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Hideo Kojima Says Games Aren't Art
Next Generation reports that, in a February OPM article, the maker of the Metal Gear series of games says games aren't art. From the article: "'I don't think they're art either, videogames,' he said, referring to Roger Ebert's recent commentary on the same subject. 'The thing is, art is something that radiates the artist, the person who creates that piece of art. If 100 people walk by and a single person is captivated by whatever that piece radiates, it's art. But videogames aren't trying to capture one person. A videogame should make sure that all 100 people that play that game should enjoy the service provided by that videogame. It's something of a service. It's not art.'"
All I have to say is then it's obvious Hideo Kojima doesn't know what art is.
Last time I checked that is what a movie does as well.
No, that is what a Hollywood movie does. Hollywood movies (and Bollywood movies, and movies made anywhere where movies are made by an industry that churns them out in an attempt to maximise profits) are not art, they are simply formulaic shit that is intended to appeal to the lowest common denominator. By contrast, many, many films have been made that are very much art; they may not be popular, and in America they are certainly lumped into the category of 'foreign/arthouse' if they are ever imported at all, but they represent the true possibility of the film medium. Do not insult cinema by associating it with Hollywood.
but I disagree with that logic anyway. Most people that I know do not like games like I do. In the big picture, the population base of gamers, and of gamers that are only really captivated by one type of game or another, compared to total population of the world puts games in the proper ratio to be considered art. But maybe I should RTFA, I don't know.
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To think that Kojima himself would have so little respect for his own creations. Yes, video games contain art, but presenting that art is an art in itself. If he is so blind as to not see this, then I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to respect him the way I once did.
Quite a shame, too. The man has made some of the best pieces of art which the medium has to offer, and he can't even appreciate what he's done. It's a shame when the fans do the art more justice than the artist himself.
This is just an idiotic statement :-)
To the extent that movies are art, how are games not also art? Paintings? Stained glass windows? Music?
All arts are services by that definition. Go design games and stop giving interviews.