Asking Roger Ebert about Videogames

Perhaps the biggest subject about videogames is if there are great artistic games. In fact, when the subject is brought up, games are compared to movies very often. The problem is that movies and games don’t seem to work in the same way. A movie controls the narrative, and the great artistic pieces have you almost controlled completely. When the velociraptor jumps at the girl, you pull your legs in. Videogames give you much of the control within the game, and let you decide where to go, and how to do it.

When Roger Ebert was asked by a fan if he thought videogames were art, he said no. In fact his complaint was that the lack of control for the director was what made games impossible to become great art. In his mind, the artist is the one who controls, and if he cannot, there is no art. He defended it several times against many responses by authors, and philosophers.

The reason why it seemed so big, was Ebert was the king movie reviewer. He was the guy who knew film better than anyone else. His life was film, and the respect this gave him made his own fans confused. The rejection from someone so great caused a backlash. The reality was that Ebert was comparing videogames to the artistic standards of film.

Within film there is a large swath of great artistic movies. As a video guy, I have a long list of movies that fit that category. I even have a list of movies that I loved, but can never recommend. I would love to talk about Dark City, or something by David Lynch, but there is too much thrown in to it. In fact, the theme of most great artistic pieces tend to be about very dark things. My favorite example is waiting for the tanks in Saving Private Ryan. It actually gets to you as the sound gets louder, and louder. In fact, I got somewhat excited when they finally arrived.

Not only have games tried for the gritty idea, they even tried copying the movies directly. The World War II First Person Shooter was based on Saving Private Ryan. They were trying to remake the feelings, and emotions played out in the movie. The same can be said for movies like Beyond Two Souls where the artist attempts to control the story.

The problem is that every game I can think of that I honestly felt involved with did the exact opposite. The great artistic games were not gritty, nor were they controlled by the artist. My best example is Animal Crossing. The game has you slowly build a life around characters in it. The entire point is just to live, and find things to do within the game. I would say it takes life, and explains it in a way no other medium could. I have recognized poems within the game. In other words, it reached great artistic form.

Letting the player live in the world, or be a part of the world seems to be the part that can make the game into great art. Even my list of games that I loved but could never recommend would have the same open feel to them.

Getting into a game, and jumping with the characters are well known. Trying to move Mario just a little bit faster by moving the controller is a common joke. Heck, the game Mystical Ninja starring Goemon had a level that made me very very hungry.

I actually had to stop the game to grab a snack.

Perhaps the game that best shows this was also one of the biggest disappointments for Nintendo. Wii Music starts with you choosing out an instrument, and then playing it. The game lets you play as you want. Slowly other players appear, and you feel like part of an actual band. To me, as someone who has never been able to play an instrument, that was the coolest moment of artistic gaming ever. Players have taken songs from the game, and reinterpreted them completely.

The implementation of the game was not perfect, and even got annoying. The concept though could have made Wii Music into a great example of art. It wasn’t about playing an instrument, it was understanding how an instrument adds to a song.

So, yes, Roger Ebert was right, by the standard of film, videogames can not become art. All attempts to follow the idea have not worked the way it was desired. A game is about how the player controls the world around them. Because of this change, many of the games that could be considered art end up looking bright, happy, and cartoonish. If you were to ask a film lover to play a game, he would hate it, because everything he wants from a film wouldn’t work.

Not only was this true, Ebert would have agreed. The one game he loved to play, was about exploring a world, and realizing that no two players would have the same experience.