When do "video games" stop being just "games"

Games are entertainment, nothing more. All that matters is the fun factor and that depends on individual tastes. My wife looks down on games even though she puts up with me playing them. So? It doesn't affect my fun. I'm not interested in glorifying games and putting them on a pedestal. Playing them is enough.

jun_aka_pekto

Oh yeah TC, Bioshock Infinite has surpassed what a video game can be and is truly art.

How is Bioshock Infinite art? This is the game: Look at all these racist images! Oh now shoot these guys in the face and set them on fire.

There's this massive disjunction between that game's story, which isn't even well told the convoluted ending aside, and the game play which is fairly basic shooting. 

Whoever came up with this thing that games should be deemed as art deserves whatever he gets. 

Its a stupid argument, designed to inflate the superiority of what is a luxury. 

I laugh at how people whine that games are now dumber and simpler but then want to rip out the throat of anyone who dares question that they're art.

Just say you like reading.

Anyway, don't let Bioshock Infinite trick you, it's a game about shooting people in the face and going towards the objective marker. All they did is provide you with an unusually involved justification for the face shooting.

Cherokee_Jack

This ^^

A great story, characters and atmosphere is vital like any medium of entertainment but they are still video games.

I have begun to ponder the broad definition we give the interactive software we are all so passionate about, but can we do better? '

I was interviewing for an internship position at an accounting firm (Still in college), and the recruiter asked me, "So what do you do for fun", I've always loved video games, and is one of my favorite pastimes, but I was adamant at explaining to her that I play "Video Games" for fun; perhaps due to a misguided perception of what society deems is the demographic of "video games": a "time waster" for teenagers, at least from my experience.

But now, as I am enjoying Bioshock: Infinite, and soon to be enjoying Metro: Last Light and The Last of Us, i got to thinking, when can we transcend these experiences from just "video games", and the negative Stigma that may arise from this title for our medium? How can I explain to an interviewer that these are not just "video games" but artforms.

There is no way you can convince me that Bioshock: Infinite is not a piece of art: the imagery, the gameplay, the story, the dialouge, the setting all work in unison to create one of the most astonishing visual achievements I've ever experienced.

There is no "game" to these "games", no discernible method of "winning"  they are pathways and portals to other worlds created by passionate people to be explored and enjoyed. 

Is the term "video game" sufficient for us in our generation of  Infinite, Metro: Last Light, Journey, Mass Effect, The Last of Us, etc? or can we transcend the medium somehow? 

Dead-Memories

Oh yeah TC, Bioshock Infinite has surpassed what a video game can be and is truly art.

cain006

When the stigma isn't there in terms of how you feel someone will react in a job interview. As far as in the grand scheme of things frankly I think it comes down to the person. Yeah if you focus on the forum poster community(complete shit heads) or some of the games "journalists" or something like that evo dude who was bashing female gamers or wathever you're gonna have that low opinion of gamers which really has nothing to do with the actual medium itself.

Personally I think games are in a position where it's more than just fun. For starters there is competition or a challenge. In my cases I'm really fascinated by the inner workings of a game. I think it's kind of cool all the little things that have to work right to make something purely fun or well paced, let alone try to convey something that might have some emotional resonance in a videogame.

As far as x or y being art I always found that concept 100% douchy. I never once considered praising something I love as something I love because it's art. That sounds so toolish. As for pretending there is no "game" at play in Bioshock Infinite i would disagree. There is definitely a game at work there.

jg4xchamp

People trying to turn FPS into a story telling medium instead of a gameplay focused pisses me the F*ck off.

Did doom1 and quake and duke nukem 3d  need a story? No what they offered was gameplay so **** off with that bullshit.

I want gameplay cutscenes are part of a game playing itself.

Actually quake,doom,duke nukem had a story but what pisses me off people trying to make some ''DEEP COMPLEX SO COMPLEX EVEN THE DEVELOPER DOESNT KNOW WHAT THE **** THE STORY HE'S TRYING TO TELL IS " bullshit keep it short and sweet and focus on the gameplay and not how many cutscenes you can stuff into a f*cking game.

