Indie dev causes a stir with 'games are not art' statements

Known for their unconventional games like The Path and the recently-released Fatale, Tale of Tales developers Michael Samyn and Auriea Harvey were quoted by Gamasutra as saying that "games are not art," and "Beside a few noble attempts, video games are overwhelmingly a waste of time."

This might sound pretentious coming from a studio whose games are often cited as proof that games can be art; but the key distinction Samyn and Auriea seem to make is that the nature of "games" is incompatible with art. "Games," they said, evolved from a biological need for play. Thanks to the rules that grew up around them, we now have what the developers believe to be a failure to evolve in video game design. Also, they said art is dead and that it's been co-opted by capitalism and restrictive government.

These bold statements preceded an equally bold proclamation that Tale of Tales plans make it all better by continuing to reject conventional game design and their "stupid rules." Sadly, they didn't announce any new upcoming titles -- but you can check out their iPhone app, Vanitas, which debuted at the Art History of Games conference as a commissioned work.

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The Art History... Of Games Games As Art May Be A Lost Cause [Gamasutra]