http://kotaku.com/5853739/this-video-might-convince-your-doubtful-friends-that-games-can-be-art

I think the TES series is a great example of what these people are talking about.

Discuss.

I agree---there's times in Oblivion I stopped and took pictures of the landscape. It's going to be interesting to see Skyrim on a 1080p LEDHD TV :drool: .

Honestly I couldn't stand the way they just zoom into the camera like that.

Like their trying to take glamour shots or something.

That video has got a ton of flaws, but I really liked their part about story. They're right. Taking part in the story, rather than just watching it from afar, brings a whole new dimension to narrative. And I don't mean just acting it out. Obviously in games like Halo: Reach (not bashing... I love Halo), even though you are acting out the story, you're not really affecting it. You're just going down a completely pre-determined path. While that does have its merits, it would be good to see more games giving the player story choices.

I have only played the two most recent Fallout games, Fallout 3 and New Vegas, but I would consider both of them art. They are the least linear games I have ever played. I'm just starting to play Oblivion so please don't spoil it for me(and don't get me wrong I really like the game), but I found it just slightly more linear then these two games because of the dialogue. So far the only choice in dialogue I have had is whether or not I want to help someone with their problem, but in all 3 of these games I've mentioned you can completely ignore the story and do your own thing in the world. To me that ultimate freedom of choice in a video game, as was said in the video, is true art.

It's an interesting video, but I'd like to see it expanded to cover other aspects of why video games can be art, and in greater depth to boot. As is, it places a large emphasis on player choice and/or freedom, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but that's only one small part of this discussion. For example, giving the player choices is playing to one of the medium's greatest strengths, but the interactive nature of games in general can do wonders even for titles that feature predetermined characters, stories, etc. I think they acknowledged this multiple times, both verbally and through the selection of game footage featured in the video.

These folks had some very interesting things to say, would love to see a full-fledged piece on the subject.

When you are gaining enjoyment from the game, it's an entertainment. When you find a reflection of an emotion from the game, it's an art. Not that game is an art, it's that arts take many forms.