Video Games Are Art and Genre Fiction Is Literature

by Alison Janssen

I came here all set to refute Roger Ebert's recent "Video Games Can Never Be Art"* blog post. He argues, in part, that gamers shouldn't need the validation of games being called art -- after all, Bobby Fischer never argued that chess was art. Well, ok, no one needs the validation of being called art -- but conversely, no one appreciates being told their endeavors can never be art.

Ebert is failing to make a distinction between the creator and the player. Have you ever appreciated a finely carved chess set? Is that art? I'd argue yes. The artistry that goes into the carving of a beautiful* chess set is analogous to the artistry that goes into conceiving and composing of a beautiful* video game.

If chess as a game did not exist, there would be no call for artists to create beautiful variations and interpretations of the standard pieces. The game -- the desire of players to play -- necessitates the pieces, and a chess piece is both an object and a representation of a set of possible moves. It exists within the game and outside of the game.

A video game is a rendering of ideas, using math, into imagery, action, and possibility. Just like chess, it calls for player participation to reach its potential -- but you could just look at a video game, at the "Begin New Game" screen, the same way that you could just display a chess set without ever sitting down opposite an opponent. The object does exist without the player, and can (and should) be recognized as an achievement -- and I'd argue an artistic achievement -- before anyone settles in to play.

Ok, so what does this have to do with genre fiction? Well, just like in a chess set, there exist in genre fiction standard pieces, and the author takes those standard pieces (eg the drunk, disgraced PI; the mystery-solving granny, the late-night ransom drop gone wrong) and reinterprets and carves his or her own variations on those pieces.

Each author's interpretation is where the artistry comes in. Some novels end up looking like the equivalent of a mass-produced, standard plastic chess set -- players immediately recognize and can play with such a set, it's an easy, lightweight, and perhaps ultimately toss-able, as the board is flimsy and the pieces crack or melt in the sun. In video game terms, these novels end up looking like an unimaginative button-basher. But listen: It's not the fault of the genre that these novels fall apart.

I'm going to say that again.

The flaw does not lie with the genre, nor with the "standard pieces" that define it. The authorial interpretation and execution of those standard pieces is what causes a novel to soar or fall flat.

I'm so sick of pronouncements that this or that type of creative expression is disqualified from being considered art. I find it useless to argue by example, because tastes vary widely and there's no quantifiable bottom line. Ebert dismisses in three quick paragraphs three examples of games that gamers consider art -- and it feels silly to keep throwing games his way to try to prove the point. An argument like this can't rest on the back of one or two examples, there needs to first be a fundamental acceptance of the concept.

 So how about this instead: Can we, as individuals who appreciate the creative energies of ourselves and others, just agree to quit bickering over who's more important and whose legacy will last unto the ages?

Because really, only time will tell. Right? Only time. And in the present, isn't it more important to continue creating and reading and playing the books and games*** we enjoy?

*Special thanks to my fiance, who pointed out the Ebert article to me and gave me good food for thought for this post.
**I'm using "beautiful" here in a fluid sense, understanding that a chess set or video game that I perceive as beautiful may not be a chess set or video game that someone else perceives as beautiful, but also assuming that every person has the capacity to perceive some chess set or video game beautiful.
***Careful, this is addicting. Don't say I didn't warn you. Also, it opens with sound, so if you're at work, click with caution.

Comments

[ella144]

Amen! I've read genre fiction all my life (several genres actually) and love it. Now I write genre fiction. I'm so tired of the people who dismiss them as not being "real" books.

Funny, they sure feel like real books ...

Lillith Saintcrow has one of my favorite takes on this. Her Hack Manifesto is just great. http://www.deadlinedames.com/?p=1014

[Bill Cameron]

Of course I adore Roger Ebert, and I am, honestly, far from a gamer. And I agree it's useless to argue by example.

And yet, speaking as a non-gamer who adores Ebert, I'm going to offer an example which proves he is off the mark on this particular matter, and which illustrates the larger point you're making.

Myst.

Remember that game? I don't remember quite when it came out. (I could use the Google, but when doesn't really matter anyway). What matters is that Myst is a breathtaking example of video game as art. As an artifact, it was beautifully realized craftsmanship which did something we often identify as fundamental to art: through its aesthetic and stunning craftsmanship it enlarged our concept of our own place in the world. And as an experience, through game play, it let us experience narrative, music, and visual art in an integrated, interactive way which was unique at the time. It offered expanded possibilities and challenged players not just through intellectual puzzles, but on a philosophical level, and psychological level, an emotional level.

It was everything the best art is. And it was a video game. Sorry, Roger. I love you, but you're missing something fundamental here.

And, of course, it's the perfect illustration of your larger point too. It demonstrates that no matter what we may think the limits are, someone will figure out a way to break them, and in so doing enlarge the world. We just have to be willing and able to see it when they do.

[nds roms]

I don't like either of them.I don't understand why they do such works.

[Vanessa Di Gregorio]

I remember how annoyed I was when I first read the Ebert article. I have always been the type of gamer that stands up for it as art. Of course it's art; look at the cinematics, the character design, the music; the storytelling and character development and plot! How can anyone claim that it ISN'T art?

And I wholeheartedly agree concerning genre fiction. Fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, etc: all of it has artistic merit. The ones that are well written, and well thought-out, and provoking ARE works of art. And who are we to judge what is and isn't? Art is a creative outlet, one that allows people to interpret and examine and enjoy. And don't all books and games do just that?

Great post!

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