Group Project --- Video Games: But Are They Art?

Name of the Video Game: Untitled Game

Developer: Jodi

Year of Released: 2006

Mode of Distribution: Online and CD-Rom

Original Game: The Quake

A.   What is video game?

A video game includes computer games, home console videogames, online games and most forms of computerized play that involve a monitor and an input device. The role of computerized toys is not considered as a video game in this article.

B.   What is an Art?

It is hard to give a clear definition of art. Therefore, in my article, the definition of art is based on Ernest W. Adams’ article: ‘Will Computer Games Ever Be a Legitimate Art For?’

According to Adams, there are six characteristics of art that are:

1.    Art has content

2.    Art has an aesthetic

3.    Art contains idea

4.    Art makes you feel things

5.    Art is not formulaic

6.    Utility and saleability

Adams also stated that being an art is not required to fulfill all these characteristics as mentioned. However, if it does none of them, it has a greater chance of not being an art.

C.   The Original Game: the Quake

Untitled Game is an art game created by Jodi. Jodi modified old video game which is called Quake. Untitled Game is an art game which is designed in such a way as to emphasize art or whose structure is intended to produce some kind of reaction in its audience. [1] Before talking about the Untitled Game, I would to introduce the Quake first. The Quake is a first-person shooter video game. It is a typical video game which has a narrative and it is very figurative. It is so figurative to have some dramatic impact on the audience such as there are some vivid and lively monster with a lot of fire and shooting beasts. So it is very explicit graphically.

D.   Description of the Untitled Game

There are 14 versions of the game. Basically, Jodi's mods deconstruct the game and its virtual space, creating glitchy, abstract, and often disorienting visuals, as well as removing the heads-up display. Each mod hacks or glitches the game in a different way. In named 'Ctrl-9' version, for instance, the player is in a large cube, with moving black and white patterns all along the inside surface. This patter is the result of a glitch "generated live as the Quake engine tries, and fails, to visualize the interior of a cube with black-and-white checked wallpaper”.

E.   Reasons of Being an Art

1.    Art has an Aesthetic

In the Untitled Game, the 14 versions of work are focused on different aspects such as compositions, lines, primary colors, balance, geometry, angles, space and shapes. These aspects have shown that the qualities of these aesthetic elements convey meaning directly without the use of words or pictorial representation which is similar to an abstract art. Although it is difficult to judge whether it is beauty or not, it is appeal to the audience to a certain extend.

2.    Art Contains Ideas

Art must have the capacity to express ideas. However, Jodi erases the story and the figurative site of the game. Jodi replaces those figures with some very basic form like just a line or a square, just black and white, and attaches these forms to the behavior of the code so that we would have a better view on how such a game is driven, what are the dynamics of the game. Their mods reduced the complex graphics of Quake to the bare minimum, aiming for maximum contrast between the complex soundscapes and the minimal visual environment. The pattern is the result of a glitch in the game engine discovered by the artists. This modification also prompted the idea that the whole trick of the Quake is highly depended on the perspective engines. These kinds of games are only an architectural illusions and the 3-D space is only a graphical tricks. Obviously, this approach is not only for entertainment or enjoyment, but also contains an idea which challenges the gamers.

3.    Art is Not Formulaic

Another important characteristic of good art is that it is not formulaic. There are 14 versions of the piece created by Jodi. The 14 versions of work are focused on different aspects such as digits, lines, primary colors, pixels, geometry, angles, space and shapes. Each of these games is just like a ‘new’ game. In terms of visual element, it seems that there is no connection between these 14 versions. Also, we may not consider these 14 games are actually based on the same video game. The only common feature of Untitled Game is the method of playing the game that is just using the arrow keys to navigate, and the 'enter' key to shoot. So, when it is compared with the Quake, the Quake is relatively formulaic. The Quake has 3 versions, however, these 3 versions are so similar to each other. Only some new weapons and enemies are included. It is just like an ‘upgrade’ of the previous one and is not innovative. Although the Quake has some elements of being an art, it is not as good as Jodi’s Untitled Game when they are compared together.

4.    Utility and Saleability

Art should not involve the consideration of utility. It is not about being useful. Moreover, it outweighs the consideration of saleability. Art should not involve the merchandizing. Since Untitled Game is uploaded on the internet and allows the user free to download. It obviously implied that Untitled Game is not a game that aims at people buying it. It is not about saleability or turning into a commodity. On the other hand, the Quake is thus a video game involving merchandizing and concerns about its saleability. The quake is comparatively commercial and lower chance of being an art.

