For a while now I have been asking myself a question, are video games art? Many people would laugh and say no, but I believe different. However, just like books and paintings, to achieve the status of art they have to rise above the rest of their genre.

Art is described by many as beautiful works of one’s imagination, and video games fall under this category perfectly. Many games are beautiful and tell a story that is just as touching.

Examples of video game art vary a great deal. Games like Limbo are amazing and leave gamers captivated. The most important part is that they stick with players even after the game is over.

All types of art achieve this same thing, they stick with you long after you are done reading, watching or playing them. A really good example of this is the Portal series by Valve.

Portal’s clean cut looks and well thought out humor keeps the gamer going through a maze of puzzles and tests. The real beauty of Portal is in the second game. The story of Cave Johnson in particular is extremely saddening but beautiful.

Cave Johnson is a inventor who made the company Aperture Science. He was in direct competition with another company; Black Mesa. He gave every effort to fight Black Mesa, but he only had one successful invention: the portal gun.

In an effort to come up with something new, Cave wasted the last of his money on moon rocks. He blended them down, hoping to find something new but in his efforts he accidentally poisoned himself.

His story, told to you through audio recordings left throughout the old, run down side of Aperture, is one of the things that really sticks with you throughout the experience.

I think one of the major reasons people believe that games can’t be art is because of how relatively new they are. Compared to books or paintings, video games have only been around less than 100 years.

However games have still come a long way since their beginning. Comparing games like The Last Of Us to things like Pong or Space Invaders, it is incredible just how far we have come in so short a time.

One of the few reasons I think that games may not be considered art is because of the users. The gaming community is harsh and unforgiving; they are quick to judge and itch for any argument they can.

This gives games a bad name. The Call Of Duty community is probably the worst example of that. They don’t stop cursing or screaming due to its more mature gamers. This is only a temporary set back, though because I mostly judge games based on their single-player campaigns.

The most important characteristic that solidifies games in their place as art is how they can bled in to real life. Games like Journey from That Game Company bring truly emotional and, as their website says: “Create timeless interactive entertainment that makes positive change to the human psyche worldwide.”

Every Game Company product that I have played is beautiful. The world of Journey and Flower are beautiful and can be easily played by anyone who picks up the controller.

There are also games that are influenced by serious issues. Like a new independently developed game called Never Ending Nightmares. This game was made by a man who has dealt with depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) all his life and the game reflects that.

The game is a psychological horror game where you walk around a house exploring and eventually you end up dying. However, every time you die, you wake up in a bed with someone being changed throughout the house.

Its awesome to see someone who has gone through so much be able to funnel his feelings into a game so we can experience some of the same feelings.

The other reason people have argue that games can not be art is because of how violent they are. I argue, that sometimes, that’s the point. Wether that’s to show the horrors of war or to make people appreciate peace, violence is a powerful tool.

(PODCAST) Video gaming as art form: Oct. 11, 2013–

The Last Of Us is a perfect example of violence used as a tool. That game is violent, extremely so, but it drives the characters together. Without the violence the game would feel stupid and pointless but with it, it achieved one of the best experiences ever.

Video games, in my opinion, can be art if they strive to achieve the best they can through amazing visuals, intense stories and beautiful characters.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @EthanNathe26. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more opinions, read the Oct. 11 article, Journalism offers media advancements, skills.