The price for one of Picasso’s paintings can go as high as $106.5 million dollars. It is evident that art has become a crucial element in modern civilization, but its still unclear what defines something as art. An idea as broad and open to interpretation like art cannot simply be defined with set parameters. This means that many of the things we take for granted in our daily lives can be considered as art, and video games could be one of them. Video games have many characteristics which make them unique when compared to other forms of entertainment.

One of art’s most important aspects is the ability to express both ideas and feelings to the public. Video games do a spectacular job at this, they rely completely on visuals and sounds in order to transmit a story. This said, it must be noted that video games consist of three major parts which define how immersive the experience is; these parts are visuals, sound, and story. Chris Melissinos stated in his Time magazine article “Technology has expanded the canvas upon which artists are able to paint and tell their stories. As an art form that has only existed in the digital space, video games are truly a collision of art and science.” There are a variety of approaches a development team can have when creating their masterpiece.

Technology makes it possible to choose a variety of options for both visuals and sound alike. Melissinos added, “Video games are also the only form of media that allows for personalizing the artistic experience while still retaining the authority of the artist.” The developers can choose between simple, crude graphics to a realistic 3D design, and same with sound. All of these elements must be selected carefully in order to enhance the transmission of the story they want to tell the player, just like how a book uses detail to help the reader visualize what is happening. For this reason, video games are complex art forms, and should be recognized as such.

Video games are constantly changing and adapting to new styles just like art. Justin Towell said in his Gamesradar+ article “But looking back over gaming’s history, even when things weren’t so easy, it was those who tried something a bit different who managed to make their games stand out. And so entire art styles were born. Sometimes through technical necessity, other times through a deliberate attempt to shun progress.” Video games have their own image and personality, making them recognizable one from another. This is exactly how one of Picasso’s paintings is easily distinguishable from one of Van Gogh’s. This ability to change and retain a personal image is what truly makes video games a piece of art, as they are capable of causing both pleasure through playing as well as aesthetics. Art is constantly changing along society, and we must keep an open mind, and embrace it in all forms to strengthen our cultural identity.