Tribe's Response to Video Games

Zork

     Video games have become increasingly popular throughout the years. They can be played on the computer, gaming consoles, handheld devices, and more. Users interact with video games by using many possible devices such as a mouse, touchscreen, joystick, and controllers. With the large advances in technology, there are more ways to play video games. A recent addition to the video game world is virtual reality games. This requires a device that goes over your head so that you can see and put yourself in the video game. The headset uses motion tracking and sometimes other units to put your every move into the game. It feels like you’re actually there in the game’s environment.

Almost Goodbye

     Many people think about games as a fun pastime, and not so many people would even think to wonder if they are a form of art. Do video games count as art? Do they deserve the attention that individuals give to literature, art, and films?  They do deserve to be called art. A lot of thinking and details go into video games. In order for it to be a good game, there has to be a plot, good graphics, a challenge, plus more. There may be critics, but we feel that the meaning that the developers put into a game makes it art.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

     An example we bring to your attention is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The dialog in the game keeps the plot moving well, and it is an intense game. This music is paired with heart-pumping music that keeps someone on the edge of their chair to see what kind of surprise is around the next turn. Then there is the imagery that is just incredible. The small details that are taken into account are amazing. You can see the other characters breath in the cold weather. You are crawling through a field, and it seems like you are in the field yourself. The attention to details that go into every game just like MW2 is why it should count as art. Other examples of video games that are very different from MW2 include Zork and Almost Goodbye. Zork is an early form of an interactive fiction game. In Zork, the user types in basic verbs as commands. It is text-based, so there are not any images while playing. Almost Goodbye is a game in which the user makes choices. Conversations are generated based off of the choices that the user makes. It is also mostly text-based, but it is more colorful. Regardless of the type of video game, there is a lot of time, effort, and work put into the games. The creators of text-based games must produce multiple scenarios and conversations in response to what the user inputs. 

     As an artist paints a scene in their mind, the individual who makes the graphic is doing the same only with a moving image. The individual who makes the conversations and scenarios is also doing the same thing.  Video games most definitely should count, and they do deserve the attention that we give to literature and art pieces. The creators of video games put in the same, if not sometimes more, work than authors, artists, and filmmakers.