It's exam season in my school, and in two days I have my Philosophy and Ethics and exams to look forward to.
This means that I have to sit in an exam hall for about three hours (with a break in between) and write about concepts that are by definition unverifiable. They are by definition unfalsifiable as well. This is problematic. Still, I've put the work in and we shall invariably see what happens come August or so.
Still, I did win the Most Dedicated Student Award yesterday, so that acts as a confidence boost.
In lighter news, two major(ish) purchases recently. The first is Super Mario Galaxy 2, which will arrive on Friday (the same day as my Philosophy exam! Curses!) and the other is The Sims 3, which we bought today. This reminds me of the whole "are games art?" debate dragged up clumsily by Roger Ebert. I think it's a tricky question, but it's not up for him to say so: he makes no attempt to interact with the games, the main focus of the experience, and he is a film critic- an entirely different field altogether. It's the equivalent of asking a florist to take a look at your plumbing.
In strict terms, a game is a system of requirements that must be carried out to achieve a certain end. It is a process, a machine, yet it is one that is designed to entertain. And consider that this process is often married, nowadays, with many other elements: graphics, music. If we view art, then, as the culmination of many elements into a cohesive, meaningful, and possibly entertaining whole, then I would say games are art. But ultimately, those who say games are not art are in many ways, I feel, happy to say what isn't art without actually really saying what is.
Anyway, that's just me trying out a blog! Please tell me how boring it was.
This means that I have to sit in an exam hall for about three hours (with a break in between) and write about concepts that are by definition unverifiable. They are by definition unfalsifiable as well. This is problematic. Still, I've put the work in and we shall invariably see what happens come August or so.
Still, I did win the Most Dedicated Student Award yesterday, so that acts as a confidence boost.
In lighter news, two major(ish) purchases recently. The first is Super Mario Galaxy 2, which will arrive on Friday (the same day as my Philosophy exam! Curses!) and the other is The Sims 3, which we bought today. This reminds me of the whole "are games art?" debate dragged up clumsily by Roger Ebert. I think it's a tricky question, but it's not up for him to say so: he makes no attempt to interact with the games, the main focus of the experience, and he is a film critic- an entirely different field altogether. It's the equivalent of asking a florist to take a look at your plumbing.
In strict terms, a game is a system of requirements that must be carried out to achieve a certain end. It is a process, a machine, yet it is one that is designed to entertain. And consider that this process is often married, nowadays, with many other elements: graphics, music. If we view art, then, as the culmination of many elements into a cohesive, meaningful, and possibly entertaining whole, then I would say games are art. But ultimately, those who say games are not art are in many ways, I feel, happy to say what isn't art without actually really saying what is.
Anyway, that's just me trying out a blog! Please tell me how boring it was.
Wed Jun 09, 2010 3:46 am by Dog Breath
