I've had a lot of fun these last few weeks writing way too much on the
blog and delving deeply into what I have honestly found to be
interesting subjects. This is a topic that tends to make me go crazy
with excitement as the nature of art and artists in general is on that
I hold near and dear to my heart, mostly because the form of art which
I hold most dear is continuously tossed aside as being a child's
plaything when nothing could be farther from the truth. I speak, of
course of video games. I would love to go on a rant on video games as
art form and the rising importance of the medium. I would even love to
address the cinema as art, putting wonderful movies that go beyond the
typical action plot that is continuously being rehashed in hollywood
on a pedestal to show to the masses as being truly worth it as an
artistic experience.
Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now. I'll probably come
back and write about it later if anyone is interested, but now is
simply not a good time for me to do it. Instead, I'll have to focus on
one of those questions: does society need artists?
Short answer: Definitely. Long answer: Of course, don't be ridiculous.
Art has been around since the beginning of time in various forms. If
art is to be considered the creation of something that creates an
emotional reaction, good or bad, then even the original wheel can be
considered as art. After all, fire once brought awe into the life of
the cavemen just like a Van Gogh painting does today. Art has the
ability to do something that nothing else can: create an emotional
response when there was none without forcing it upon you. If you play
Bioshock, creator Adam Levine does not come over and slap you in the
face until you consider his game an immersive and powerful piece of
art and admit that the game changed the way you felt about at least
one aspect of society. That would be dumb and probably against the
law. Instead, Levine simply creates a world unlike any seen before in
any medium, and the effect is incredible. I cannot name someone who
has played Bioshock from start to finish without contemplating the
necessity of free will and the essence of what makes us human, not to
mention the consideration of the effects of self-determinism that take
place from the very onset of the game (I'm sure Ayn Rand would be very
proud with the way the game used her writings as a springboard for
something great, but I am digressing.
The point is this: without art, we would be less than we are today.
Games like Bioshock have shaped me over the course of my life,
sometimes in ways that are actually significant. And I could name just
as many books, movies, and paintings that have caused similar
reactions as well. I wouldn't be the same without each of those pieces
of art, and without art, our society just wouldn't be the same.