Video games are now synonymous with art, but it hasn't always been that way. As little as ten years ago most people would have told you that they were for kids or a complete waste of time. But now with video games being more photo realistic and the story telling being as in depth as ever it's only a matter of time before a video game is compared the Sistine Chapel, or the Mona Lisa.
In all reality it's actually pretty unlikely that the general population views video games in such high regard, but I can guarantee you that there are already people out there who hold some of their favorite video games above those legendary pieces of art. A game can evoke emotion much better than a painting or book can due to the level of interactivity. A book is only ever going to tell you someone else's story and a painting is only going to give you a small glimpse into the mind of the artist, but with a video game you cultivate your own adventure, making it a more personal experience. It is how it makes you feel that is so special about art, and as of now it seems like a video game is the best way to do that. Games like The Last of Us and The Walking Dead are perfect examples of how a video game can take the best aspects of art and storytelling and weave together a masterpiece that is more than worth of the title "art" and with more and more people turning to video games to be their primary forms of entertainment it appears that we are in the middle of a entertainment renaissance.
With new technology coming out such as the Oculus Rift the platform for video games could be changing very soon. Since video games inception the norm has been to gather your friends and pile on the couch with beer and chips and to spend the next few hours mindlessly enjoying your games. But the Oculus Rift seems to be the platform to usher in Virtual Reality. The universe won't be real per say but with the right peripherals a gamer could have total control over the game they are playing. Even as I am writing this I see a trend, the amount of control we possess over the artwork will affect our disposition to it. The piece of artwork in the gallery may be beautiful, but that is all it will ever be. You can watch your favorite movie over and over again but the scene where the hero prevails and saves his damsel is always going to play out the exact same way. But a video game gives you the freedom to play out the story your way. Role Playing Games excel at this especially. Although many of RPG's coming out today do not contain as many of the storytelling aspects that were made common in their golden age in the early to mid 90's. If you go back and play a classic RPG like Fallout there will be almost limitless dialogue choices and enough side quests to keep you distracted from the primary objectives for enough time that you might actually forget what your primary objectives are.
Video games have secured their place in our homes as a platform to entertain and bring friends and families together. With limitless stories to tell and adventures to go on and with new technologies and creative minds pushing the industry further and further it appears its future is very bright indeed. Now if you will excuse me I have a princess to find in the next castle.
