually video games like art

will be more respected and seen as an actual art form. Although, even if it is not it does have a

mass appreciation worldwide and is slowly becoming more a part of pop culture. Through

compelling narratives, expression of creativity, and simply the amount of inspiration video

games give others without a doubt video games will eventually be more respected and be

considered as art.

References

Bourgonjon, J., Vandermeersche, G., & Rutten, K. (2017). Perspectives on Video Games as Art.

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, 4.

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Southern California Public Radio. (2017, May 17). A peek into Naughty Dog game creator Neil

Druckmann's creative process. Retrieved from https://www.scpr.org/programs/the-

frame/2016/07/13/50456/a-peek-into-naughty-dog-game-creator-neil-druckman/

Tavinor, G. (2009). The art of videogames. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest-

com.lopes.idm.oclc.org

Zimm, M. (2019, November 14). Video games are literature's new frontier. Retrieved from

https://venturebeat.com/2019/08/13/video-games-are-literatures-new-frontier/