The Artistic And Thematic Potential Of Video Games

Whether it is because of negative stereotypes about people who play video games or misunderstandings about the storytelling or thematic potential of gaming, video games are sometimes regarded as an inferior form of art despite their immense popularity.  The format is even now seen by some as lacking the artistic or thematic potential of movies, books, and even television or streaming shows.  Ironically, not only can gaming replicate practically every strength of other forms of art and entertainment, but they can surpass them in some ways.

It is the interactive components of gaming, along with the typically greater scope of video games, that can elevate video games to a higher level of potential than any other format of entertainment.  Voice and motion capture performances, text-based reading (at least in the case of gamebooks), complex plots, significant themes, and emotional impact can be found in other types of entertainment, but books lack sensory stimulation, and movies lack input (and sometimes scope), while video games can still appeal to imagination and cinematic presentation.  Games have inherent advantages over other mediums as far as immersion goes.

Indeed, the primary limitations of gaming's ability to impact people are the biases against gaming and the greater expense of many video games as opposed to that of books and films.  Besides these hindrances, there is nothing about video games that impairs their ability to reach audiences with the same level of artistic quality, philosophical depth, and emotional appeal that movies do.  The potential of gaming is even greater than other storytelling and entertainment formats due to the enhanced sensory nature of the experience and the need for player input.  Not all games make the most of this potential, but neither do all books and films make the most of their medium's particular strengths.

There never was a basis for the imbecilic position that video games are not art, as has been fallaciously claimed by some like Roger Ebert, but, given the advances in the gaming world in the last two decades, it is also imbecilic to claim that video games are barred access to artistic and thematic/philosophical excellence.  Gaming can merge key parts of the best that cinema and literature have with artistic elements unique only to itself.  Now, this does not lessen the artistic, philosophical, or personal significance of other entertainment mediums, but it does expose an irony in the stance of those who treat video games as pointless and inferior to the former.

Cinema and literature are not more sophisticated or legitimate forms of artistic expression and entertainment than video games, although some examples from each category are more sophisticated or important than certain examples from the other categories.  If anything, they have less to offer than gaming in some senses.  This, however, does not diminish their own wealth of potential--multiple formats can accomplish many of the same artistic and thematic objectives without detracting from the ability of other formats to do the same.  One is free to enjoy whichever format is to one's subjective liking without misrepresenting what any of the formats can offer.