The Art of Gameplay: Art in Games vs. The Art OF Games 

You're right that excellent gameplay is a form of art that should be celebrated, but I think there's a simple reason as to why the term "games as art" is always referring to the qualities you see in other mediums... Games require skill to appreciate the gameplay. I don't mean this in an elitist sense, nor mean skill as in being a master of a game's challenging gameplay. Rather, I mean that to engage with gameplay at all people need to have a grasp of the basic concepts of playing games; such as how button presses control the game, or the trope that moving to the right progresses a 2D platformer. This can actually be a real challenge for people who've never played games before, while this basic ability to play games at all is something gamers take for granted (after it is subtly learned from playing games for many years). None of this ability is needed to appreciate the art of other mediums. Their passive nature is to their advantage, because it makes them entirely universal. You might appreciate a film's amazing cinematography more if you know all about the techniques of film-making, but even if you don't, the film's artistic qualities will still have an impact on you, just perhaps on an unconscious, emotional level you can't quite articulate. This is why games with excellent presentation, music or graphics can easily be described as art. Someone without the skill required to play games can still look at The Last Of Us and be awed by its presentation and story, because they can relate to these elements from film. And so this is why the discussion of "games as art" always comes back to these same talking points from other mediums; because they are qualities everyone can appreciate.

idk about everyone else but true art in a video game is when they add in a toilet you can flush

I truly appreciate this video. Not many people talk about this stuff. Most of them actually don't even want to listen. Keep it up!

If gameplay is art, then team fortress 2 and titanfall 2 are possibly some of the highest forms of art there is in that regard. Holy shit they are so much fun, and the mechanics of both are downright beautiful. Hats off to Respawn and Valve for focusing so much on gameplay, while still having great presentation in other regards

When I think of art in video games I think of the sweet sweet sight of Macho Man Randy Savage dragons.

Great points and solid presentation. Time to add another channel to the "Thoughtful video game commentary" list.

You have no Idea how much I adore Ori and the Blind Forest. The music and the art style and the controls are all just. Amazing

I just want to tell you that this was an excellent video well edited, thought provoking, and enjoyable to listen to. Thanks for making it!

Damn this video gets really good. I hope your channel grows, it deserves it.

That's why SSB: Melee is so good, it's been around for 15 or so years and it will continue to be around for awhile. The game just functions so well that it is so hard to pick up another game like it. It just feels so crispy compared to most other fighters.

something I've been thinking about a lot is games that take the theme of the story and use mechanics to flesh the theme out. I think VVVVVV for example, has a major theme of being directionless, not knowing where to go, but going anyways, and you could get this sense from just the first area. I absolutely love the idea of seeing gameplay as an art form however, and I've made a list of games I think are masterpieces for this reason, and some of the games on this list do an amazing job of mixing theming and gameplay as well. These games are -Undertale -Minecraft -Portal Series -Shovel Knight Saga -Duck Game I feel like all of these games take what they're trying to be as far as they can, and do not only an amazing job of giving players fun mechanics, but teaching players the mechanics well. There are plenty of games I need to play still that I think could have a chance on this list, like Breath of the Wild and Celeste, but that's what I think for now

Great video, I've learned some things from you

A video game is art when it gives you something that you can use in the real world. Pokémon teaches kids that growing up and changing sometimes drastically is a good thing.

Mechanic sets that are artistic tend to be set systems that don't adapt to player skill or have many AI enemies, many single player games constantly cheat to give the player an advantage and help them for-fill a power fantasy. ---- Examples of artistic mechanics ---- Arcade games: tetras, pac man, missile command etc Tight platforms: Super meat boy, Mario, VVVVV ect RTS Games: WC3, SC, SC2 ect Competitive fighters: DOA, Rivals of Aethar, Melee, Street fighter etc Examples of mechanics that are not art, single player FPS games like Bio shock, and third person adventure games like uncharted and walking simulators like journey. These games have are in them but the mechanics are not art.

The Last of Us has shit gameplay. The story isn't anything amazing either, nor the characters. It doesn't say anything about the human nature nor does it tackle any particularly deep or interesting themes, if it has any (even tho i haven't played it in a long time im confident in this statement). It feels "cinematic" because of the way its scripted scene by scene, the way it looks and the characters react, and the scene direction, but I don't take much value in that. If you want that then make a movie, and one with a good story and message and substance. TLoF is just pure fanservice for snobish people who think they are intelectual but don't know anything of what art is about, *MUCH* less video games, and the art *of* video games.

Good video man!

My favorite games catch me with great gameplay then I notice that they have beautiful graphics and music later

Video games are kind of like ballet. Everybody can enjoy the music, but not everyone will enjoy watching people dance in tutus and underwear for no apparent reason.

This video is art

I always thought as video game gameplay as more of well, a game. like board games, card games, things like air hockey and darts, sports like basketball or golf. And while I can talk forever on the finer points of freeze tag I don't know if I would call that art. Do we consider a game of dungeons and dragons an artform? how about something more mundane like rock paper scissors?

Is chess a work of art?

YASS ZADDY 😩💦💦

This deserves more than a million views

I’m 100% with you here. I’m not a fan of a game that’s pretty/deep for the sake of being pretty/deep. That isn’t to say that games shouldn’t strive towards this, as you said, games should strive towards all aspects. Developers can do whatever they want, and people can enjoy what they want. In my opinion though, I always look for the gameplay first and foremost, and generally, my most favorite games are the ones with mechanically simple AND complex gameplay. Nintendo games seem to achieve this in spades, it’s why I speedrun Mario Sunshine in the first place. It’s also why I like Tetris so much, and why I find Smash Melee and fighting games in general to be so interesting. It’s why I still play Mario 64. It’s why I find Japanese rhythm games to be the most intriguing genre in all of video games because if it’s seemingly infinite skill ceiling. Gameplay needs the recognition it deserves at least in the review space. I think eSports in general does a great job showcasing great gameplay as it should. It’s a shame that in the general public though, gameplay just isn’t looked as highly upon.

Inspiring. Excellent video, many thanks!

Afterall, games are what they are for their gameplay, for the same emotion that a playground in someone childhood can feel during a session of their favorite game. Games present a unique tool that allows the player to be part of the adventure. Without it, it would be like any other medium. Videogames are an interaction to someone else idea/mind. The gates to an adventure, that they allow to be part of it.

5:29 I don't think beauty makes something artistic. Something I don't think you've touched on is how art can present ideas to the observer, reader, listener, or in this case player - and it doesn't have to be beautiful to do that. This argument extends into your bit at 4:21 - satisfying gameplay does not make a game artistic. Games like Inside put you in the role a kid in trouble, and the things you see and experience along the way are as important as the gameplay. Inside stands out because of how it uses all of those elements while introducing and exploring new ideas which explore new gameplay concepts, expand upon the world and convey a story at the same time. I think you present a false dichotomy of mechanically simple games which are considered artistic and mechanically complex/challenging games which are not considered artistic. But many of the games which you used as examples use all of their components (sound, music, visuals, gameplay, etc.) to create a compelling and interesting experience. Jonathon Blow designed The Witness by removing all the elements that didn't contribute to the core ideas, design by subtraction - Downwell was designed similarly by stripping the game down to three buttons. The art OF games is utilizing every component to create a unique and singular experience (the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts)- and that is what you get out of games like Journey, Inside, and The Witness.

tf2

Great video and channel

THIS