You know that thing… Just can’t put my finger exactly on it…

​

Video games are often hailed as the 8th art, and not without proper justification. But there's so much more to them. From their storyline, art, music, voice acting, cinematic, spin-off items, dedicated fan support and pure effort of their developers, video games could define a whole art genre on their own. It might sound like crap to some, but hey, so is 90% of everything else! What makes video games so special for each of us differs from gamer to gamer.

Nostalgia is one of the key factors that gets most of us attached to video games. That iconic Super Mario Bros. theme or the original Playstation startup sound sure evokes deep and meaningful feelings and memories to whoever spent quality time with them. Game companies have been accused of exploiting and profiting off our nostalgia but then again, they are companies, not charities.

​

Music is another major component of video games. We’ve come from Konji Kondo crafting the timeless catchy Super Mario Bros. theme for the NES to Journey’s soundtrack being nominated for a Grammy. We even have concerts and orchestra that perform for them. That the popularity and quality of video game music has grown so much speaks for itself. Without music, games wouldn’t be as meaningful as they are.

Did you check the recent performance of The Legend Of Zelda: Symphony Of The Goddesses?
​

Other games yet entice you with other features. Some, like the Metal Gear Solid series, have a strong and captivating storyline, albeit confusing for some. Others, like BioShock, tell a whole story with its environmental, visual and level designs. These aspects have been exploited in games more recently, giving them more of a sense of professionalism.

​

Video game visuals are not to be forgotten. For long gamers have been dreaming of photo-realistic graphics but there’s a certain charm to pixelated games that won’t die, and is instead on the rise, especially in indie games. Moreover, video games visuals can be inspirations for fan art. For instance, most of my hobby drawings are based on video game characters, and they are what keeps this hobby of mine going. (Don't forget to share your fan arts for Temp'n!)

There are also, often less appreciated, features to video games. Take for example title screens, pause menus and even continue screens. These are all subtle pieces of work that forms part of the game and deserve our appreciation.

I mean, look at Xenoblade Chronicle's title screen!
​

You might currently be enjoying those features, or others that are more appealing to you, by sneaking around in Metal Gear Online or keeping track of the current League of Legends World Championships or even by eagerly awaiting the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes to enjoy those features. In any way, don’t let the hype down. And let me know what’s it about video games that makes them so special for you!

 

[Chary]

I still have my GameCube hooked up, just so I can hear the menu music, from time to time. And heck, I don't think I'll ever forget the classic "SEGA" sound, back on the Genesis/Mega Drive. Video games are just an amazing medium, there's so many wildly different experiences to be had, from just this one form of entertainment.

 

[Prans]

Ha! @chavosaur I know what you mean! When I heard about the PS1 anniversary theme for the PS Vita release, I went straight to download it. The PS1 holds so much memories for me!

@Chary I loved the GameCube startup so much that back in the days I modded my phone so that it would show the same thing on starting up

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

So I moved to the US from India when I was around 4 years old. My earliest gaming memories were of an old NES, MS Paint, Minesweeper, and Solitaire on Windows 2000. Those old NES games are very simple, and so are those old Windows pastimes, but they evoke that feeling of adventure entering a new country that I had when I was little. So I think a part of what keeps me gaming is remembering when I was little. I think a lot of other people can relate.

The other reason I play games is for the combination of almost every other medium imaginable. I love music, I love art, I love a good story in a good book, and I love playing with friends. Video games are the ultimate mix of everything, and the only medium that is able to do so, all while being interactive and letting you partake in the action. Sure, an awesome score or an intricate work of art can whisk us to new worlds, but what medium actually lets you play in them?

Video games are a form of art, and anyone who doesn't see them as such isn't looking close enough at them. I envision a future where video games are widely accepted and enjoyed by everyone.

 

[Prans]

The way you associate video games and you moving to another country are a first to me @HaloEliteLegend. It's really interesting to learn from others how video games can evoke so much diverse feelings.

Oh! I see it's your first message and your first day around, so welcome onboard! Hope you'll enjoy your time spent at GBAtemp!

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

The way you associate video games and you moving to another country are a first to me @HaloEliteLegend. It's really interesting to learn from others how video games can evoke so much diverse feelings.

Oh! I see it's your first message and your first day around, so welcome onboard! Hope you'll enjoy your time spent at GBAtemp!

Ah, thank you!
I've been in and around this site since 2009, mainly to understand emulation better, but it's weird. I never actually signed up until today.
I never fully appreciated this awesome community while sitting on the sidelines. You've all been very welcoming

 

[DarkCoffe64]

Videogames aren't a form of art.

They're a way of life.
I've been gaming since I was really little, my first console was the original Game Boy, or how I like to call it, The Brick, and since then I continued with
the Color, Advance, the PS1, PS2, the Wii, the PS3 and now the Wii U. There really isn't a moment where I don't think about games or its characters,
its stories, their mechanics, their art styles, their music... It's also amazing how immersive or emotional some games can be. Like, for example,
a horror movie almost never scares me, at most just startle me, but when playing an horror game... There isn't a moment when I'm feeling safe.
Around a corner there could be a monster, that scary stinger could mean something reeally bad, that person I just met two seconds ago is suddendly dead...
It's fantastic just how a game can make you feel scared, happy, sad, and a lot more. It's something that can rarely be recreated in another medium for me.
But, still, when it does, then that movie/comic/music/whatev means that's really good.