I want gameplay cutscenes are part of a game playing itself.

posersRus84

People trying to turn FPS into a story telling medium instead of a gameplay focused pisses me the F*ck off.

Did doom1 and quake and duke nukem 3d  need a story? No what they offered was gameplay so **** off with that bullshit.

posersRus84

[QUOTE="MBirdy88"][QUOTE="m25105"]

This, the whole art excuse is to justify that we like playing with toys. It's no different than building a model airplane or doing a 10,000 piece puzzle.

Also folks, many jobs DON'T want people that play games especially MMO's cause of the bad stigma attached to it.

So if the choice is lying in the interview and say you don't play so you can get a job that pays for food and bills, or to tell the truth and make some big gamer parade out of it to impress people on online forums, I'd say the choice is easy.

m25105

They don't, no matter how hard you try, they're still just toys. If you're insecure about that, tough stuff, play with different toys.TxTech1923

and maybe some games are just games while others are pieces of art.

[QUOTE="GamingVengeance"]Are you worried you won't get the job because you like video games?mems_1224

Yea I was abpout to say. You beat me to it.

:x

portal focuses too much only on one aspect puzzles.posersRus84

[QUOTE="posersRus84"]portal focuses too much only on one aspect puzzles.PannicAtack

[QUOTE="posersRus84"]portal focuses too much only on one aspect puzzles.PannicAtack

Fps never started as focusing only on one aspect.

Fps was never just about ''SHOOTING'' there was always more to it than that.

[QUOTE="PannicAtack"]

[QUOTE="posersRus84"]portal focuses too much only on one aspect puzzles.posersRus84

I think people (a lot of gamers) get hung up on saying something has to be a "game" and that leads a lot of people to have a very narrow view of the medium and poo-pooing anything that tries to be more about story or atmosphere rather than reflexes.PannicAtack

It feels like some people are very close minded "NO GAMES ARE GAMES NOTHING MORE." but at the same time "books are books, movie[QUOTE="posersRus84"][QUOTE="PannicAtack"]A puzzle game focusing too much on the puzzles. Yeah. I totally get your complaint there.FireEmblem74

[QUOTE="PannicAtack"]

[QUOTE="posersRus84"]portal focuses too much only on one aspect puzzles.MBirdy88

poser, your views are very close minded and your arguments basically boil down to "I AM RIGHT YOU ARE NOT, THE END" whereas other people are arguing for VG as an art with substance in why a game is or is not., you're not giving any reason nearly at all other than "it's just a shooting game."

but u and I both know that fpses aren't the same.

cod is no where near similar to a game like portal even though you could place them in that genre. (I'd actually put portal in first person adventure/puzzle though)

IF someone can't understand a type of entertainment is not a form of art  then IDK what tell you 

IF someone can't understand a type of entertainment is not a form of art  then IDK what tell you 

k2theswiss

[QUOTE="posersRus84"]

If wolfenstein 3d was trying to be a one dimensional piece of shit there wouldnt of even been doors that require you to find a key to unlock it to progress.

posersRus84

[QUOTE="PannicAtack"]

[QUOTE="posersRus84"]portal focuses too much only on one aspect puzzles.posersRus84

[QUOTE="TxTech1923"]They don't, no matter how hard you try, they're still just toys. If you're insecure about that, tough stuff, play with different toys.FireEmblem74

and maybe some games are just games while others are pieces of art.

[QUOTE="posersRus84"][QUOTE="PannicAtack"]A puzzle game focusing too much on the puzzles. Yeah. I totally get your complaint there.PannicAtack

There is no way you can convince me that Bioshock: Infinite is not a piece of art: the imagery, the gameplay, the story, the dialouge, the setting all work in unison to create one of the most astonishing visual achievements I've ever experienced.

There is no "game" to these "games", no discernible method of "winning"  they are pathways and portals to other worlds created by passionate people to be explored and enjoyed. 

Dead-Memories

Cant have a opinion around here with a retard being moderator.1234what4321