Are Games Art? | Brenda Romero | TEDxGalway 

If Bread, Meat, Chesse, Tomato and Lettuce were artforms, Videogames would be the Hamburguer.

Video games are just as valid an art form as film or literature, with just as much ability to resonate with viewers emotionally and intellectually

My dream in life is to start a new game studio and create amazing artistic video game experiences

yes they art. Thank you for coming to my TED talk

There's no solid counter to games being art. Video games have literally every major art form, literature, visual art, music, acting. Video games are the epitome of art.

What is closer to art than something that allows you to experience another reality?

Video games are definitely visual art but it's the most expansive art medium. But I think some of the criticism stems from the fact that people still think that games are only there because you want to win. Petty victories stimulate the brain. This is true of a lot of games, including eSports like League of Legends, DotA2, and Overwatch. But Video games as a medium have evolved pass the "pop a quarter just so you can write a 3 letter swear word to the high score table" times. It is an Interactive, Narrative Medium. It is not like most interactive art forms where you have to stand in one specific place, and unlike other Narrative mediums, you are not an audience in the traditional sense, you are part of what is happening in that world. It can make you feel so much more than any film with the right direction. Take for example, Spec Ops: The Line. The way it was advertised was like any other military glorifying shooter but once you step into it, it makes you see the horrors of war and what it does to good men. "In war, no one is a hero. No one wins." How about steering away from oscar bait games and talk about the pioneer of interactive story: Half-Life. Half-Life is basically like an interactive movie. But Unlike David Cage games like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, the experience cannot be replicated by watching Westworld and hitting the pause button every 2 seconds. The game world is fully interactive to a degree because of hardware limitations. The story starts out very simple but acquires depth as you move along the game. It won't projectile vomit the narrative in your face but it is up to your interpretation of what is happening and why it is through brief moments in the game without going into cut-scenes or text scrolls and interrupting the pace. Half-Life 2, Bioshock 1 and Infinite, Doom (2016), Undertale are some of the other notable examples. Like movies, it is also an amalgamation of other art forms like music. It's not the just music in the sense of there is music there but the use and disuse of music to create a sense of atmosphere. A recent example of this is the critically acclaimed The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. People complained about the "non-existent music" in the game. But the game actually has music but the music for the zones are used to emphasize the emotions that the game developers want you to feel. Out in the field, the music is very subtle and even cuts out entirely and you can only hear the ambiance; grass being stepped on or flowing in the wind and birds chirping and makes you feel that you are alone. But when you get to areas of interests, their themes get louder as you go towards them. The music in the villages reflect the culture of the area and usually the emotions you feel when you see them. Zora's Domain has this air of wonder to it. The Majestic structures built by these people. Also, when the night comes, the themes change to better appropriate. You won't hear a very loud, and cheerful theme playing during the night. In conclusion, those who are over 40 now who don't recognize games are art will someday die and it will become a legit art form...

Short answer: Yes Long answer:YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES

Play the last of Us, and tell me that you don't feel something. Play rdr2, and tell me it's not a literary masterpiece. Play The Witcher 3, and tell me it's not one of the best fantasy-epic stories. Play God of War 4, and tell me you don't care about the characters. Play Spec Ops: The Line, and tell me that it doesn't portray a deeper meaning. You can't. If you consider movies an art form, games are just as legitimate. Often portraying the same messages, sometimes better.

Unfortunately most people think of games as retarded mind-less things, where you have to press buttons until you break your keyboard...

Anyone who argues that they aren't, play Silent Hill 2 and ask yourself that same question. Play a visual novel, JRPG, or a crafted platformer like Hollow Knight. The level of cohesive art direction in some video games is well on-par with cinema and even exceeds it at times. There are stories you can never tell in any other medium. It's not only an art form, but one of the most immersive and engaging ones at that.

Ori and the blind Forrest is the pinnacle of art design in video games and darksouls is one of the strongest forms of what makes video games unique from using your mind to overcome problems and impossible odds also the meaning of life and death. There’s so much more than that

Fantastic episode. It's great to hear industry veterans tackle subjects like this.

Yet another great talk; Brenda rocks! :D

Love you Brenda!...& John of course!

Thank you, Brenda Romero.

I loved this talk

Play dark souls you will know the answer

3:53 7:07 10:40 11:17 12:32

There is Art and there is Fortnite

Brendaaaa :DDD love your ted talks

Wait a minute... This War of Mine was developed and published by 11bit studios, I've never even heard of GamesRepublic.

Short version: yes.

OKAMI. now THATS a videogame that is pure art ecstasy!

There being no more technical limitations is a really good justification for it being art. Regardless it was always art even back when that was a problem. That's like saying chiptune music isn't art because it uses 8bit style music

No one can tell you what art is but your self. If you want call something art then its art to you

I'm going to argue here that not all games are, in fact, art. Just as not every photograph, drawing, book, movie, or song is art. But, that doesn't take away the fact that games, artistic games, are probably the most expressive and complex and advanced form of art because games can be a blend of those other artworks and use them to convey an even more immersive experience.

It always annoys me when people say games are mind numbing, but then they go watch a movie. With games, you actually interact, and have to think, with movies you're just watching, not watching and interacting.

