Video games are art

          Earlier in this month we discussed whether video games are art or not. We watched a TED talk video where a woman demoed some indie games that supposedly represented art, addressing Roger Ebert who in return provided a lengthy response claiming video games are in fact not art. However, I find that the lady did not at all provide a convincing argument that video games are art and used weird examples for games that most people do not know of. I firmly believe video games can be art and even her talk did not convince me. According to Wikipedia, "Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items (often with symbolic significance) in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect." And I think that all video games contain at least some of these elements. The process by which video games are even made requires art to design characters or levels, whether it's fictional or an actual representation of real life. I think of video games as interactive art because the makers use a process of purposely arranging items in a way that stimulates one or more of the senses, emotion, and intellect - whether it's a sports game, first-person shooter, or a platformer genre, its all the same.

          Today, the fourth installment, Assassins Creed: Revelations was released and is considered a great historical, visually appealing game of our time. The game takes place in real locations from the 15th century such as Rome or Constantinople, with accurate depictions of the architecture and culture of that time. The world is alive with people walking everywhere that respond accordingly to your actions while you explore the city, being able to scale and run on top of any seen building. The storyline is very rememberable and has real people like Leonardo Da Vinci who helps invents new weapons or gadgets for you.  Having played the game itself, it is very aesthetically pleasing and immersive, I feel like I am Ezio, the assassin, running through ancient Rome seeking to complete assignments and rid the Borgia influence that is condemning my people. The cutscenes are just as well produced as the gameplay, with full dialogue and virtual characters showing real emotion in their voice and actions and adds to the realism and provides a background for the upcoming mission. I think these reasons alone and my senses being affected by it proves that video games are art. And in the game there are art shops that let you buy paintings that increase revenue for your city...some works actually recognizable by artist. When I play this game I always buy the art when I have the money because I felt like the developers want the player to do this and buying enough art proves to be beneficial in the long run.

          Furthermore, an actual art book was created for this game alone to match it's fancy production values in the form of an encyclopedia. Besides just the amazing artwork contained in this book, there is character bios, historical notes, and in-depth explanations of the game's backstory. 

          This book is the clearest example that video games are in fact art. An actual "art book" that solely contains content from a video game....a video game that is widely regarded for its spectacular visuals and historical story.