作者：Nick Rust

最近Jeff Vogel写了一篇名为“不，电子游戏不是艺术，而是优于艺术”的文章，而我必须承认这是我在至少一周内看过的最荒谬的内容。

他有关电子游戏优于艺术的讨论其实本身就很奇怪，因为关于“艺术”并不存在任何界定。据我所知我从未听到过有关其它内容的相似声明，即强调任何内容优于艺术。艺术其实是一个没有上限的对象，比起质量它更多的应该说是一种类别。

而Jeff关于自己的要点的主要证据便是，电子游戏是一种体验。为了进一步证实自己的观点他讨论了自己在《最后生还者》中的游戏体验以及基于各种现实原因不能创造《僵尸启示录》般的体验。

关于艺术最完美的定义应该是这是间接在某些东西（游戏邦注：如一个目标，一个事件或一个人等等）上创造一种体验，视角或观点的能力。艺术是体验的媒介，对于不同人来说，它是具有情感的，理性的，或本能的。

而Jeff所认为的电子游戏“甚”于艺术的内容实际上便是关于艺术本身的描述，他并未真正提供自己关于艺术的定义，我也认为他的定义是不合理的。

他认为电子游戏之所以优于艺术是取决于主观体验，在这里考虑的主题是艺术，所以从某种程度上来看是公平的。但是这却不足以成为客观证据。就像老虎机虽然能够创造引人入胜的体验，但却没人会认为老虎机“优”于艺术。

比起有关电子游戏作为艺术的可信证据，我看到的是对于本不存在的内容的强烈斥责。他引用了Roger Ebert最初在10年前所提到的电子游戏永远都不可能成为艺术作为自己的观点的证据。但是多年以来Ebert都在软化自己关于这一主题的表达，并且包括Ebert自己在内并没有人去关心Roger Ebert对于电子游戏的看法。而Ebert自己关于电子游戏是否是艺术的状态其实是基于技术层面的，并非从性质上来看。

Roger Ebert(from douban)

Roger Ebert已经去世3年多了。从那以来我从未看过任何评论家继续延续他有关电子游戏是否是艺术的讨论。这艘船已经驶出了港口。我们可以看到许多有关电子游戏可以是艺术的观点，我也不希望再看到任何有关电子游戏在文化圈中的蔑视态度。《福布斯》和《今日美国》等等出版物都开始致力于有关电子游戏的报道内容。并且在过去十几年间，作为整体的流行文化也不再对电子游戏报以蔑视态度了。所以我认为Jeff文章中所呈现的“防守状态”早已过时。

如今是电子游戏的时代。电子游戏是一种艺术，但是比起欢呼庆祝，Jeff却选择去斥责一些无足轻重的对象。

“Nerd（书呆子）”不再只是一个4个字母的单词，它反而变成了拥有6位数年薪的对象。极客占领了现在的地球。我们很快便会进入Nerd的黄金时代，在那里游戏便是我们所倾向的艺术媒介。

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转发，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Video games are art and we’re only just beginning

by Nick Rust

Jeff Vogel recently wrote an opinion piece titled “No, Video Games Aren’t Art. We’re BETTER”, and I must confess that it was easily the most absurd thing I had read in at least a week. This is actually an impressive feat, considering where we are in the 2016 election cycle.

He argues that video games are better than art, which in itself is an odd statement as there is nothing qualitative about the designation of ‘art’. There is just as much, if not more, bad art as there is good. To my knowledge, I have never encountered a similar claim, about anything, being made that anything was better than art. Art is a term without a ceiling; it is a category not a quality.

His principal evidence to his point that video games are better than art is that video games are an experience. To further his point he discusses the experience he had with The Last of Us and its ability to create the experience of the ‘zombie apocalypse’ in a way that would otherwise be impossible for many, very practical reasons.

A perfectly reasonable definition of art is the ability to create an experience, perspective, or insight into some thing (be it an object, an event, a person, etc.) indirectly. Art is the transference of experience, be it emotional, rational, or even instinctual, from one person to many.

The ‘thing’ that Jeff states video games are, which makes them ‘better’ than art, is in fact a rather apt description of art itself. He neglects to actually provide his own definition of art, but I’d hazard a guess that his definition does not do the subject matter justice.

His argument to the point that video games are better than art seems entirely dependent on subjective experience, which considering the topic is art, is fair on some level. However this hardly qualifies as objective proof. Slot machines can be utterly engrossing experiences, but no one is going to argue that slot machines are ‘better’ than art.

Instead of a convincing argument on the status of video games as art, I see a thinly veiled bristling against criticisms on the subject that simply don’t exist anymore. He cites Roger Ebert’s notoriously inflammatory position, originally made over 10 years ago, that video games can never be art as his principal evidence to this point. Ebert himself softened his rhetoric on the subject over the years, and no one, including Ebert himself, cared what Roger Ebert thought about video games. Ebert’s own claim about the status of video games as art was largely technical and not qualitative.

Roger Ebert has been dead for over 3 years. In that time, I have not seen any critic of note carry on his charge regarding the status of video games in art. That ship has sailed. There is near universal accord that video games can in fact be art, and nor do I continue to see a largely dismissive attitude towards video games in the culture at large. Forbes and USA Today, among many other such publications, now have dedicated video game coverage. Popular culture, as a whole, has not been generally dismissive of video games in over a decade. The defensive position that permeates the opinion piece seemed so out of place I had to check the date on the article.

Video games have arrived. Video games are art, and instead of taking a well-earned victory lap, Jeff has opted to rail against straw men and a film critic that’s been dead for several years.

Nerd is no longer a four letter word, it’s become a six figure salary. The geek have inherieted the earth.We are quickly coming into the golden age of Nerd, and our preferred artistic mediums are games.

Congradulations.（source：Gamasutra）