What would you define to be ‘art’? Perhaps a painting? Some abstract concept? Or maybe something a little more tangible. The Oxford definition is ‘the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination’. It is an extremely broad definition, since there are many forms of art, as creativity and imagination can take on a myriad of different forms.

Creativity follows no rules, knows no bounds, and can be contained by no one - it is impossible to gatekeep creativity, and as art is the product of creativity, one cannot gatekeep ‘art’ as a concept.

Art is an umbrella term, and many mediums fall under this category. Sculptures, drawings, and storytelling, are all very conventional forms of art. Video games, an emerging art form, is scorned by many art critics. However, it too, is a way for artists, designers, and creative folk to express themselves through a newly established medium.

So why might video games as a whole, be considered art? Video games tug at our heartstrings, tell rich stories, inspire us, immerse us with amazing sound-scaping and backing tracks, enrapture us with stunning visuals and graphics. It is not only art by all of its individual components, but also an extraordinary experience as a whole. Art is an experience. For example, the post-impressionist painter, Van Gogh, mastered the use of colours and texture within his paintings to invoke some feeling, strong or weak, pleasant or horrid, within the viewer. To discredit video games as an art form, some have argued that art is not interactive. I disagree wholly.

The Tate Museum, on its official website, recognises interactive art as a form of art, though it mostly refers to walk-in sculptures on its website, it also acknowledges that it is also computer based.

In the sea of examples, one game that stands out to me, is Celeste. Celeste is a platformer game with relatively simple mechanics. It is challenging, but the difficulty can be tweaked. As you explore the story, you learn that the protagonist, Madeline, wishes to climb this seemingly impossible mountain. Along the way, she meets fellow climbers, or residents that actively discourage her from reaching the top, telling her, ‘You are not a mountain climber’, trying to stop her from succeeding. But she persists, eventually having to battle herself, a beautiful allegory of the fight within oneself, and mental health. Many reviews comment on how ‘I cared deeply about Madeline’s struggle and empathised… in a way I wasn’t expecting’ that it ‘made my heart race… speed and emotion being stoked by the soundtrack’. All of these individual pieces form together to make something spectacular, both art in its cogs and complete machine. The themes are never thrown into your face, but many levels contain veiled metaphors for many struggles we can all personally relate to in our day-to-day lives.

There are many other games such as Celeste. ‘RIME’, a heart-wrenching story that subtly unfolds as you run around, exploring the vast world, solving enjoyable and fun puzzles. The game invokes feelings of childlike glee, while masterfully presenting to you the five stages of grief, and conveys the tale of a father that lost his son at sea.

That being said, I feel it is important to consider something closer my own heart - Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BoTW). Though it may not tell such a striking story, it still has many merits. Areas it excels in, is with the stunning visuals and sandbox world. Running around the field, seeing the grass sway, disturbed by Link, truly does add to the immersion of this game, making it feel more real, more alive. One reviewer wrote, ‘trees bear fruit, grass fields can be set ablaze… animals behave in a believable manner, based on… reactions I’ve seen in the wild… Each object... sticks to apples… respond to forces like fire... as you’d expect.’ You truly find yourself enjoying every step as you wander around the open fields. The serenity while watching the sunset in a ‘surprisingly fun and responsive sandbox’. The Zelda soundtrack is also among one of the most fantastic video game compositions I have ever heard. The story, relatively simple, but somehow nostalgic. With all this, you cannot argue that this game is not “art”. It excels in all the common mediums and masterfully brings itself together with this new method of creating art.

I hear you ask, ‘What about shooters, oversaturated sports games, and arcade games? Are they art?’ Absolutely, yes. Art is not something that needs to enrich our lives, or inspire within some revelation. “Art” does not equate to “high art”. Not all art belongs within a museum, not all needs to. The music industry churns out hundreds of 'meaningless' love songs every year. Would we not consider it music? Whether you or I enjoy the drone of the unoriginal lyrics, or same the four chords on repeat, that does not mean it is not “music”. Most find it easy to fall back onto love songs and enjoy them, listening to relax.

It is impossible for the “average Joe” to listen to Beethoven’s Sonatas and nothing else. The same is with shooters and sports games. It’s easy to engage with, as you simply cannot play emotionally draining games such as ‘That Dragon, Cancer’ twenty-four seven. Furthermore, regarding arcade games, there is an art within creating such a timeless, simple, masterpiece in of itself. Pac-man is suitable and loved by all ages, to this day, still loved by millions.

Video games are “art”. There is no denying it. Those who say otherwise, are stuck in the past. The future is here and now. Imagination is a free spirit that dances in the wind, changing its movements and paths with excitement, unpredictable, ever-changing. It whispers in our ears, and like it’s twin, creativity, it cannot be locked up, no chains can bind it, and it cannot be gatekept.

For all of its components, and the overall sum, this is why video games should be considered “art”.