Do You Have Any Unpopular Gaming Opinions?

[Ack]

Anyone who takes games seriously or considers them art is a nerd.

Do you mean that in an insulting way, or in a overly intellectual way?

Mostly insulting. I don't see why people need other people to respect their hobby. If games are considered art or not, it will make no difference in how I play or enjoy them, so who cares?
I just consider it another label that people take way to seriously. I don't see a point in arguing whether they are or aren't art, i just consider them video games. Ya' know?

Ah, makes sense. There are quite a few folks here that consider video games art, or at least an extension of it, but you make a fair point about it not being an important discussion in regards to your simply enjoying them.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Ah, makes sense. There are quite a few folks here that consider video games art, or at least an extension of it, but you make a fair point about it not being an important discussion in regards to your simply enjoying them.

I try and justify most my opinions but I like saying them in a way that makes me seem like an asshole.

[Ack]

Ah, makes sense. There are quite a few folks here that consider video games art, or at least an extension of it, but you make a fair point about it not being an important discussion in regards to your simply enjoying them.

I try and justify most my opinions but I like saying them in a way that makes me seem like an asshole.

It's ok. You couldn't be any worse than some of the folks we've had on here before.

[BurningDoom]

Ah, makes sense. There are quite a few folks here that consider video games art, or at least an extension of it, but you make a fair point about it not being an important discussion in regards to your simply enjoying them.

I try and justify most my opinions but I like saying them in a way that makes me seem like an asshole.

It's ok. You couldn't be any worse than some of the folks we've had on here before.

Or one or two still here.

For the most part I agree with what Central is saying. But there are rare exceptions where a game transcends the normal game and does become a piece of art.

For example: Panzer Dragooon: Orta is one that I feel is just so beautiful and the soundtrack masterfully accompanies that beauty that it does have some artistic value.

[Menegrothx]

Anyone who takes games seriously or considers them art is a nerd.

Have you played Silent Hill 2 or Planescape: Torment? Shadow of the Colossus, System Shock 2, Bioshock? Deus Ex? If you think that aesthetics and or music aren't enough to make a game a piece of art, then how about having a message? I don't see how Silent Hill 2 couldn't be art. You've got symbolism in monster and environment design, a storyline that's well written and connected, cutscenes, text logs and conversations that subtly and often times nonverbally convey information, both the monster and audio design is very unique, monster and environment design was done by studying both art and psychology etc. It hasn't got a political or societal message or anything like that, but the storyline serves a purporse and it's just very... intelligent. All that while succeeding at being a great horror game. I'm sure that if it was a movie, every one would consider it a piece of art.

Anyways what accounts for art anyways? It's an eternal question. Are pretty aesthetics (a beautifully drawn picture, realistic, surreal, cartoony, doesn't matter) art? Can music be art? What kind of music is art? Are the surreal scary noises of Silent Hill art? It requires a lot of creativity to create those noises with a computer. And they're scary as hell.
Are intelligently told (information isn't spoon fed or dumbed down, use of symbolism etc) stories art? Does the story need to have a some kind of greater purporse/point (draw attention to political issue or something along those lines)? For instance there's an artist who made a video that had pictures of wartorn countries, poor african children etc and suddenly he killed a cat and masturbated on it's corpse. It caused a lot of controversy and got him in jail. The point of that video was to demonstrate how we react to seeing a pet animal murdered while being oblivious to human suffering (and suffering of farm animals etc). And then there's even more retarded examples of modern art (ie an empty frame etc). If that counts as art, why doesn't a game like Silent Hill or Planescape: Torment count as art? They both have creative, unique visuals, well written stories and storylines that force the player to think (whether it's the philosophical discussions of Planescape or figuring out the blanks in the storyline in a Silent Hill game by observing the behavior and quirks of different characters etc).

You should check out these videos if you're unfamiliar with the Silent Hill-series and how genius it was

[Central Scrutinizer]

Anyways what accounts for art anyways?

To add to that question. Who cares? Art is such an abstract, undefinable term that it really makes me not give a shit either way.

Like I said, it's all labels.

[Menegrothx]

To add to that question. Who cares? Art is such an abstract, undefinable term that it really makes me not give a shit either way.

Like I said, it's all labels.

THEN WHY THE HELL GAMES COULDNT BE ART?!?!?! Sure 99.9% of games aren't art. But there's that tiny amount of all-around brilliantly designed games that qualify as art. Why can't those games be considered art.
If a picture of a chick (Mona Lisa or Girl with a Pearl Earring) is legit art then how the hell Silent Hill 2 isn't? There's so much more to designing a game that's art than painting a picture of a woman. Even a good painting, with actual thought put into it, still has a tons of less things to plan or worry about than a game has (no offense to Salvador Dalí). The whole game world, lore, storyline, characters, dialogue, gameplay, soundtrack, visuals, designing the whole thing.... and ALL of those things must click in order for it to work.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Chill out dude, it can be art if you want it to be.

[AppleQueso]

[Sano]

Don't know how unpopular my input on this subject is, but I don't like any of the Halo series after Halo 1. The rest just seem like they are retrofitted and what not.