In this day and age, video games have become increasingly main stream with many young people having integrated them into their life. The first video-game, “Tennis for Two,” was created in 1958 by American physicist William Higinbothan. Today, there are more than 1.2 billion people world-wide, 155 million of them being in the United States, who play video games.

Supporting this statistic, it has been discovered that four out of 5 households have a device that can play video games. The gamers over the age of 36 make up 39% of the gaming population with those between 18 and 35 make up 32% of the population. Finally, the smallest age group of gamers, consisting of those under the age of 18, make up only 29% of the population.

The gender ratio of the gaming population is also pretty evenly split with 48% being female and 52% being male (Taylor Casti of the Huffington Post). With these statistics in mind, it is evident that there is a lot of interest in video games among both genders and all age groups. Since there is a lot of interest in the hobby, and the hobby has had almost 60 years to improve, it is no surprise that many people consider video games a form of art.

In my honest opinion, however, I do not consider video games to be art; or at least the majority of games don’t equal art. Sure they have fancy graphics and high frame rates, but that doesn’t mean much. The purpose of art is to express emotion onto something that can be physically seen, which is why movies and plays are considered art. For video games, to be considered art, and not just games, they need to empoyl strong plot elements.

Perhaps the most fitting example of “games as art” would exist in the game The Last of Us. While I endeavor not to spoil anything, the game, much like a movie, develops an in-depth plot and relationship between the two protagonists: Ellie and Joel. Their connection in the context of an apocalyptic setting, allows players to see that there is hope when everything else has been seemingly taken away. Video games can be considered art, but in order for them to be deemed so, they need to have elements of emotional expression that have a lasting and meaningful affect on the player or observer.