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There is a fascinating article over at the Washington Post that continues on the “games as art” debate that has been somewhat prevalent these days. Mike Musgrove, the technology columnist gave a copy of the critically exalted new title Bioshock to the Pulitzer Prize winning book critic Michael Dirda. The task was to, without assistance, play through Bioshock and determine if it’s story is worthy of the title “art.” After playing through the game Dirda had some very positive things to say. “I could lose myself in this, in some ways, easier than a book,” and “{video games} obviously have artistic value.” However on Bioshock is Art, he goes on to say “I would hesitate to go that far, when there is a video game that makes the player depressed, that is when the medium might be onto something as an art form.”

Must an art form be depressing, or at least capable of being depressing? First of all, the nature of the experiment was such that it could never have produced a complete result. While Bioshock does give the player a certain sense of power, and doesn’t leave the player “depressed” so the speak, there is a definite emotional reaction to the story that is portrayed. Throughout the story the player experiences everything from complete shock at the atrocities which have befallen Rapture (the little sisters anyone?), to terror, to moral satisfaction. There are many points in the game where the player must make a moral choice (whether to harvest or rescue the little sisters for Adam), and making that choice can make the player feel remorseful or justified. Bioshock does end with a certain satisfaction, but this is not true for every game. The Darkness, for example, leaves the player with a serious sense of failure after beating the game. The player isn’t dissatisfied with the result, but feels as though they have lost the real battle.

Musgrove makes the point, “Would anybody play a game that makes him sad.” My answer to that question is a resounding “yes,” as long as there is a element of “fun” along with that sadness. In fact, if a player is seriously emotionally connected with a character in the story (see death of Aeris) they are far more likely to enjoy the experience they are having. Since the player gains control of a character in a video game their emotional attachment to that character is more powerful than with books or movies. This is why Dirda found it so easy to become lost in the story of Bioshock. Since he was controlling Jack’s actions in the story, he was a moral actor in the same story that was being told to him. That is the power of video games as an art form.

One can say, “video games are not literature,” and be entirely accurate. Video games should not be held to the same standard as books (not that they should be held to a lower standard either). In the end it seems as through Dirda has an open mind to the concept of Video Games as art, which is more than you can say for many. There is no denying that this medium has reached a critical mass, and there is no stopping it.

Thanks to Joystiq.

Kris