Artists are always looking for innovative ways to expand upon their art and video games are going to be the next way. Video games are works of art in their simplest forms. Simply put, art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, and over the years humans have found different ways to show this skill. Video games have evolved alongside technology to the point where they can be considered great pieces of art, up there with some of the greatest pieces of literature and I truly believe that video games will be studied in the future as works of art.

Critics such as Roger Ebert have clearly stated that, “Video games can never be art,” and “No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists, and composers,” at the time no one dared to say anything against him because video games were still just getting on their feet. Two things have happened since Ebert’s assessment of video games, however.

The first thing to happen is the rise of indie games, independent games produced and developed by a small group, or even one person. These indie games are put out, not just for monetary purposes, but also for passion. Game developers are passionate about these games and want the public to see them, just like many artists over the years. These games are thought-provoking, curious, creative, and deeply personal games. Games such as that game company’s “Journey” showcase a hauntingly beautiful landscape and a masterful soundtrack that compliment the landscape perfectly. Other games such as “Limbo” by Playdead have an ending that is left up to the players to decide what happened.

The second thing to happen is the fusion of different kinds of art all forming into one video game. Musical composers, 3D model designers, storytellers, animators, and voice actors all come together to make masterful pieces of art that compete with some of the greatest pieces of fine art out there. One of these games is Red Dead Redemption 2, by Rockstar. This game is probably one of the greatest games, and subsequently one of the greatest works of art. Everything comes together perfectly in this game. The story is comparable to some of the best pieces of literature, the characters in the story all complement it so well, and each character is incredibly fleshed out. Not only are the characters well fleshed out, but the voice acting behind each and every character in the game is impeccable. Not to mention the soundtrack is just amazing, each song composed for a certain time and day within the game. The music kicks in when you expect it the least and it just combines with the ambient noises in the environment around you to fully immerse you into the game, further cementing its spot as a piece of fine art comparable to some of the greatest pieces of traditional art. Furthermore, the game’s visuals are breathtakingly beautiful. The graphics almost make it

seem as if you’re watching a movie, it practically looks real and the credit for these graphics is given to the 3D Model Designers and the 3D Graphic Designers. The realistic animations complement the realistic graphics and work together to create some pretty stunning visuals. Ultimately, video games like Red Dead Redemption 2 combine aspects of other art forms. They combine sculpture, music, visuals, writing, animating, and acting to create something truly amazing.

While video games can be compared to amazing works of art, there are ways that these games are different too. Most works of art provide an artistic experience that showcases the artist’s message. The only difference is that some pieces of art don’t click with certain people. Video games change that, they have the ability to personalize the artistic experience, while still retaining the authority of the artist. The players of games are following the story of the author, they are bound to the world by rules, but the choices they make within the game can completely personalize the experience and immerse them into the author’s message completely. Games such as “Detroit: Become Human” give players thousands of choices and multiple endings, all the while retaining the message the author wanted to send. These types of games help players connect more to the message due to the choice factor, they connect more because they chose the ending they got, basically treating these games like a playable movie in a world which you can interact with.

Video games are slowly becoming more pronounced in the artistic world, with some games even being placed in museums and I believe that these games rival some of the greatest pieces of art in the world due to the fact that video games have the power to combine several fields of art into one piece.