Video games come in many different shapes and forms. Some games tell stories; others are just a fun experience. Some are light-weight and require only a couple of hours for the full experience, and others require thousands of hours of gameplay to fine-tune your skills. And some games can be both at once: games can offer a story, but also an optional challenge for people who aren’t satisfied with simply getting to the end. But can video games really be considered a form of art? From my experience, there are five main aspects of video games that can contribute to the experience: the story, the visuals, the gameplay, the sound, and the atmosphere. These elements of video games take years to perfect, and I argue that the effort put in is enough to say video games are a form of art.
The story is often a very critical element in games. Having cool visuals or fun gameplay is important, but having a good story really makes your game stand out. However, stories in video games differ greatly from books or movies, and that is mostly because of the concept of choice. In books, film, and other mediums, every character makes the same decisions every time you read the book; after all, physical books cannot change unless you write notes in them. But in video games, this is all thrown out the window: the stories from video games always depend on what the player chooses to do. This makes for an interesting challenge when developing stories for games, and there are two ways that this is usually handled.
Linear story games usually involve the illusion of choice and usually rely on atmosphere and clever tricks to lead the player into believing that they have an impact on the story. This is sometimes done with big, open areas, where the player can explore as much as they like and then continue on. It can also be done with obvious or forced choices, where the player thinks they have a choice but is prevented from doing one of the options in some way, or both choices lead to the same outcome. These techniques trick the player into thinking they have a choice, making them more involved with the story while still keeping them on track. Although linear stories are often longer and more fleshed out, sometimes it is important to give the player a real choice.
Sometimes, games lean heavily on the concept of choice and create branching paths for the player depending on what they choose. These are nonlinear stories, where the player can choose what they want to do, and the story will be impacted accordingly. Nonlinear games are very engaging, however, they take even more work than linear games due to the need of having to make multiple different stories or paths, and often make compromises in other areas so that the story can be more fleshed out.
“The Stanley Parable,” developed by Crows Crows Crows and written by Davey Wreden, is a great example of non-linear games having many branching paths. The player has many different choices during the game, which all have a substantial impact on the story. The game leans on the idea that “the end is never the end,” encouraging the player to try out every path that the game offers, and the story also often breaks the fourth wall, which further encourages players to learn and play as much as they can, even after achieving an “end” to the story.
The visuals of games are one of the factors that create atmosphere, and are also a very important factor for making a game seem more appealing. When browsing for games, the logo and images of the game are often the first thing a person sees, and games with good visuals often seem more appealing. Visuals are also very difficult to get perfect, because unlike a picture or movie, the game has to be played by the player, and the visuals have to consistently look good during the entire game. This means creating compelling environments that look good from every angle, while keeping in mind optimization and framerate issues. This is often one of the aspects of games that is focused heavily on, since it’s important for making your game appeal to many players. Additionally, a unique art style can also make your game unique and easily recognizable.
For some games, the gameplay is the most important element. The gameplay of a game is what makes the player continue playing it; the interactive part of a game is what makes it a game, after all. For story games, the gameplay can be very simple, because the player is focused on the story. However, if there is no story, the gameplay must hold up very well for the player to be interested. Making compelling gameplay can be very difficult; every player has a different idea of difficulty, and something that would be too easy for an experienced player might be too difficult for a new or casual player. Making the gameplay too difficult can be frustrating for some, but motivational for others, and can keep some players hooked for hours.
Although games aren’t always focused purely on sound, it is a very important inclusion in order to help build atmosphere and intensity. The music helps communicate to the player what they should be feeling during a specific moment. Sound and gameplay can also be combined to make rhythm games. This is when the gameplay is in rhythm with the song that is playing. Sound design, even if not music, can also help communicate mood. In dark or scary games, sound is used to create a sense of unease, and it can also be used to create the illusion of liveliness, by having distant sounds of birds without having to create an actual bird. Sound design helps to create an atmosphere that the player can be immersed in.
The atmosphere of a game contributes greatly to both story and gameplay focused games. When characters in the game are not talking, the player needs something to focus on, and the atmosphere helps with this. The atmosphere communicates to the player what emotion they should be feeling, whether the situation is good or bad, and helps to create senses of urgency or calmness. This adds to the story and helps create drama and contrast. While good visuals may look good to someone who’s never played the game, atmosphere is what really gives the feeling of being inside of the game, rather than observing it.
“Portal 2,” developed by Valve, has fantastic examples of atmosphere being communicated through visuals, sound and story. At the beginning of the game, the long-abandoned visuals, the chirping birds and tranquil music and the lack of “live” dialogue, help sell the idea that the facility has been completely abandoned. In contrast, throughout the end of the game, many elements all contribute to the opposite theme. The constant visible destruction and spreading fire, the distant explosions and music that slowly intensifies, and Wheatley’s failure to understand that he’s causing destruction, all contribute to the overall theme of imminent doom.
To create a game that stands out, you need to perfect most, if not all, of these key elements which is a dreadful task to most. Creating a team of developers can help with this, but that also comes with its own issues: you have to set up your game in a way that everyone can work on it at the same time, and you have to communicate your game’s ideas to all of your developers, and it also costs money; developers are usually unwilling to contribute to a project if it is a volunteer project. With all of these difficulties, it can be mind-boggling that good games even exist at all, and with the difficulty and creativity required to develop a full game, I think it’s safe to say that video games are a form of art.
