Before I begin, I just want to say I'm a big fan of Roger Ebert. So, when he came out a few weeks ago and declared that Video Games Aren't Art, I didn't go apeshit and burn every copy of his books I've ever owned. Because I've never owned any but that's really not the point. There has been a lot of hubub about his remarks, and a few people have weighed in, or been asked to weigh in on the statement. I wasn't one of those people who were asked but I wanted to give a few thoughts. First, I'm going to let Ben Croshaw take the mic and give his two cents.
"Yahtzee", as he is more affectionately known, does Zero Punctuation reviews for The Escapist. His game review videos typically run about four minutes long, are crude at times, bitterly truthful at times, a little overly critical at times, and lacking dead air all the time (hence, "zero punctuation"). He actually takes a pause this time and takes to the written word to comment on Ebert's piece.
Here it is: Extra Punctuation.
Not to be a total conformist, but Yahtzee is, for the most part, correct. Is it really a big deal if Roger Ebert thinks games cannot be art? One shouldn't take someone's opinion as gospel, especially when there is so much room for interpretation and exception. Also his opinion on video games would be about as relevant as me challenging him on why Harold and Kumar is one of the better movies of the last decade.
I guess Ebert may have jogged some insecurity in the games industry and gamers in general. Can an industry that has been competing with film, television, music and print for the hearts (and wallets) of entertainment-thirsty-ADD-ridden consumers actually claim that the product they put out is on the level artistically? Is there a poetic symmetry to me dropping a tea-bag on the face of a vanquished enemy that I smited with Akimbo P-90's?
Yahtzee is dead-on when he says "art is something that provokes emotional attachment". For something so personal and subjective, that means that what constitutes art can be open to interpretation. Thats why someone can drop a crucifix in a jar of piss and then ask the National Endowment of the Arts to fund the follow-up. That's why I can think this song is a masterpiece and you may think its just clambering of loud noises (in which you would be wrong because At the Gates fucking rules).
The fact of the matter is, as an entertainment medium, video games have proven they can holdtheir own against cinema and music. If you are going to claim that the latter can be art and games aren't, consider that computers are just an integral part in creating what makes those forms art as well as video games (i.e. Avatar). Also consider that like cinema and music, 95% of what is out there sucks. Those that are the cream of the crop can truly inspire great emotion, and make you feel not that you've "won", but that you've completed the journey the story tellers or artists have set forth in front of you. The industry is too new to set along side great poets or painters, but I wouldn't be surprised that 50 years from now there may be some games that are still discussed for their beauty in presentation, and intrigue in gameplay.
TL;DR- Check the end of Yahtzee's piece. Motherfucker stole my shtick!!!
A shtick that you yourself stole, I might add! :)
ReplyDeleteI actually DO own quite a few of Ebert's books, but I didn't burn them. I just put zero stock in his take on games. It's like hearing your Aunt Edna talk about them. Are most games just popcorn trash entertainment? Absolutely. Do a few provoke actual emotions? Absolutely. Can the same be said about film? And books? Music? Yes, yes, and yes.
BTW, I'm reading the comments on Ebert's blog about his article and some of them are quality:
ReplyDelete"Dear Roger
I adore your writing, I've adored you since I was a child. But please, for the love of God, sit down and play Shadow of the Colossus or something before you continue to express your views on video games."
"your points seem to prove that video games are not GREAT art, and not that they aren't art itself."
"If I had only seen two movies before in my life and was asked to judge their respectibility as an art form, how much faith would you have in my decision if those two movies were The Bounty Hunter and Old Dogs?"
"You have an opinion based on ignorance that younger generations do not share. You limited definition of art will not survive as time marches forward."
""The beauty of his games, the clarity of his play, and the brilliance of his ideas have made him an artist of the same stature as Brahms, Rembrandt, and Shakespeare." -- David Levy (on Bobby Fischer)"
"Here is some trivia for you: "The Godfather" wasn't made until the film camera had been around for a while. It's true! They didn't make it as soon as they invented cameras. Apparently game developers are supposed to invent the technology, and instantly compete with arts that have been around for centuries."
"You ask: "Why are gamers so intensely concerned, anyway, that games be defined as art?" I ask: "Why are people who don't even play them concerned that they are not?"
"Old man says, "Video games! Get off my lawn!" Internet implodes."
"Frankly, that's as meaningless as Sarah Palin implying that she understands foreign policy because she can see Russia from her porch."
"My girlfriend and I were just discussing the fact that, as she put it, your post was just like Hannity and O'Reilly from Fox news. She's right, one of the biggest crimes of news today is that rather than reporting actual events directly they spend hours or days commenting on comments. They get panels of "experts" to debate a newsclip, which itself is frequently abridged."
"Everyone who has experienced the "would you kindly" moment midway through Bioshock will be well aware that not only is gaming art, but it's also mature enough now able to examine its own shortcomings as an artistic medium."
"Rock and roll isn't music, it's just loud noise."
"A smart man writing one of the most ignorant articles I've read in years."
"Brief list of media once thought never to be art:
Film
Television
Digital Art
Photography
Photo Montage
Screen Printing
Printmaking
Comic Books
Animation
Graffiti
"Roger, you are a fucking idiot. There is no need for any of this. It is as ridiculous as saying that movies aren't art."
"It seems to me that the problem is not in the definition of "art", but rather in the definition of "game"."
"Video games are not art. You are completely right. They are better than art."
"ART schools offer gaming degrees"
"I didn't know Roger Ebert likes to troll. Good troll Roger, 10/10."
AND -- I posted two comments. The first deals with my switching from the film to the game industry, and I think his desire to strike down video games is because he's afraid of his beloved medium declining in quality as the video game industry continues to thrive and grow. It's still awaiting approval but it should be posted soon. And then I sent him this one, which I copy/pasted here:
"One more thing I'd like to add to my previous post: "Look man, you can listen to Jimi but you can't hear him. There's a difference man. Just because you're listening to him doesn't mean you're hearing him."
Okay, last post. Here is my first comment I left on Ebert's post:
ReplyDelete"As someone who works in the video game industry, Mr. Ebert's initial comments about video games were confusing to me. His film reviews led me to many great masterpieces, so how could he be so ignorant about another art form? And then it hit me.
The film industry is in a rut right now. Meanwhile, the video game industry is thriving and growing. I used to work in the film industry, but the potential of video games excited me, so I switched industries. I've also been a gamer for my entire life, so it was an easy transition. I still love film, but I have no regrets for making the switch.
And I know I'm not the only one who has done so. And I think Mr. Ebert is seeing this trend happening, and he's afraid of it. But the film industry will survive, just like the music industry will survive, and books will still exist and be written, etc. And the video game industry will continue to grow, and attract more young people like myself.
There's no need to be afraid.
P.S. I require NO validation about the artistic qualities of the games I play and work with. I'm perfectly fine with dying before it's considered 'art' by the mainstream. I just wish someone whose opinion I respect about another art form would stop being so close-minded about this one. I'm not going to tell you which games you should try, because it seems like you have no interest in learning more. You only seem interested in poking at a beehive. But that is your choice."
ICO. That is all.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's enough of a conversation for us gamers, but for old people who don't play games, it takes a little more than that. I give up though. I'm only reading the comments now.
ReplyDelete