Video games have been debated many times for many different topics. Whether it’s if they should be a sport, if they cause violence, or if they should be considered art. Video games have been some what controversial for a while. One thing that I am certain of is that some video games do deserve to be called art. For some that have little experience with video games in their lives, this may sound preposterous. For those that have had video games as a significant part of the life, I’m sure they would agree on the spot. While some games don’t help at all with this argument, there is a hand full of games that have been seen as masterpieces and works of art.
Video games can be seen as art in different ways. The most obvious would be if it’s visually appealing and beautiful. Other ways it can be a work of art would be if it’s story is amazing or if it’s gameplay is great. There are various ways that things can be beautiful and it can be different for everyone. Not everyone can agree that something is art without others that will disagree and criticize it. The beauty of art differs from person to person so it’s most likely impossible that a piece of art will be appealing to everyone.
There are many examples of games that can be seen as a piece of art. One example, would be a game that is called Shadow of the Colossus. In the game, you play as a character that must search and kill 16 giant beasts in order to restore the life of a girl. It was a really influential game for it’s time and won awards because of it’s quality. It won awards for it’s landscape designs, immersive gameplay, soundtrack, and emotional journey. It’s a game that is used many times in debates regarding video games being seen as art.
People see the game as an emotional journey because of the struggle of the main character you are playing as. He made a deal with a disembodied voice known as Dormin to bring his loved one back. He was warned that there would be a price to pay for reviving the girl but in a hurry he leaves to kill the beasts without listening to him. Every colossus he murderers contains a fragment of Dormin’s body each time progressively turning the main character into a possessed body for Dormin.
People appeal to the story of Shadow’s of the Colossus because the experience the journey of the character. They see him as he anxiously rushes to locate the giants and murder them to bring his beloved back. Throughout the game the player gets to see the great giants fall just so that he can get the girl back. Each time watching a fragment of the demented antagonist go into his body and slowly take his body. As he slays the beasts he becomes paler, his hair becomes darker, and he gets dark streaks on his face. Even though he is giving up his body he still wants to get the girl back. Once he kills the last colossus he turns into a big shadowy giant, but then get defeated when his sword is cast into a pool and light consumes both the giant and the main character. The girl ends up waking up and finds a baby with small horns in the pool where the shadowy giant and the main character were consumed.
This game is a great example of art because along with the story that appealed to many players, it had stunning visuals for it’s time and a great soundtrack to play along with. The creators of the game could express their idea through this game perfectly. Overall video games should be considered art because it’s just another medium for people to show their creative ideas and work. If games can be used to express things like emotions it for sure should be seen as a new form of art. Now with more advanced technology and graphics people can express themselves through video games better than they could ever before. The technology of video games leaves many possibilities for people to convey their artistic ideas and share it with the world.
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