In 2005 Sony Computer Entertainment released a PlayStation 2 videogame called Shadow of the Colossus. The game centers around the protagonist Wander who must travel on horseback throughout a vast landscape to locate and defeat 16 enormous beings known as Colossi. The game was widely praised by critics and is usually what gamers will point to when arguing that videogames can be considered works of art. Many people still view videogames as childish, or at least solely for entertainment purposes, which explains why videogames are not universally recognized as art forms. Some people believe a work of art should be refined and political as well as pleasing because of its beauty. Thus, the adrenaline rush that the player feels when stabbing a creature 100 feet tall with a sword and watching it plummet to the ground does not seem to fit the criteria of refined, political, or high brow culture.
There are many reasons why Shadow of the Colossus is viewed as an artistic piece, however. Firstly, the game is beautiful. Even by today’s next generation, high definition graphics Shadow of the Colossus is simply breathtaking to look at. The enormous Colossi are animated with painstaking detail so that they appear grand and powerful. The expansive landscape with rolling hills, waterfalls, and tall cliffs are realistic and gorgeous as well making the game just as enjoyable to look at as to play.
The game is divided up into two parts: fighting the mighty Colossi and riding through the serene landscape to find the next Colossus. This means that half of the player’s time is spent exploring and enjoying the expansive yet barren land, utterly devoid of humans or any creature larger than a lizard. The only sound to be heard during this time is the galloping of the horse’s feet and the breathing of the player’s character. The environment was designed specifically to evoke helplessness and isolation in the player. The feelings of dread and hopelessness culminate in a climax every time the next over-sized Colossus reveals itself and begins its assault upon the player. Afterwards, however, when the beast has been killed, all of the player’s negative emotions change into relief and the player feels a primeval thrill of victory that comes from killing an enormous creature over a hundred times bigger and more powerful. The range of emotions the game can evoke from the player is incredible, and this is what many believe makes the game a work of art.
Another interesting aspect of Shadow of the Colossus is the minimalistic approach to storytelling in the game. There are only two major moments where the player is given any detail of the plot which comes at the beginning and at the end of the game. By limiting the information given to the player the designers of the game made it so that the player can fill in the gaps of the story how they choose. The player becomes the story teller and creates motivations for their character. The videogame becomes an interactive work of art as the player participates in its creation, something that no other medium of art can achieve. This is what art is about, experiencing emotions and feeling a connection with the artist, or in this case the game designer.
The problem becomes that the game is art for art’s sake, or more precisely, art for the sake of enjoyment. Many people play the game solely for the experience of having fun and do not reflect on the artistic nature of the game. This could mean that for them it is not art but instead just a fun game. Can something be considered art to one person and merely a toy to somebody else? It would be considered foolish to say that the Mona Lisa is not art because somebody enjoys looking at it. Even if the person viewing the Mona Lisa is not an art critic they can still enjoy looking at it without appreciating its full artistic value.
Shadow of the Colossus, even if it is considered art, was published by the multi million dollar company Sony who, above all else, was attempting to profit from the game. The designers of the game may have been producing art, but the game would never have been created if there was no money to be made. How can a work of art be something that is made for the sake of turning a profit? There have been many artists who created art with the goal of making money, however. Shakespeare, for example, wrote many masterpieces but he still had to make a living so he made his plays exciting and funny for the audience. Shadow of the Colossus also appeals to the player because it is exciting and fun to play, but it can also be seen as a work of art.
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