Ah, I didn't mean to imply video games must have an aesthetic to be considered art (I said this because, and you do have to admit, the prevailing attitude for t

Ah, I didn't mean to imply video games must have an aesthetic to be considered art (I said this because, and you do have to admit, the prevailing attitude for those who believe they are art is that they are of a supreme aesthetic). I'm not quite sure what you mean by high art. The NEA is in a unique position to fund people who will probably fail, that is people who are challenging the current popular forms. Popular art directions can more easily get private funding and don't need as much public support. I agree that video games can do this, but when you're associated with a multi-billion dollar industry and building a product that can be replicated and sold by the millions of copies, it's hard to justify why you need public support to develop it. I LOVE This American Life, but I completely disagree that it is art. It is tremendous journalism, which reaches millions of people. I donate every year to keep This American Life running and every listener should too, because they are receiving a great gift of passion and effort in every episode. However, there are more than enough listeners to support the program if they each paid for the service they receive. I do not believe they need public funding and if they did, the NEA is not the organization that should be providing it.