Well, the British have officially proved that they are ahead of their time (or at least the only ones with the times) as the British Academy of Film and Television arts announced that they will now be giving artistic awards for video games as well as film. The academy refers to video games as “one of the contemporary art forms”. The British Academy (or BAFTA) has actually recognized games since as early as 1997. This announcement and the upcoming awards ceremony in October should propel games forward to even more of a recognized art form. We think this is a step in the right direction. It seems that games aren’t taken very seriously as an artistic endeavor. But for any of you who have seen the views and vistas of Morrowind, the eerie atmosphere of Half Life 2, the nail biting tension of Silent Hill, or the laugh out loud moments of Sam & Max know that it’s possible. Video games can evoke just as much of an emotional or visceral reaction as any painting, film, or novel. The chairman of Bafta, Duncan Kenworthy, is a great supporter of video games and is also quoted as saying “Bafta is about helping and recognizing the art forms of the moving image. And video games are a growing art form, a key art form.” He sees video games as just another facet on the same level as film and television. What all of this leads to is seeing the world™s perception of video games being not only accepted, but appreciated. After all, with games including 20 million dollar budgets, professional Hollywood voice actors, swarms of elite programmers at the forefront of their fields, and top notch visual effects, why not call a spade a spade. If a movie is art, can’t games be art, too?
