Videogames Are Art

I just read an old editorial someone wrote about videogames, and it got under my skin. The author actually said that, in his opinion, videogames would never be culturally relevant. The "never" part is important. He's saying that the videogame industry, which already rivals the film industry in size, will not be culturally relevant, even if given an infinite amount of time.

It's not just that I disagree - I think any sane person would disagree with such an overly broad statement. But I think it crystallized for me the problem I have whenever anyone raises the question of "Are games art?"

Because the person asking the question always has the answer all along. One hundred percent of the people I've seen who ask that question already believe that games are art. No one who didn't think much of games would bother to ask that question. People who ask "Are games art?" are really asking, "When will other people realize that games are art?"

And frankly, that's weak. It's not surprising. We all want our hobbies to be accepted by society at large. We want what we love to be valued, or at least respected. But we shouldn't ask society for permission to enjoy the things we enjoy. That is weakness.

Novels, film, radio, and television were all derided as empty spectacles for the ignorant masses when they were first introduced. Heck, television wasn't really respected until The Sopranos. But they didn't grovel and beg for society's acceptance. They weren't bestowed cultural relevance by benevolent elders. They took it. Like fire from the gods. Fans of the medium became critics and advocates. They started up the Pulitzer prize, the Oscars, the Emmys. I'm sure those awards were seen as industry self-congratulation when they first started out (hell, they're seen that way now) but they brought with them a sense of dignity and gravitas. Those industries were taken seriously because they took themselves seriously.

Videogames still have a way to go, but they've come so far so fast already. This is a medium that has only existed for forty years. Film has been around since the 1800's! But we will get nowhere simply waiting around for other people to arbitrarily allow videogames into the "club" of established media. We must break down those doors.

Write videogame criticism on blogs. Make your own 'artsy' games with the free tools out there. Friggin do something. Wringing your hands and timidly asking whether videogames will ever be respected feeds the problem. Pretending "are videogames art?" is a valid debate is like pretending "is the world flat?" is a valid debate.

The time for debate is over.
The time has come to prove what we know is true.