So, yeah, to end it before I crash this site, videogames aren't just art for me. They're way, way more than just that.

 

[I8UrMum]

You make a prety dank point m8.

 

[HaloEffect17]

I'm curious about the kind of experience you seek for in video games. And have they ever disappointed you in any way @HaloEffect17?

Ah, good question! Hmmm, I really enjoy how a great game really immerses me into it, as if I were the character. Games such as the Metal Gear Solid series do a pretty good job in my opinion of fleshing out the characters and giving them unique personalities so that the player can really connect with them.

As for if some games I've played have disappointed me? Well, yes, there the certain criticisms I have with certain games (i.e. I wish they would like implemented 'x' and taken out 'x', etc, etc.). However, if the game really engages me and has those one or two great "moments", I can usually overlook the faults. A great example is Luigi's Mansion [GCN]. Short game, yes, but I'll never forget the dark atmosphere it created and how it was a very unique adventure on its own merit as a launch game for the GameCube. The main theme is pure nostalgia, too.

 

[Hyperstar96]

Video games hasn't been seen as a nerdy thing since the early 1990s. They have become an acceptable form of a hobby. So why does this thread need to exist?

I hate to sound like a troll, but that's what I've been wondering for all of Prans's recent articles. "Video games as art", "Do casual games threaten 'true gamers'", "We need to be a friendly community", etc.

It's not that I don't agree with the content of these articles - in fact I agree with all of them - but they're all things that would have hardly been relevant years ago, let alone now. Video games are accepted as an art form at least as much as movies, people have long since accepted/stopped caring about "the casual threat", stereotypes about gamers pretty much don't exist anymore, and GBATemp has already been a pretty friendly community as far as I know.

But these articles always stir up discussion, so I guess Prans is doing a good job. And for what it's worth, I really liked the one about spoiler alerts.

 

[Prans]

@DarkCoffe64 the roller coaster of emotions that games bring about is definitely difficult to recreate in any other medium and you have to experience it first hand in order to understand. Good point!

@HaloEffect17 MGS really does a great job at breaking the barrier between the character and the gamer and a lot of games have been following suite lately. I hope more people get to appreciate this genre becasue it's one of my favorites.
Did you try Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS? It's pretty good, especially if you are looking to play something that's familiar yet new.

 

[TeamScriptKiddies]

If me and m team manage to finalize and.release any Wii U titles on the eshop, temp reporters will be among those who receive free reviewer codes

Not true. None of us reporters get paid a dime. We write because we want to write. This isn't IGN. This is GBAtemp where the writers actually care about games and don't do it for cash. The most we get in compensation is that we occasionally get review codes for games or maybe if we're lucky a piece of hardware that we would most likely buy anyway since we only review things that we want to review. Even then, we often do pay out of pocket to review games. There's no quota, we just do it because we want to and we like the discussion and informing people.

I'm just trying to clarify this really fast... If Prans wanted to he would never have to post a thread and there's no pressure for him to do it at all. He does it because he wants to and I think that the guy coming in and demeaning him for it was in the wrong, even if he claims it's because he's a newcomer (who wants that to be their first impression anyway?)

Edit: Oh one more thing. Before anybody asks why there are ads if we don't get paid... It's because running a website this big isn't cheap and that revenue goes to keeping the site afloat. I have no idea if the admins or mods get paid, but I know that the reporters don't.

 

[HaloEffect17]

Did you try Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS? It's pretty good, especially if you are looking to play something that's familiar yet new.

I did. I plan to return to it sometime. It's pretty good, although I liked how the original was very sinister. The sequel is a little more light-hearted from the sound effects and music even if the levels are more varied. Good game, though.

 

[Pluupy]

I like games because they're an art medium that not only can sometimes allow you to change the story, but interact with the world the story is being told. You, yourself, could take a role in a world of fantasy with music and make decisions towards your own goals.

I mean i'm referring to most role playing, sandbox games but you get the idea.

This is the type of experience movies and books cannot offer. That is what I like video games for.

...of course, it's not that I still don't like to sit down and read books or watch movies anyway.

 

[Social_Outlaw]

Video games specializes in making people happy in general, and it comes off as art to me. It serves to many benefits such as nostalgia, and lots of content. My first console was a PS1, and that was in early 2003. I now have a gaming system that I've bought, which is a PS4, and I love it . I have had so many gaming systems that I can't count, but anyhow the direction video games have taken has came a long way in elevation but in terms of marketing for Consoles and games uhh yeah... I just wish the Video game market for Consoles wasn't equivalent to the brain of Donald Trump.... lol sad but true.

 

[Taleweaver]

Nostalgia is one of the key factors that gets most of us attached to video games.

No offense, but this sentence makes no sense. We can't have nostalgia for games we haven't played before, and as such, it CANNOT be a reason why we're attached to something. You can't say people like the Mona Lisa because of "nostalgia", right?

