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Well, can you name a computer game that is a great artistic work? There are many that are good, but I can't say there are any that are on a par with, say, "The

Well, can you name a computer game that is a great artistic work? There are many that are good, but I can't say there are any that are on a par with, say, "The Lord of the Rings" or "War and Peace" or "1984". I'd love to hear of one that was though.

TheCleric 3y ago
I agree with you for the most part, but I do think there are games that are truly works of art. That Dragon Cancer immediately comes to mind.
shikshake 3y ago
There are many innovative and critically acclaimed titles in the independent game scene, though they are obviously judged on different criteria by taking advantage of the interactive medium. Inside, Disco Elysium, and Kentucky Route Zero, just to name a few. Mainstream gaming is still getting there, but to me titles like The Last of Us Part 2 are on par with classic HBO shows like Six Feet Under.
pb7 3y ago
There are so many. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one great artistic work. If you haven't played it, you haven't experienced the peak of a massive wildly recognized medium. Last of Us (the show) was essentially copied verbatim from the video game, scene for scene. On the entire opposite side of the complexity spectrum, both Limbo and Inside are great artistic works.
guitarbill 3y ago
Come on, that's a lame argument and completely subjective. What makes LotR a "great artistic work"? What makes Stardew Valley not a "great artistic work"? Just like some books, films, or other art can resonate and have a profound impact on a person, so can video games.
- olddustytrail 3y ago
  > What makes LotR a "great artistic work"? That's a great question. It's a mixture of technical skill and intellectual depth. For example, throughout Scotland placenames are a mixture of old Gaelic, modern Gaelic and Norse, and then there are the Anglicised versions on top. So learning what placenames mean is something I did in school and it's a fascinating subject. So when Gildor is talking with Frodo, and mentions the "...Branduin, that you call the Brandywine..." (quote from memory; might not be correct), that's exactly what happens with placenames. It's that level of depth (in all aspects, this is just an example) that makes it a great work. You can read more on just the name of a river at https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Baranduin https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Baranduin Enjoyment of art is, as you say, totally subjective, but anyone who's artistic can generally identify when something is a great work even if they don't personally like it. Edit: if you like this kind of stuff, there are also some cool blog posts on the logistics of the Battle of Gonder: https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondor/ https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondo...
  - BoiledCabbage 3y ago
    LotR is not a "great artistic work". It's beloved by many (myself included), but the fact that it's detailed doesn't make it a great artistic work. As literature goes it has tons of shortcomings.
    - olddustytrail 3y ago
      Everything has shortcomings but as a work of literature lotr is very obviously a great artistic work and the fact that you don't know that tells me immediately that you've never produced anything worthwhile. Tell me I'm wrong.
arnaudsm 3y ago
Posterity only remembers the most acclaimed pieces, there are plenty of airport novels no one remembers and that have nothing to envy to modern Tiktok.
- olddustytrail 3y ago
  Yes, there are. I made a deliberate decision about 10 years ago to only read good novels just because I'd read so many terrible ones! But I'm hoping my question will lead to some good narrative game recommendations.
selimthegrim 3y ago
Cosmology of Kyoto, according to Roger Ebert.
- olddustytrail 3y ago
  Looking about, that does sound fascinating. Seems like the kind of game that could have a modern remake.
Kon5ole 3y ago
I have read many books and seen many movies that I feel are worse artistic works than the best games, but I also think it's a hard comparison to make. There is no music that compares to "War and peace" or paintings like "1984", nor is the movie "Alien" like any book. Describing H R Gigers monster design with words will not have the same artistic impact. I think different creations can be be great artistic works on entirely incomparable axes.
Tarsul 3y ago
please play gorogoa for an artsy, moving puzzle game. (for me personally the benchmark is the last express, but i guess generally reviews are mixed but please take a look, too)

TheCleric 3y ago

I agree with you for the most part, but I do think there are games that are truly works of art. That Dragon Cancer immediately comes to mind.

shikshake 3y ago

There are many innovative and critically acclaimed titles in the independent game scene, though they are obviously judged on different criteria by taking advantage of the interactive medium. Inside, Disco Elysium, and Kentucky Route Zero, just to name a few. Mainstream gaming is still getting there, but to me titles like The Last of Us Part 2 are on par with classic HBO shows like Six Feet Under.

pb7 3y ago

There are so many. Red Dead Redemption 2 is one great artistic work. If you haven't played it, you haven't experienced the peak of a massive wildly recognized medium. Last of Us (the show) was essentially copied verbatim from the video game, scene for scene. On the entire opposite side of the complexity spectrum, both Limbo and Inside are great artistic works.

guitarbill 3y ago

Come on, that's a lame argument and completely subjective. What makes LotR a "great artistic work"? What makes Stardew Valley not a "great artistic work"? Just like some books, films, or other art can resonate and have a profound impact on a person, so can video games.

olddustytrail 3y ago
> What makes LotR a "great artistic work"? That's a great question. It's a mixture of technical skill and intellectual depth. For example, throughout Scotland placenames are a mixture of old Gaelic, modern Gaelic and Norse, and then there are the Anglicised versions on top. So learning what placenames mean is something I did in school and it's a fascinating subject. So when Gildor is talking with Frodo, and mentions the "...Branduin, that you call the Brandywine..." (quote from memory; might not be correct), that's exactly what happens with placenames. It's that level of depth (in all aspects, this is just an example) that makes it a great work. You can read more on just the name of a river at https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Baranduin https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Baranduin Enjoyment of art is, as you say, totally subjective, but anyone who's artistic can generally identify when something is a great work even if they don't personally like it. Edit: if you like this kind of stuff, there are also some cool blog posts on the logistics of the Battle of Gonder: https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondor/ https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondo...
- BoiledCabbage 3y ago
  LotR is not a "great artistic work". It's beloved by many (myself included), but the fact that it's detailed doesn't make it a great artistic work. As literature goes it has tons of shortcomings.
  - olddustytrail 3y ago
    Everything has shortcomings but as a work of literature lotr is very obviously a great artistic work and the fact that you don't know that tells me immediately that you've never produced anything worthwhile. Tell me I'm wrong.

arnaudsm 3y ago

Posterity only remembers the most acclaimed pieces, there are plenty of airport novels no one remembers and that have nothing to envy to modern Tiktok.

olddustytrail 3y ago
Yes, there are. I made a deliberate decision about 10 years ago to only read good novels just because I'd read so many terrible ones! But I'm hoping my question will lead to some good narrative game recommendations.

selimthegrim 3y ago

Cosmology of Kyoto, according to Roger Ebert.

olddustytrail 3y ago
Looking about, that does sound fascinating. Seems like the kind of game that could have a modern remake.

Kon5ole 3y ago

I have read many books and seen many movies that I feel are worse artistic works than the best games, but I also think it's a hard comparison to make. There is no music that compares to "War and peace" or paintings like "1984", nor is the movie "Alien" like any book. Describing H R Gigers monster design with words will not have the same artistic impact. I think different creations can be be great artistic works on entirely incomparable axes.

Tarsul 3y ago

please play gorogoa for an artsy, moving puzzle game. (for me personally the benchmark is the last express, but i guess generally reviews are mixed but please take a look, too)