Digital Games- But are they art?

a) How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
According to Adams the defination of Art, there are different kinds of art, such as literary art, film, television, drama and writing, also included the fine arts, such as sculpture, music, dance and painting. These arts were presented in a narrative way, that means there a story in art. The decorative arts and indutrial art, architecture are also include as art. These art form will involve the artistic value.

        I agree that there are different classification in the defination of Art. Everythings can be difined as art, once it has the artistic value. Art can provide aesthetic experience, it refer to any skill or mastery. Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. So the defination and classification of art was broad and involve a wide range!

ref; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art

b) According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art ?

Adams conclude that video games to be considered as art, they should include the following elements:

• Element of narrative: there is a story in the game
• Game should serves as : Art as expression
• Non-interactivity of public in the development of a game
• Games contain theme, content and ideas
• Games should challenge the player through think, and ways of seeing things
• Games also involve critic and require an artist
• Gaming award should be focus on the aesthetic content

Digital games are art

case study : Limbo

     Picture from Limbo

 Introduction:

¨  Limbo (Latin limbus) Religious "edge of hell“=Theme, style of play "trial and death“

¨  released in July 2010 on Xbox Live Arcade

¨  puzzle-platform video game

¨  2D sides roller

¨  Story: Limbo is a boy who awakens in the middle of a forest ,he seeks his missing sister through dangerous environments and traps.

I think videogames should be included as an work of art. since it share same characteristic, function and value of other art forms, such as sculpture, painting, drawing and filmming. so it should be consider as an art form.

1. videogame involve human creativity and imagination, as well as a serious production with it. The graphs was designed by a professional team involved different skills and techniques. such as the computre programmer, writers and artists etc. videogames compile all of the art worlds tools into one medium, such as drawing, painting, sculpting, creative writing and video art etc, all come together to produce the game. Such as from Limbo, graphics are designed in Black and white tones, picture in jet-black ink and scratches of charcoal. using techniques, such as lighting for focus, and using shadows.

2. videogames serve as the function of "Art for expression". Videogames were expressive, since it convey sense of mood, provoke our curiosity and amusement, and motivate us to explore (serve as the function of film). For example, in Limbo, the gloomy background arouse a  sense of destitution and despair. And its Open-end work with mystery (Ending: Limbo encounters a girl. When he approaches, she stands up, startled; the game ends at this point), it caused different interpretaions, such as (1)religious nature of Limbo or purgatory,(2)Limbo's journey from Hell to Heaven (reached his sister's death),(3)change in setting means the progression of man from child, adult, elder. These interpretation provoke our curiosity and amusement, and motivate us to explore.

3.Videogames contain message and theme. such as in Limbo,the deaths seen as necessary as part of learning and overcoming each obstacle. There are many thoughtful puzzles: with its elegant simplicity, offers up what feels like a world of meaningful possibilities. The story also involve human complexity , stories that stress the consequences of our actions !


4.Videogames contain the element of narrative. Such as in Limbo, there are direct and indirect narration. Indirect narrative created through atmosphere, color, and sound. direct narrative was the story, games’ flow was based on the story of 10 plots. just like the film.

5. Videogames share the characteristic of film noir, such as silent film, they both limited to plot points and dialogue, they use of focus, film grain, fog, and lighting, create silent scenes.

      

                    Limbo                                                                            Danish silent film "Haxan” 1922

Conclusion: Videogames are art, since they involve

• Human creativity and imagination
• Open up new aesthetic experiences
• Expressive: convey sense of mood, provoke our curiosity and amusement, and motivate us to explore
• Characters of human complexity , stories that stress the consequences of our actions
• Art as the creative use of technology

Ref:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeaBbxrVMzM

http://kokugamer.com/2009/10/11/video-games-are-art/

The Ethics of Digital Games: Only Playing ?!

 

•A)According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies?

• According to the film, there are some pros and cons pf playing the digital games for individuals and societies. On the pros aspect, digatal games can acts as an educational purpose. such as it can helps to spread knowledge, such as the game of "Americas Army", it's designed to train the people to be soldier and to know more about the American's army. It helps to promote a positive image of being a soldier. Also there are some games that were designed to used by the patient as to let them know more about their sickness and diseases. The game was also serve as a kind of tool that to provide knowledge. This is the pros for the societies.

•On the cons aspect, the negative impact was mainly effect on the individual level. Such as desensitization and immersive.Such as when we are playing the games, we are receiving those violence things and sexualality. The more time we spend on playing the violence the more negative information we receive, as time past by we will become more desensitize of violence and sex.

 

•B) According the film, is there any evidence that digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world? Do you agree?

• There are some evidences that prove digital games can encourage aggressive values and anti-social actions in the real world. According to the experts in the film, one has mentioned that digital games could give the feeling of powerful for the player, such as the first killer can get the weapons as to be the most powerful player in the game, thus encourage the player to kill the people and to be more aggressive in the role of playing and also in the reality.

•c)Should governments have the right to ban certain games? Why or why not?

I think government should have the right to control and ban the games. Since games are popular culturral product, they can be accessed by the public, no matter the young kids or the eldery. Due to its boardly exploded in the society, it will bring both negative and positive impact for the community. And game is a commercial product, the developer would be on  the profit-based purpose and goal. Thus they develolper may put in wrong content such as violence, drug, sex, in the game. in order to attract the player. So based on the protection of public correctness and social morality. The government should have a right to control and ban certain games.