Bibliography:

[1] Sneidberg, Scott (2010-08-31). "Who says video games aren't art?". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/gaming.gadgets/08/31/video.games.art.steinberg/. Retrieved 2010-11-20

[2] Ernest W. Adams’ article: ‘Will Computer Games Ever Be a Legitimate Art For?’

[3] http://www.untitled-game.org/

Vdieo Games = Art?

1.    How does Adams define art? Do you agree with his definition?
-Literacy art (writing, drama)/ fine art (painting, sculpture)/ Decorative art ( wallpaper, furnishings)
- Videogames games -- literacy art
- Aesthetically interesting
- Not formulaic
- Has content, should not be empty

I suggest that aesthetic value is one of the crucial elements of art as it leads people to contemplate for appreciation. There are some great artists who painted brilliant pieces like Kandinsky. He tried not to present anything in his work and mainly focused on the rhythm of music which requires our imagination. However, whenever we think of the Fountain by Duchamp, we can argue that aesthetic value is not that important, but the concept. Here I think is an interesting topic.

2.    According to Adams, what is needed for videogames to be considered as art?
- More than just fun.
- Show aesthetic qualities through lines, colors, forms etc.
- Make people feel pleasurable.
- Have a content behind the formal elements.

Shoot at Reality? --- The Ethics of Digital Games

1.    According to the film, what are some pros and cons of playing videogames for individuals and societies? (Some personal points are added)

Pros for individuals:

Video games can provide entertainment, for leisure and relaxation. One can use it to achieve something he/she cannot do in reality. For example, a shy boy without confidence can choose to be a character that loved by a lot of girls. If there is a practice mode, one can train herself/himself beforehand. This system helps to convey a message of "practice makes perfect" which encourage people to try more. Some video games can train different abilities of oneself. Like some intellectual games such as Tetris can help one to train one's brain, action games may strengthen one's sensibility or increase one's speed of reaction.

Pros for societies:

Video games can spread the culture of a country throughout the world, like the history of ancient three nations in China. For some governments (like US), they can use videogames as a mean to convey the message of nationalism. Video games can also create jobs. Some professional game players spend lots of hours to test the games and get a salary.

However, there are some disadvantages of the video games as well.

Cons for individuals:

Gamers may get addicted, spend all the time on videogames and do nothing productive. Video games may make people doing some crazy things in reality, such as bullying friends or even shooting person (especially in the foreign countries that owing guns is legalized). Some gamers may not get out the dreamy world, keep asking why the reality is so different from the game's world. Thus, the person may become a Hikikomori. Video games may also cause some health problems. For example, video games may be harmful to the players’ eyesight, shoulder or back pain. Gamer players may lose the skill and intention to talk or communicate with others.

Cons for societies:

Violent games affect player's behavior or manner: a kid mimic a game's killer to kill people after playing the violent videogames. These disturb the social orders and increase the crime rate. A society may become more solitary when more and more people attempt to close their doors to play videogames. The soft skills of communication may lose and this would damage the network and interactions between human beings.

2.    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?

Some violent games like Counter-Strike (CS) which the mission of the game is use any way you think of to kill all the opponents. It is bloody and disgusting. Some gamers may mix up the game world with the real world. Players who play CS will indicted to it, what they do in the game become a habit to them, also a way to express their feelings. If they suddenly feel angry in their daily life, they may really kill others as they think that they still ‘living’ in the game world.

“Children who regularly play video games admit they can be addictive and lead to them acting out the violent scenes that are an intrinsic part of many games, according to a survey by researchers at Aston University. Many (children) described violent scenes 'with relish', they found. Almost 60 per cent had witnessed other children mimicking violent games.” (Daily Telegragh, 25 October 1993, cited in Craig and Petley 2001: 187)

It brings the players a wrong concept of victims: desensitization theory(無情論說)

“Desensitization theory, which is also a theory of media effects, proposes that consuming a constant diet of media violence can ‘undermine feelings of concern, empathy, or sympathy viewers {or readers} might have toward victims of actual violence’( Wilson et al. 1998a: 22) In important research conducted by Dietz et al.(1982), for example, it was concluded that men who watch slather films containing rape depictions show less sympathy toward actual rape victims.”- Media violence makes people more aggressive“Changes in behavior are quantified in terms of increases in violent or aggressive play, or propensity to administer pain to another person ( for two classic studies using this approach see Bandura et al. 1963: Berkowitz and Rawlings 1963). Studies of this kind found that what when media audiences are shown content in which the initiator of violence is rewarded, there is often an increased likelihood of audience members exhibiting aggressive behavior.”