Are video games considered a form of art? In the United States, that debate is officially over, and the verdict is positive. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) opened up its 2012 submission window this week, and surprisingly, the guidelines have been updated with a new section called "Arts in Media," which (you guessed it) includes video games.
The official description reads, "Projects may include high profile multi-part or single television and radio programs (documentaries and dramatic narratives); media created for theatrical release; performance programs; artistic segments for use within an existing series; multi-part webisodes; installations; and interactive games. Short films, five minutes and under, will be considered in packages of three or more."
For anyone who isn't familiar with how the art industry works (at least in the US), the NEA is a government funded organization that provides many artists with the means of producing work. Artists may apply for up to $200,000 in grant money, and if their proposal is accepted, they won't have to starve. Basically. the NEA is the reason many artists can still afford to feed themselves without going commercial.
Game developers hoping to receive a grant will have plenty of competition, however. The category now encompasses not only television and radio but also satellite and web radio. A separate category would certainly be nice, but at least video games are finally getting some official recognition. For gamers, this means we may be hearing more about "public" works in the gaming industry, unaffiliating with any existing agencies -- assuming the NEA approves any video game proposals next year.
LONG FUCKING OVERDUE! Suck it Roger Ebert.
leah wrote:i am forever grateful to my gym teacher for drilling that skill into me during drivers' ed
leah wrote:isn't the only difference the length? i feel like it would take too long to smoke something that long, ha.
I'm meh on the issue. I think its art because the definition is very broad. I find the people who are most strongly advocating against video games being art are those who know very little about them. I think a lot of people try to differentiate what art is. Transformers is no less art then Andrei Rublev is, as something either is or it isn't.
I don't know, and to be honest I don't really have a pony in the "video games is art" debate, so I'd just be playing devil's advocate, but precedent has been set for interactive performance art. I think most of those objecting see it as a bit of a slippery slope issue.
Lyion wrote:True enough. I just think of art as... well non interactive. Perhaps that's wrong.
Is an automobile a piece of art?
clothes are art. cuisine is art. just sayin....
see you can just build a simple box house if you want, and it might be cool, but couldn't it be neater? it's all just about what people put into it. anything can be art imo
