Art. What the Hell is it?

What is Art? A fairly pretentious question yes I know, however, it's one that begs to be answered if Games are to reach the same heights. Art, in my definition of the word, is a piece of work that blends all of its available elements seamlessly to invoke some message, emotion or both within the viewer.

Painting has various colors, techniques, and materials that make up the work itself. Stagecraft balances writing, costumes, backdrops, actors performance, and lighting. Film takes a lot of these elements of theater and adds effects, dynamic lighting, camera work, and other more involved pieces. Games, however, have all of this plus engaging and fun gameplay.

I could keep ranting directionless for a few more pages, however, I do have an example. I, like most people on the interest, love the anime Demon Slayer however I would not call the show as a whole art. Its characters are great and its animation spectacular, however a few cracks are seen early on that mar its overall quality. However, one 30 second scene makes you forget all about that and at that time it is Art. For those of you familiar with the show know what I’m talking about, those who don’t please check it out in the link below if it's not taken down. If so, the scene in question comes from episode 19 near the end, please do yourself a favor and watch just that last minute or so, you will not regret it.

This scene is Art, everything about it flows together creating one unified sense of wonder and emotion. Starting with the beautiful swelling music, to the bright shift in color, to the dynamic camera work and seamless animation that culminate in an explosion of color, sound, and performance. This is what Art should be like, it may have different forms and it may invoke different reactions, but we should learn to recognize it as such.

Few games deserve the title of art, Undertale, Spec-Ops the Line, Rayman Legends, Mario Odyssey, these are games that deserve the Art tag. Games wherein all the various elements of the media blend to create an impactful experience or raise emotion in its purest form.

So please dear reader, go make some art.

Peace.