But though the word isn't the correct one, I agree with what you're trying to say (and in your defense: it's certainly not easy to describe). The thing is that games evoke emotions. Due to its interactive nature, probably even more than any other medium. That is how it finds a way to our hearts. Attempting to pinpoint the reason for it (music, story, the 'flow' of movement, escapism, ...) isn't futile, but is missing the thing that games are more than the sum of their parts (you can't separate the music from the story from the gameplay...a game is a combination of 'em).

Are games a form of art? Yes...in the sense that they can be (not all games are more than the sum of their parts, or evoke emotion).

What makes them special for me? I'll have to get back at you with this. Right now, all I can think of is "they just are".
...and in second thought: that, as well as the evoking of memories, may just be enough.

 

[Prans]

Good point @Pluupy! As far as interactive media goes, video games have been pioneering and perfectioning the way we interact with them since their debut.

I didn't generalize when said that nostalgia is what keeps most of us attached to games @Taleweaver. As I stated, it's one factor. Why do we play each The Legend of Zelda title, despite knowing the general trend of the series? Princess/dear one gets captured: explore and get strong enough to beat the big bad boss who's holding her and save the day. Most of us actually want to relive the same experiences and emotions as we did when we first played the game. And the developers know this. That's why some songs/BGM are a recurring feature in many game series, given some minor changes. They give us a feeling of familiarity, something that we are looking for, yet in something new. You can notice this in games like Super Mario, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid.

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

Good point @Pluupy! As far as interactive media goes, video games have been pioneering and perfectioning the way we interact with them since their debut.

I didn't generalize when said that nostalgia is what keeps most of us attached to games @Taleweaver. As I stated, it's one factor. Why do we play each The Legend of Zelda title, despite knowing the general trend of the series? Princess/dear one gets captured: explore and get strong enough to beat the big bad boss who's holding her and save the day. Most of us actually want to relive the same experiences and emotions as we did when we first played the game. And the developers know this. That's why some songs/BGM are a recurring feature in many game series, given some minor changes. They give us a feeling of familiarity, something that we are looking for, yet in something new. You can notice this in games like Super Mario, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid.

Some developers exploit this too much, though, and make totally crappy games to appeal to nostalgia. Thankfully Nintendo's not one of those bad apples.

There's a difference between appealing to nostalgia and exploiting it.

 

[K3-ICHI-X]

Pokémon is, Pokémon is...mmmm well I can't explain it almost 20 years of playing it and I still can't explain it

 

[Prans]

Pokémon is, Pokémon is...mmmm well I can't explain it almost 20 years of playing it and I still can't explain it

... But you definitely gotta cathc 'em all!

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

You know that thing… Just can’t put my finger exactly on it…

View attachment 27221
​

Video games are often hailed as the 8th art, and not without proper justification. But there's so much more to them. From their storyline, art, music, voice acting, cinematic, spin-off items, dedicated fan support and pure effort of their developers, video games could define a whole art genre on their own. It might sound like crap to some, but hey, so is 90% of everything else! What makes video games so special for each of us differs from gamer to gamer.

Nostalgia is one of the key factors that gets most of us attached to video games. That iconic Super Mario Bros. theme or the original Playstation startup sound sure evokes deep and meaningful feelings and memories to whoever spent quality time with them. Game companies have been accused of exploiting and profiting off our nostalgia but then again, they are companies, not charities.

​

Music is another major component of video games. We’ve come from Konji Kondo crafting the timeless catchy Super Mario Bros. theme for the NES to Journey’s soundtrack being nominated for a Grammy. We even have concerts and orchestra that perform for them. That the popularity and quality of video game music has grown so much speaks for itself. Without music, games wouldn’t be as meaningful as they are.

Did you check the recent performance of The Legend Of Zelda: Symphony Of The Goddesses?
​

Other games yet entice you with other features. Some, like the Metal Gear Solid series, have a strong and captivating storyline, albeit confusing for some. Others, like BioShock, tell a whole story with its environmental, visual and level designs. These aspects have been exploited in games more recently, giving them more of a sense of professionalism.

View attachment 27223
​

Video game visuals are not to be forgotten. For long gamers have been dreaming of photo-realistic graphics but there’s a certain charm to pixelated games that won’t die, and is instead on the rise, especially in indie games. Moreover, video games visuals can be inspirations for fan art. For instance, most of my hobby drawings are based on video game characters, and they are what keeps this hobby of mine going. (Don't forget to share your fan arts for Temp'n!)

There are also, often less appreciated, features to video games. Take for example title screens, pause menus and even continue screens. These are all subtle pieces of work that forms part of the game and deserve our appreciation.

View attachment 27224
I mean, look at Xenoblade Chronicle's title screen!
​

You might currently be enjoying those features, or others that are more appealing to you, by sneaking around in Metal Gear Online or keeping track of the current League of Legends World Championships or even by eagerly awaiting the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes to enjoy those features. In any way, don’t let the hype down. And let me know what’s it about video games that makes them so special for you!

Lolz, the Xenoblade Chronicle's title screen is so Plain, and Boring......The Sonic 2006 Title Screen is 20x Better! xD