Of course, I hope I didn’t intimate that inherent attributes or properties might distinguish art from non-art, but I did find Rod Humble’s argument compelling nonetheless. What makes his argument different from claims about inherent properties (ie. “this painting is artful because it follows the expressionist style”), but rather his argument is that our personal experience of ‘being moved’ by something, or ’seeing the world differently’ after experiencing a work of art is the standard. I think (inter)personal standards are a major step away from objective properties, and this is one example of how a post-modernist perspective can bring new light to games-as-art.

And, this is probably fit for a whole post of its own - but what I find crucial in some visionary art (some games, for instance) is the ability to return to a game, book, or fine art piece, and find something new and profound in it.

The role for philosophy here, I hope, isn’t to categorize, package or conceptualize experience for the sake of it alone. Rather, I envision this kind of work (ie, analyzing games and writing about it) as an exercise in bringing to the foreground some of the assumptions that we used to take for granted. And in that way, game developers have new options to work with when they start new projects.

Thanks for the comment Michal. I look forward to hearing more.

I enjoyed your short analysis, and am glad to see that you referenced [i]Cezanne’s Doubt[/i]. Though I’m not intimately familiar with it, I do recall it from my studies. The thing is, that having been a student of philosophy, and being an artist gives me the opportunity to look at some of these things from both sides. That in itself is certainly an interesting vantage point.

At any rate, I too am somewhat tired (which happened rather quickly) of the games/art debate. When it comes down to it, definitions of are have become completely relative since the introduction of post-modernism. It no longer matters what is and isn’t art I think. As such, and due to my experience, I have come to the understanding that ALL things are art. Literally.

What distinguishes these things is not their inherent nature, or any other attribute for that matter. Instead, it is our perception of these things which then results in us dubbing it art or not. That being said, we have a very elaborate system in place for categorizing these things, based on their attributes as to what kind of art we’re talking about. This entire system is a construct of subjectivity, yet it exists nonetheless.

It’s all built on preference, which in turn is based on experience, and it’s all in a constant state of flux. After all, the art I thought was great ten years ago is not what I hold in the highest regard today. In the years to come, it will still all be quite different. So that makes me wonder how much difference it all really makes.

Basically, I would suggest that it will continue to always be relative. The determining factor here is what you are trying to achieve. If you are going for raising the standards of intellectualism, then there’s an art for that. If you’re trying to make people feel warm and fuzzy inside, then there’s an art for that. So I have things in life which I think are important, though I don’t always have them conceptualized in a neat little philosophical package, and there’s art which suits my needs and purpose too.

In the end, everything I’ve said about relativism etc. sounds too much like a cop-out. It doesn’t feel at all solid, but the more I delve into it I am always struck by that same wall, coming to that same conclusion. Well, conclusion may not be the right word. “Point” may be more accurate.

And now that I have calmed down a bit, I think I will come to a close. As you can see I get a little carried away with these things, ^_^. Now, what may be of further interest to you is the article I just finished working on. I would like to think that it goes more in-depth in its analysis, as you have noted above. You can find it right here, and hopefully you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you for your comment on my post, and hopefully we’ll meet again on the webs.