Ep51: Are Video Games Art? Part 2: Nuance, Effort and West vs. East

Continuing the previous conversation, Dups and Dr. Erwin Warkentin explore the subjective experience of art, the impact of technological tools on creation, and global storytelling differences.

Key Topics:

1. Nuance and Subtlety: Finding hidden details in art, comparing Beethoven's "false cadences" and Rembrandt's framing to the environmental storytelling in games like Myst and The Last of Us.
2. The Definition of Art: The idea that art only exists in the moment it is experienced and interpreted by the audience.
3. Effort vs. Value: A discussion on whether the physical effort of creation defines art, comparing modern game development to the assembly-line nature of Renaissance painting studios.
4. Technology Driving Art: How the tools of the time dictate the art produced, comparing historical paint pigments (Lapis Lazuli, Prussian Blue) to the adoption of CD-ROMs and 3D graphics.
5. Western vs. Eastern Narratives: Contrasting goal-oriented Western RPGs with journey-oriented Japanese RPGs (JRPGs).
6. A Global Medium: The conclusion that video games represent the first truly globally shared art form, utilizing technology and narratives from across the world.