Yes, end of discussion

It’s difficult. It’s easy to see a singleplayer game like RDR2 or The Witcher 3 as pieces of art, but looking at games like League of Legends and CS:GO, are they art or are they sports, or both?

Yes

Shadow of the Colossus

I just played the witness, already know the answer

The question isn’t what video games are, but it’s what art is.

I wish I had a parent like this

See 'The Journey' - end of discussion :-)

😊👍

Abzu, journey, dead cells, there are literally games FOR ppl that that want vibrant art. When companies want to figure out how the environments/characters/ enemies will look they will literally draw CONCEPT ART. Then they have to SCULPT 3D MODELS to put in the game!!!!!!! yes games are objectively art and it CANNOT be said otherwise.

GAME = INTERACTIVE MOVIE

Random boomer games aren't art Me: Play Bioshock, dark souls, rdr1, rdr2, gow 2018, you, Majora's mask, ocarina of time, witcher 3, sotc, bloodborne, tlou, breath of the wild, walking dead season 1, demon souls, hollow knight, mass effect trilogy if you don't think videogames aren't art after this you are not human

coucou a ceux qui check pour le concour d'ISART

To me anything that can move you is considered art, the last of us, Journey for example.

Sry, but the first VIDEO GAME is actually Draughts by C. S. Strachey in the Summer of 1952 on a Manchester University called (if im not getting the name wrong) Ferranti Mark I and not "Tennis For Two" on the EDSAC documented in November 1952 by S.Gill

If there is a way I can convince my mum that games are art then it's this. She said that the only reason Notch made Minecraft is for money

7:36 ...unless you're Russian, Turk, Pole or Brazilian. (NOTE - this is a joke)

Play journey and you’ll know

Future me: ARE GAMES ART?! [Existentialism grabs future me] Future me: WHO AM IIIIIIIII?!?!

good talk. However it is interesting how many speakers or game journalists don't play that many games. She's only played two games in an entire year. Many people like this aren't speaking of games from a first-hand experience. This is who I'd like to hear from.

Metal gear solid 3 ending

It’s a shame she has to use 2D side scrollers and World of Warcraft. Because the modern pieces of art that can take your breath away, like Dark Souls, Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: World at War, and Bioshock, and Minecraft. Are a bit too advanced for the boomers she’s trying to communicate with.

Play Castlevania Symphony of the Night , then, you will have your awnser

Not only are Video Games Art, they are far superior to any other existing art forms

Without art there will not be any games

smash

Why the some art these days yeah i think a video games are more artistic then a blue painting with a white line or some fish that are different sizes. Not to mention thier cheaper.

She has a pair of good reasons.

Denier: Games are not art Me: Go experience Metal Gear Solid 2, and have a look at our current world

Games are most definitely art, they're just not high art, not yet at least.

I bet noone has the guts to Play NieR:Automata and say videogames are not art. salve guilherme

Play the last of us and bada min bada boom there’s your awnser

You can say what you want, but Bioshock 1 IS art.

Life is strange is the most artistic game I have ever played.

Video game art is 10X better than 90% of modern art.

Video games are not art. Is pure design from start to end and the product that emerge from that design is a utility for people can entertainment. In that sense video games are not created to be contemplated, but played. All the things in a video games are worked for a public target and is completelly metric and calculated. There is no difference between a digital app and a video game 'cause both are a software product waiting to be purchased.

Bioshock proved to me video game are art

The last of us one and even two are two different type of art

She makes some wild connections... not sure I agee with those.

While i tend to agree that games are art, the examples in this vudeo tend to be exactly the kind of games i consider "not art", Minecraft (and all other sandbox and survival games) is a storyless game, and an absolutely meaningless game, this also applies to simulators (by definition they try to simulate reality), and competetive online and couch games. These are not art whatsoever and can never be art. The games which can be art are story based action/adventure games, RPGs, certain indie expiremental and moody works etc...

Obviously the choices in games are there because the developer put them there, but why is the audience having choice is a bad thing in the first place? Why only the artist should have agency? Why artistic experience can be determined by only the artist? These ideas are elitist and flawed. Just remove them, and games can definitely be art if that is intended by the designer.

When you're playing league and there is a feeding yasuo it is not art

i think video games are art i think everything is art

If you want answers, then play Bioshock

When does she start river dancing?

Art is indeed anything man made, so yes: games are art. Just like my socks.

The Question should be "CAN Games be Art?" Not Are Games Art ? and of course they can. But, very FEW really are.

thicc

Battlefield 1 is an art form. It shows war. For example, in the first mission, you can see an American soldier crying behind a wall. In another mission, there’s a German soldier walking without hope. RDR2 is also art. There are small details of sad and depressing moments.

but do you know what really is the epitome of art? dota 2

Play OMORI if you think games can't be art, smh smh

few games can be considered art

Google believes games are not Art. Their news service categorizes all game news under Technology, not under Arts and Entertainment.

First the Wachowskis and now even John Romero.... wtf?

Only game designers amd gamers think games are art.. Whata coindence.

games are art for kids...

Sorry words have meaning. Games are not sports or art they are games - specifically a kind of toy that infantilized minds want to ascribe more meaning to than can be carried.