Digital Games - But Are They Art?

After reading the essay " Will Computer Games Ever Be a Legitimate Art From", I have extract some of the idea from it.


It should not be just a entertainment, digital games surely are used to entertaining the players, however, the entertaining element is not associated with an art. Let's use the example of monopoly, we can be entertain via moving the dice and the little tools to make fun. However, other than the rules of the board game, it does not have other element to classify it as an art.

The arthur Ernest W. Adams has put the digitial games into a grey area which they are one kind of "things" between literary arts and fine arts. And this grey area contains the things of films as well as digital games.

So...To clarify a digital game is an art, it should be have such elements:

It should be an aestheic via cinematography, the editing, the quality of the acting, the quality of the story and it is not barely about the picture quality.

Besides, it should contains idea created by the game makers. The idea is not meaning the interactive element between the game and the player, but the rationale of the whole game- a story. For example, Romance of the Three Kingdom is one of the digital games containing an idea.

Romance of the Three Kingdom based on events that took place in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, when the land was divided between the Shu Han, Cao Wei and Eastern Wu kingdoms, as well as various other less-remembered forces. The games draw ideas mainly from the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the more historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms.

players revolve around managing numerical statistics, each representing an attribute of a city or character. For example, a city will have statistics indicating the amount of food stored within its walls, its vulnerability to disasters such as floods and earthquakes, how content the people are with its ruler or governing officer, etc. Characters have statistics to reflect their fighting prowess, intelligence and loyalty towards their respective lords, among other attributes. Players can spend time increasing these numbers before waging war on neighbouring territories or intending diplomatic efforts.



Thus the idea and the rationale why the game produced and how the messages shown to the players are clear. This is why a digital game is called an art. It is not only entertaining the player, but also giving them something through the games.

The old version of the game
from:http://www.emuparadise.me/GameBase%20Amiga/Screenshots/R/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms_II_2.png

the new version of the game
From:http://s.pro-gmedia.com/videogamer/media/images/ps2/romance_of_the_three_kingdoms_xi/screens/romance_of_the_three_kingdoms_xi_93.jpg

From http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/8/87790/1820038-box_rottk11.jpg