Are Video Games Art (and Should Christians Even Care)?

Considering I haven’t played a video game since college, it’s odd how engrossed I’ve become by the current debate over whether or not such games can be considered art, on par with painting, literature, music and film.

Roger Ebert ignited a mini-controversy earlier this year with his blog post, “Video games can never be art,” while accomplished author Tom Bissell argues the opposite in his new book “Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter.” Surrounding these high-profile judgments are millions of online opinions that fall on both sides of the argument.

Despite all the back and forth, I’m not quite sure yet where I stand. Certainly video games have the potential to be art, so my instinct is to lean toward Bissell. After all, I’m a movie guy, and the arguments against video games as an art form sound awfully similar to those made against the cinema in its infancy. Bissell also details the increasingly sophisticated ways game designers have interwoven production design, character development, narrative and music – the very same ingredients of cinematic art.

Even so, Bissell’s book spends disconcertingly little time discussing the moral aspect of video games – the crux of the matter for many Christians. Judging from Bissell’s own overview, the average game still runs on those two old standards: sexism and violence. Only here the gamer is able to actively – or at least virtually – engage in the sexist and violent acts.

I think this makes the “art-or-not” argument even more pertinent for Christians. We’re not talking about a frivolous entertainment pastime such as horseshoes. Video games have proven their financial relevance – indeed, they regularly out-earn Hollywood – and the day is coming when they will rival movies in terms of cultural significance. Culturally engaged Christians, then, will need to develop a language with which to discuss them.

The question I have then – and I’d especially like to hear from gamers - is twofold: Are video games art? And if so, how does that change the way Christians should engage and process them?

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Comments (14)

Are video games art? Art is something, in my mind, that has more to do with aesthetic than with story. For sure, some art tells a story, and some video games can have artful imagery.

But I think if a movie can be an art form, than a video game can be as well. There are many video games that are very similar to a movie - scenes, charecters, plot devices. A video game just allows you to have a place in the story - to be part of what happens, and sometimes, to change what happens.
the debate should be more focused on wheather or not moves/tv/games inspire us to do more than sit on our butts? entertainment/art has its place. but in my opinion, video games in particular have been a stronghold of evil forces since their inception. they are addicting, they require little-to-no critical thinking [outside of 'how can i beat this game/level/boss'], and their sole purpose is to have the gamers sit and stare at a tv/computer screen for hours on end. if a christains main aim in life is to glorify god, i can not see how video games fit in with that mission. can their be video game ministries... sure. but they ought to be more in line with AA, miniseries focused on how much more there is to life besides the virtual world of video games. Jesus teaches us to meet our neighbors where they are, not where we want them to be. but, he doesn't tell the prostitute: 'you are loved, keep on doing what you are doing'. he inspires/commands change in our behaviors. complacency is a powerful tool of the devil and anyone who thinks that video games/tv/movies breed much else is not paying attention.

and - "to have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it" - chesterton

translation: just because i like to play and am good at video games and video games are 'culturally relevant' does not mean i should spend 1/5 of my day playing them.
I've wrestled with this question over the years, with video games as well as other things. As I noted in my response Civilization as a computer game can be rather addictive and time consuming. Have the hours I've spend on it over the years expressed good stewardship? I'm not always sure.

These questions can be posed to lots of pursuits, hobbies and pass-times. Reading and writing blogs, crossword puzzles or Sudoku, fishing, watching a sunset, reading fiction, etc. Are these things "useful"? These aren't easy questions to answer.

The idea of "sabbath" is one deeply ingrained in our tradition. One day of week you ought to "rest" because the creator did. Do video games qualify as "rest"?

Lots of hard questions. pvk
you should absolutely apply what i've said to your other pursuits. i struggle with video games. i enjoy them but try my hardest to remove myself from the temptation to play too much. i have younger brothers-in-law that love video games and it seems like the only way i can connect with them is to sit down and get my butt kicked at halo. you can apply this to tv as well. could i see myself sitting in front of the tv for hours a day - yes. this is why i don't own a tv. these are difficult things to explore because often the honest answer to 'is this the best use of my time?' is 'no, it isn't'. the fact that you are asking yourself that question speaks to the answer of said question.

to me rest is rest - not mindless self-indulgence - which is what video games often are. the same can be true with reading, writing, tv, movies, fishing, and other 'hobbies'... i think how we tell the difference between leisure time and addiction/mindless self-indulgence is what said thing prevents us from doing... does it eat into our sleep causing us to be crabby the next day? does it prevent us from time with our children [this is a big one for me, being a father of three]? does it lead us to ignore our spouses? what about our community? i think if the 'hobby' is done in isolation, it has great potential to be dangerous.

this is a good conversation worthy of having in many communities and churches.
Are they an interpretation of life? Yes. Do they involve plot? Yes. Do they employ an expression of color and emotion? Yes. Are they commissioned by someone with money? Yes. Are they debated as to whether or not they are art or even good art? Yes. Are some in this genre more art and fine and others worthless? Yes.

Sounds like art to me! I do wonder what biblical literacy would be like with active engagement of a video game format? Great question. I do think of them as art, but I'm not sure how to view it yet.
I'm gonna say: No. Video games definitely employ a great deal of artistry--design, graphics, illustration, music, and more. However, I'm reluctant to call the video game an "art form" in and of itself. There may be artistic moments in a VG, but it seems to me the form itself is not fixed and enduring enough to be considered a true art form. Perhaps some VGs can rise to the level of being called a "work of art" but that does not make the medium an art form.

