Black Mesa as Art?

Technology and Gaming
#1

Hey guys this is my first post and I know its pretty bad form to make a new thread straight of the bat (yes I have read the faq) but I think i’ve got a pretty interesting question that i’ve been pondering.

The Half-Life series is, in my opinion, probably the best example of video games as a genuine art-form, not just mindless entertainment and it’s the reason why I consider them to be some of the best games ever made. Its clear that when Valve made put as much thought into story-telling, compelling art design and atmosphere as they did into the actual game mechanics themselves. With that in mind, do the Black Mesa dev’s consider what they are doing as a form of art? Obviously being a remake it might be more appropriate to consider it as a tribute, but considering they’re not getting paid for it, it seems to me more like a labour of love than anything. The only thing they’re getting out of it is ultimately the pleasure of knowing that they’ve achieved something pretty damn impressive (assuming the game turns out to be as good as the pre-release material makes it look).

So yeah, is Black Mesa art? (sorry for all the text).

#2

All game design is art, IMO. It just depends on whether it’s well-executed, and if all the parts are tied together. Games aren’t as good without compelling storylines and gameplay to add to the visuals and sound.

#3

You could make the argument for the original game being art, but a remake? Absolutely not.

#4

You’re funny! :’(

Hmm, Black Mesa as art… I suppose that depends entirely on if you are a person who considers games themselves to constitute as art. To me they can be, just as much as movies or literature. They must stand on their own merit though, take Portal for example… Portal is very elegant and has a lot of style and really it’s something very unique, even today 2 years after it was released, there’s still nothing else out there quite like it.

If Black Mesa is truly a work of art, that remains to be seen… we won’t know until we try it.

#5

It’s got original voice acting and level design and textures and music, therefore, it is art.

Or at least, a large compilation of art.

#6

Perhaps that is true for a straight remake, but judging from the pics, they aren’t just throwing out higher quality models and textures, they are re-imagining what much of it would look like. Look at the difference between the original and the Mod. That is far more than a simple remake.

#7

Would it be art if it was all awful? If the voice acting was prepubescent boys with squeaky voices trying to sound like tough guys? If the maps were bare and disproportionate and lacked a sense of direction? If the textures were just taken off some website? If the music didn’t fit?

Art is about more than just creating something, quality is important but it also needs that extra zing…

#8

Since you mentioned you wanted this to be a discussion (hopefully not necessarily about our mod specifically) I moved this to the proper forum.

Personally I find most if not all video games to be an art form - some games like Half-Life tell a story better than others (as opposed to, say, a sports game or something) but every type of game has loads of art that goes into it.

#9

What you’re describing is known as really shitty art.

#10

There’s a difference between “art” and “Art.” What exactly that difference is, is up for debate. I think it is cultural significance. All games have art, some (very few) are Art.

Halflife is a parable for bullied teenage nerds, taking revenge on the jocks that gave them swirlies and the bitches that would not have sweaty nerd sex with them, and ultimately being rewarded with a high-paying job from “the man” that they can rub in the faces of all that wronged them. Cultural significance? Maybe.

#11

I agree to the extent that every game has art assets that go into it, but I think alot of games are not necessarily cohesive works of art. I think personally that a game has to strive towards something more than simply being fun to play in order for it to be a truly artistic statement. I suppose that might be a little snobby but there’s nothing wrong with a little ambition!

In that sense I would probably lean towards saying that Black Mesa could be considered art, because from what I can tell the developers are aiming towards re-imagining and enhancing the experience of an existing game which already has fairly serious pretentions towards being art, which is in my opinion much more interesting than alot of the pretty shallow games that are being pumped out at the moment. Still I wouldn’t want to make any definite assumptions about it until it’s released, so this is of course mindless speculation.

#12

This is not
The Greatest Game in the World, no
This is just a tribute.

#13

To the greatest game in the world, oohooh
It was the greatest game in the world oohooh

I mostly agree with that part. What makes Art is a very subjective thing, but in my opinion Half-Life isn’t Art, it’s art. However, some games like those made by Tale of Tales (Fatale, The Path and The Graveyard) can be considered Art. They have something different I never could define.

Let’s take for example The Graveyard. Many say this “program” is not a video game because you don’t get to kill something, achieve a goal or get to a point. I half-agree with them. I would describe TG as an interactive painting. When you watch a real painting, you don’t get to kill anything, don’t have to do anywhere nor achieve anything. Still, you can enjoy watching a painting. well I do.[/SIZE] The Graveyard is the same thing, except it’s in from of your PC or Mac, and they added interactivity. You no longer watch the painting, you change it. You are apart of it. As a painting, it also doesn’t directly tell a story. You don’t know why this old lay came to this cemetery. It’s up to you to decide. Maybe she’s there to gather on her husband’s grave. Or her son who died during war. Or maybe she just enjoy this place because it’s very quiet.

But can an interactive painting also be a video game? I think the question of whether or not a game is art of not raises two very important questions. First one, what defines art and Art. But also what defines a video game. I really think that video games art the 8th form of art. I think what makes art is when you can watch something and find beauty in it. Art is beauty, and beauty is Art. And it doesn’t always have to be explicit beauty. I think art is also something that makes you think. And not just what the heck was the painter on. It also gives you emotions and feelings. Art is also about originality. You may be the best photographer/painter in the world, but if all you do is to paint nice trees and field well, you’re not going to go far. Art is constantly reinvented and evolving since Prehistoric Age, and I think it a part of why Art is so hard to define.

Now what makes a video game? In my opinion a video game is something you interact with. You enjoy. That gets you entertained. And all other synonyms. On a computer or a console, that is. Now if you can enjoy a videogame that fits the description of Art, does it become Art? And if it doesn’t, can it still be Art?

So, is Half-Life Art? Well if it doesn’t fit the things stated before, IMO it isn’t.

Post-Scriptum: The description of Art I wrote above is solely based on my opinion, nothing else.[/SIZE]

#14

:awesome:
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Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.