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I hear the argument and it is sound. I'd like to mention though, that when I finished through Braid I ended up with the feeling that it's primary goal was not
by godDLL 17y ago
I hear the argument and it is sound.
I'd like to mention though, that when I finished through Braid I ended up with the feeling that it's primary goal was not to make me look at pretty images or listen to some music or even to make me read the puny bits of story. I don't think it's purpose was for me to finish it either.
The gameplay was original and highly enjoyable, but that might not have been the point still. It sure pulls you through the game, but the graphics and the music and the story contribute to that aspect in their own right.
I ended up thinking that the game's purpose was to communicate a feeling, a certain moment frozen in time when you realize for the first time that you've made a mistake, that what you have come to believe about the world is false or backward, and you're, in essence, a devastating force. This is the moment when you want to take it all back, to have made different choices.
And I think I'm not alone in feeling that. I also happen to think that these moments of direct communication are what art is about, and that they might be achieved with simpler means – a song, perhaps, or a poem.
Ebert hasn't had any exposure to this kind of experiences, it seems to me.
- Radix 17y agoI hear the argument and it is sound. I believe it isn't. I appreciate Michael's summary because it shows where Ebert's blind spot is. (I think you get it though.) Games allow you to be pulled into stories better, or at least differently, than movies. More like novels than movies as you find yourself putting more into the story than you're given, or as in Bioshock you adopt the character as yourself and wonder what do I really think about Ryan? He seems okay to me, but I'm not sure about Atlas. The story is about as artistic as a sequel to Atlas Shrugged could be. Then there is the idea some games contain art. Donkey Kong 2 isn't a game I would claim to be art, but Stickerbrush Symphony is one of the finest levels in any game I've played. The experience of bouncing from barrel to barrel with this beautiful music and environment... I'm not talented enough a writer to explain. The music and scene are the lines in those cave paintings. Ebert's hung up on the word game and can't see those moments frozen in time. And without playing the games and giving himself over to them he won't be able to. The over riding purpose isn't the game play, it's those moments in time where you don't just understand the story, but you believe it.
- wdewind 17y agoI think both Ebert and the TEDxUSC lady are wrong. Video games are the medium, and they contain many many pieces of art (these individual moments). The movie projector isn't art either, the canvas isn't art either. To say the game will never be art is moot, the art is already there, and it is it not the game itself. I know exactly what you mean about DK. Awesome awesome games with a ton of art in them for sure.