Video Games as a Form of Art

[Gors]

You wouldn't deny that a film or a theater production can be a form of art would you?
I don't see why you'd think of a game any different. These forms of art are similar in that they have many contributors and a director, working to create a unique and entertaining experience.
The final product is a work of art because that's what the audience experiences, and what leaves a lasting impression.
Interactivity is no different than the principles and elements of design in a piece of traditional art- just one more component to strengthen the experience for the audience.

Of course there is kitsch in the gaming market ,namely shovelware games and bad movie licensed games, but that's a reality in every medium.

Kitsch exists in any imaginable thing, though what is in check here is not quality of culture, but rather the essence of a game. There is no art, as we know it (sculpture, music, drawing, acting etc.), in making choices and taking risks. This is not to make it unimportant, though: just because something is not art it doesn't mean it can be discarded. Those are just basic things every person needs to deal with. Of course, with poetic license (or dadaist anti-art), you can elevate anything into art status. For example, I wouldn't classify soccer as art. But someone who loves the sport will certainly consider it as so.

And to reinforce what I said, even though I don't consider game as art, it doesn't mean they are empty or lacking. A quick analogy would be considering people as 'art' and putting them in cars. Cars aren't people (therefore not art), but they are used to transport them (a way to propagate art). Similarly, while the game in its quintessential form is not an art, every other thing that it carries is art, and it can be used to spread artistic knowledge. In the end, it causes the same effect and it doesn't matter to the final consumers. I'm just pointing out that cars are not human beings.

Finally, I'd like to add that none that I said is strictly correct and is just my point of view. Art itself is a very subjective thing and varies between people, so it's obvious that discussing whether something is art or not will not have a consensus. The only thing that I can agree is that I love playing games.