Roger Ebert claims "video games cannot be art"; molests children.

Deborah · 04-21-2010, 08:28 AM

Ugh, I remember when he was first spouting this bullshit when I was back in fucking high school. I think back then I tried to write a big rambling email rant about it... aw crap, I feel another one coming on.

One aspect that I appreciate most about video games that I think justifies them as art, and which I think is pretty much unique to games, is how it can require true interaction to look into its hidden layers. Most interesting works of art have subtle details that you start to appreciate the more you study it. In a film or book or comic, this could be subtle references and hints and ironies that give you new insight to the characters, to the story's theme, or to the setting and world of the story itself. But you get these by... just watching the film again. Reading the book again. Nothing wrong with that, but in video games...

In video games, a lot depends on HOW you get to these details. When you re-read a book you might notice new things and skip by others, but in a game this can be much more literal. You can save time on your quest by walking right past an NPC that has nothing mandatory to listen to. But if you do choose to talk to them, they might mention something that shows you a little something more that helps you appreciate another aspect of the story. If you go on certain side-quests a different character might get some more time in the spotlight. They don't all have to be big serious weighty drama bombs either. Jokes hidden in Easter eggs could count too.

In games, a lot of these special optional details that add depth to the story can be optional in a much different way than other media. Sure, in film or books too you might need to "go looking" to bother catching the more subtle things, but in a game environment there's a whole different set of mechanics and a much different feel to the way you go about your explorations and investigations. Hell, if anything, the music in video games, which is art in itself (music is okay to be art still, right?) gains a new dimension beyond just the notes themselves by the way it becomes associated with different actions or characters or locations.

So yeah, how about those inferior mediums like film and books and comics, they think they're all deep and shit, but do they honestly give you a challenge to notice those subtleties, I think not! When you're flipping through Watchmen there isn't some code inside forcing you to fly to the right location or do the right task if you want to catch that aerial shot of the smiley face on Mars. You don't need to make the conscious choice of buying a pirate comic book and then use it as an item to open it and discover that whole Black Freighter business. They just spoon-feed it all to you! You want to get elitist, I say books and films are for simpletons too lazy to even push a couple buttons!

Yeah yeah, I know, not worth replying to him, I meant to just give a two-word reply:

MOTHER FUCKING 3, BITCHES.

Damn, overshot again! Okay, how about:

CHRONO TRIGGER.

And that's from back in '95.

04-21-2010, 08:28 AM	#8
Deborah Troopa Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 31	Ugh, I remember when he was first spouting this bullshit when I was back in fucking high school. I think back then I tried to write a big rambling email rant about it... aw crap, I feel another one coming on. One aspect that I appreciate most about video games that I think justifies them as art, and which I think is pretty much unique to games, is how it can require true interaction to look into its hidden layers. Most interesting works of art have subtle details that you start to appreciate the more you study it. In a film or book or comic, this could be subtle references and hints and ironies that give you new insight to the characters, to the story's theme, or to the setting and world of the story itself. But you get these by... just watching the film again. Reading the book again. Nothing wrong with that, but in video games... In video games, a lot depends on HOW you get to these details. When you re-read a book you might notice new things and skip by others, but in a game this can be much more literal. You can save time on your quest by walking right past an NPC that has nothing mandatory to listen to. But if you do choose to talk to them, they might mention something that shows you a little something more that helps you appreciate another aspect of the story. If you go on certain side-quests a different character might get some more time in the spotlight. They don't all have to be big serious weighty drama bombs either. Jokes hidden in Easter eggs could count too. In games, a lot of these special optional details that add depth to the story can be optional in a much different way than other media. Sure, in film or books too you might need to "go looking" to bother catching the more subtle things, but in a game environment there's a whole different set of mechanics and a much different feel to the way you go about your explorations and investigations. Hell, if anything, the music in video games, which is art in itself (music is okay to be art still, right?) gains a new dimension beyond just the notes themselves by the way it becomes associated with different actions or characters or locations. So yeah, how about those inferior mediums like film and books and comics, they think they're all deep and shit, but do they honestly give you a challenge to notice those subtleties, I think not! When you're flipping through Watchmen there isn't some code inside forcing you to fly to the right location or do the right task if you want to catch that aerial shot of the smiley face on Mars. You don't need to make the conscious choice of buying a pirate comic book and then use it as an item to open it and discover that whole Black Freighter business. They just spoon-feed it all to you! You want to get elitist, I say books and films are for simpletons too lazy to even push a couple buttons! Yeah yeah, I know, not worth replying to him, I meant to just give a two-word reply: MOTHER FUCKING 3, BITCHES. Damn, overshot again! Okay, how about: CHRONO TRIGGER. And that's from back in '95.