Labeling VGs as an "art form" should not change how a Christian should "process" them. I will not consume a decadent or degenerate film no matter how "artistic" it may be. I am called biblically to be a steward of my mind, spirit, time, and money, not to suspend biblical standards to support art for arts sake. However, I would enthusiastically support Christians trying to develop VGs that are both artistic, and redemptive or faith-affirming.

That said, a question for Josh: Why "especially...from gamers"? Are you suggesting that consumers of video games somehow have more refined artistic sensibilities than non-gamers? Sounds a bit "gamist" to me. I wish that you had said "especially from game designers," because they are more qualified and would have more to say about the skills, gifts, discipline, motivation, and vision that go into video game design.

Why did I single out gamers in asking this question? Largely to compensate for my own lack of experience with video games. I expect they will have a much different perspective than mine. The same goes for game designers, as you suggest. I'm certainly curious to hear their opinion on the topic (which Bissell's book frequently provides).
I've played computer games for years. Civilization in its iterations have been my favorite. Now with a PS3 and teenage sons I get to dabble in games like Little Big Planet and Modern Warfare. Are these art? I think they clearly are incredible. I think this argument would boil down to defining "art". There are levels of cleverness and ingenuity that are amazing, even in turn based strategy games like Civ IV.

I'd initially suggest any definition of "art" involve something revelatory, that the sub-creation (Tolkien term) somehow reveal something about this creation we share and therefore the creator. I think games therefore are art because they are clear sub-creations and in the creation of their own little worlds they reveal things to us about this real world we inhabit. Games like Modern Warfare are technically amazing but I haven't found a lot revelatory about it really. Little Big Planet is perhaps better art in the sub-creation and the invitation to sub-create as my children create their own levels to share with others. Civilization IV is perhaps not quite so revelatory beyond seeing how the game designers imagine the progress of civilization moves.

So in short, my answer is yes, they are art. pvk
I never got into video games; I have enough between reading and viewing film and listening to music---and I haven't kept up with any of those three, as the genres have exploded in scope over the last three decades. I view the computer, for my use, as a communication/research/writing tool. Re art: there's an aesthetic of art that calls for a response, even participation of the audience with the artist. It seems that video gaming fulfills this capability intimately. My issue has been already stated above---I have a problem with the subject matter. How much of video games are connected with sex, oppression, violence as text? I realize the same could be said about film, sport, theater, literature, music, the arts---yet to what degree?
I’m with JCCarpenter. I never got into video games In part because violence and sex seem to predominate. Is a video game the equivalent of Musical art...Bach, Beethoven, Miles Davis, the Beatles, Bob Dylan? No. Is it the Equivalent of the visual arts...Monet, John Singer Sargent, David Hockney, Lucian Freud? No. Sculpture? No. Dance? Imogene Cunningham, Balanchine, Barishnikov, Gene Kelley, even Michael Jackson? Sorry. Film? Akira Kurosawa, Fellini? Orson Welles, Scorsese or the Coen Brothers? Nope. Literature? Please.

They may share some of the same same ingredients of cinematic art, just as pornography shares production design, character development, narrative and music. But that does not make it art.

Video games are predominated by gratuitous violence and sex. They take violence to new gory heights, elevating it to the level of pornography where gore is enjoyed for its own sake. They are not really a shared experience, they isolate vulnerable teens, interfere with education, healthy relationships, sexual formation. Even to say they are just entertainment is perhaps too noble a characterization or it says something about the debasment of entertainment. They desensitize to violence AND they are the future of modern warfare as practiced by young men in darkened rooms in Nevada piloting killer drones. Gee, I hope I am not too opinionated. Sorry. I’m sure there are a few exceptions but they are few and don’t share the widespread popularity that the WarCraft, and Halo kinds of games do.
I've been a gamer for years, ever since my first nintendo at 5 years old, and I would argue that anything that takes creativity and causes one to appreciate the creator's perspective and see the world temporarily through his or her eyes should be considered art. So, I would definitely include video games in a discussion of culturally relevant art.

Also, for any skeptics, check out a little game called "braid". You could definitely find videos on youtube, but I would really encourage you to spend the $12 or so on the version for mac or pc. This is the first game I think of when I think of video games as "art".
As a Christian and as a former employee in the games industry, I was intrigued by this topic. As others have said in their comments, video games are simply another avenue (like TV, movies, books, websites) that the enemy uses to get into your home. The game designers/producers/publishers are oblivious to the spiritual impact their games have on souls of individuals. We Christians have a choice: do we engage and justify our choice or avoid stumbling blocks at all costs?

Josh's comment: Culturally engaged Christians..." is a typical false teaching that is foretold in the Bible during the "last days" that says you can have the world (and its entertainment) and God. The truth is, you must choose today whom you shall serve. My heart is breaking at the time & energy Christians are exerting to have both the world and God. Christians, wake up. Art or non-art in video games - really, is that what you woke up on your mind this morning has you face a mountain of obstacles/problems? Jesus, have mercy on us. Draw us back to our First love - YOU!
I've been thinking about this question ever since you posted it. At first I thought I was not really interested in defining art because it didn't matter for me, but then I thought of this: We have found ways to use other art forms as devotional or evangelical tools. Could we make a video game that encourages contemplation or engagement in God's word? Could we do a wii prayer labrynth? I hesitate to translate violent bible stories to violent video games, in part because I'm not sure that reenacting those stories in that way helps you to understand the story (and is it a good game when God always makes the winning strike?).
Good thought but there are hundreds of Christian Video games and video game companies since the 1980s. Here's a list. I feel about them like I feel about the state of "Christian" movies. But that's another subject. Perhaps there's some good resources here? Like I say I am not a player but for those that are;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...

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