Video games are OFFICALLY recognized as ART by NEA

[Doc ock rokc]

The National Endowment for the Arts is now providing grants for video game creators. In a nod toward modernity, the NEA's Arts on Radio and Television category has been replaced by Arts in Media, which includes mobile technology, digital games and other gaming platforms. Take THAT, Roger Ebert!

NEA grants generally range from $10,000 to $200,000, and are provided to fund the creation and distribution of works of Art. Whether that includes your zombie shooter or not would be determined by the NEA, but no one is allowed to steal my submission, a Wii game tentatively entitled "Mario's post-modern digital dialectic: An architecturo-historical view of the proto-self in search of a global-cultural narrative." I think I've got a winner here, people.

If you'd like to apply, visit the NEA's page for details. I'f you'd like to disparage or praise the work of the NEA, feel free to use our comment section or write to your Congressman.

Read more: http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/pos...#ixzz1LylkbNH3

and a more detailed artical
http://gaming.icrontic.com/article/n...e-an-art-form/

The US federal government, by way of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), now considers video games a form of art, making a true step toward recognition for the oft under-recognized form.

The NEA is a program under the federal government which has the mission of deciding which grand artistic projects are worthy of receiving Federal funding. Artists around the country can submit applications to the agency for works which will enhance the public good. It allows artists who are creating outside of the commercial art world to work and live, through grants of up to $200k; artists who otherwise would have to either enter the profit-centered world of commercial art, or stop creating (or starve, I suppose).

This week, when the NEA opened its 2012 submission window, it also announced that the guidelines would be changing as to what art is acceptable. The category which was formerly known as The Arts on Radio and Television is now called The Arts in Media (Yes, I know: paint and stone are also forms of media, but stick with me here). The new category will include all art submissions for television, film, and radio—as before—but has been expanded to include interactive technologies and media delivered by satellite or internet (previously it only included land-based television and radio broadcasts).

The official line is this:

Projects may include high profile multi-part or single television and radio programs (documentaries and dramatic narratives); media created for theatrical release; performance programs; artistic segments for use within an existing series; multi-part webisodes; installations; and interactive games. Short films, five minutes and under, will be considered in packages of three or more.

Unfortunately that means that video game developers who want one of these grants will not only be competing with television and radio producers, but also with producers of web and satellite radio broadcasts. It’s not a category of their own, but it’s still a sort of ‘official’ recognition.

What does this actually mean for developers? It means that if a developer wants to create games for people, doesn’t want to charge money for them, but still wants to be able to eat, there is an option. One can apply for a grant, and potentially get paid by the government to be a creator, just as painters and sculptors have been able to do for many years.

And for the public it means that we may begin to see some video games of the ‘public’ works’ variety, games which are released for the world to enjoy, which may have good production values, but which are also not part of the commercial video games world. What these games will look like, we have no idea at this point, as it’s a completely new thing. The projects that receive funding are chosen by the agency, and there are not many guidelines or descriptions for what kinds of projects will be accepted.

We also have no idea just how many video game projects will actually be approved. It’s possible that none will be chosen as the agency could decide to put all the grants to other projects which fall inside the new category.

Whatever happens, the inclusion of interactive narratives in the NEA guidelines is a big step, and opponents of the recognition of video games now have one less arrow in their quiver. Artist who wish to apply for a 2012 grant must do so by 1 Sept 2011.

So The US goverment has offically recognized videogames as an art form. Not only that but they are offering grants on making video games!

I am so happy!

[rpgdemon]

As a game developer: I don't really care. :P As long as people are enjoying them, what's it matter what they're called?

[shiney]

Because this opens a lot of avenues for more game development as well as funding, and you don't have to be a major publisher to obtain capital?

[Doc ock rokc]

Originally Posted by shiney

Because this opens a lot of avenues for more game development as well as funding, and you don't have to be a major publisher to obtain capital?

not only that but anything that is labeled as art essentially has first amendment rights (and even some subconscious privileges) meaning that games can not be labeled as obscene. Also eliminates the one complaint art has about video games, That they are to commercially invested to be considered art.

Art is a very prestigious title that means a lot to many different people.

[rpgdemon]

I'm not gonna lie, I just read the thread title, and saw wall o' quote, and had to get my two cents in on the topic of games as art.


Funding is good though!

[Professor Smarmiarty]

I'm kind of annoyed by this, it will just drain funds from other arts and I don't thikn the videogame industry needs it. Evena s the most indepedent videogame developer it is still seems that it would be so much easier to make a living than as an indepedent artist or sculptor or such like- your market is so much bigger, you make your product you can sell it infinite times, distribution channels are much easier and there are big companies that can pick up your work/you that don't exist for other arts. Unless they re massively increasing NEA funding I don't see it as beneficial.

Also people talking about videogames now achieving a title as "art"- there is no such title or category and if there was it wouldn't be decided by government funding boards.

[Aerozord]

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

I'm kind of annoyed by this, it will just drain funds from other arts and I don't thikn the videogame industry needs it. Evena s the most indepedent videogame developer it is still seems that it would be so much easier to make a living than as an indepedent artist or sculptor or such like- your market is so much bigger, you make your product you can sell it infinite times, distribution channels are much easier and there are big companies that can pick up your work/you that don't exist for other arts. Unless they re massively increasing NEA funding I don't see it as beneficial.

Also people talking about videogames now achieving a title as "art"- there is no such title or category and if there was it wouldn't be decided by government funding boards.

this is not for people wanting to make a living, this is for people that want to contribute to culture without having to sell their blood for rent money.

Think about it, this means people can now make games that aren't commercially viable. Games on political commentary, interactive teaching tools, games that are a fully immersive painting. If used right this can generate an entirely new art culture that we haven't seen since creation of movies

[Bells]

Smarty, you might be a little off base here... From the "Arts" point of view, funding is more likely to go to small studios with fun, new, unique, artistic views for the games. We're likely to see more new studios and Gaming Professionals on the scene with a chance... Triple A major brand games are also very artfull but in the funding department, they are much more like a business product instead of an Artistic Expression

[rpgdemon]

Yeah, Smarty, even a small budget indie title can take up to $50,000 to develop. While there might be a larger market, making a game is undeniably a more expensive endeavor than a sculpture or a painting. Even if you're doing what I'm doing, and just splitting shares of the profits, and everyone's going unpaid until release, we're still working without pay.

It's like, doing the same thing as an artist trying to make it their living, except that there are more people involved and it's more expensive when you have to pay people.

[akaSM]

So, can I say that I take part in artsy/classy/ stuff now?