As Roger Ebert continues to be celebrated after his death with the new documentary feature “Life Itself” it is important to take a look back at a part of his career that has been dismissed by most, but despised by a small minority: gamers. Ebert was once quoted saying, “Video games can never be art.” While video games have significantly grown in popularity and gain more critical attention every day, the general consensus on video games has been to not take them seriously. Many renowned writers have asked why video games can’t just go away and cease to be such a nuisance. The debate of whether or not games are art has been burning for years now and Ebert has since passed away and can no comment on the issue. However, his stance on video games’ status as art can still provide clues about the direction of future gaming.
Video games are undeniably different from other, preceding mediums. They are unique in almost every way, but have at least one thing in common with every kind of art in existence. All art is questioned. The video game is one of the newest mediums to be conceived and like all mediums fresh out of the gate it receives a hefty amount of scrutiny and criticism. All new mediums and forms of expressions baffle, confuse, and scare the critics of the time. Artistic movements like impressionism, cubism, and everything that falls within the spectrum of modern art all met opposition and outrage from the established contemporary critics. When film and television became popular, people warned that our brains would melt from watching moving pictures. Even the novel was questioned as a serious platform for educated writing during its introduction. And yet novels, paintings, films, and television are among the most celebrated art forms our culture has. Without a doubt, video games will too soon be a member to this group.
Gamers are right to define their platform for entertainment art. But for all our passion for games and arguments for their ability to be artistic and bold, we still fear what other people think. Seth Schiesel, a game journalist put it well: “People who play games have long seemed to embrace a certain sort of self-loathing about themselves and their hobby. And that has led to a desire to prove something, to show the world.” Gamers as a community must come to terms with the truth about their medium: there will always be something childish about playing games, but that’s okay. Playing video games is just as valid a hobby as playing a sport or an instrument, drawing and painting, or underwater basket weaving.
Schiesel described a great, “Concern that if games don’t continually reinvent themselves or become generally more serious or realistic, they won’t be taken seriously by a larger public whose respect they ought to crave.” Trust me, a day will come where video games will not be second to any medium. Forget what other people say. Play your games and have fun. Despite his opinions on games, Roger Ebert wouldn’t want you to be embarrassed for your love of gaming. His fame comes from his love for films and his confidence in the medium. We can learn much from him. But what can he tell us about the future of gaming? That it will be bright. For now, all we have to do is sit back in our Lazy Boy’s and continue to play.
