Miyamoto was in the U.K. to accept a Fellowship award from BAFTA, and said, "It's a great honor that my name might be listed as a fellowship member along with such a great director as Hitchcock."
At the same time, Miyamoto resisted the idea of putting games in the same classification as film, noting that he sees his role more as that of an entertainer. "I have never said that video games (are) an art," he said.
"What we have created are not art but products. For us, the main are the customers and not games themselves. I always tell staff to call Nintendo games products, not art."
"What we have created are not art but products. For us, the main are the customers and not games themselves. I always tell staff to call Nintendo games products, not art."
That's my boy.
I keep telling you guys. The games industry is a money making business. Video games are not art. They're products of corporate greed.
Not to restart the same old tail-chasing argument that usually happens whenever anyone gets wind of the words 'video games' and 'art' being used in the same sentence, but
(a) Art isn't really in the eye of the creator; one man's crap is another man's mindblowing statement about life, the universe, and everything
(b) It's in the nature of Japanese culture for people to be humble about their own work and allow others to praise it fully.
'Art' is too subjective a term, and if he doesn't want it applied to his games by his subordinates, that's his call to make, but he can't stop anyone else from saying (or awarding things) as they please. Either way, congratulations to him on the award~
BEST THREAD EVER future of NL >:3
[16:43] James: I should learn these site rules more clearly
[16:44] LztheBlehBird: James doesn't know the rules? For shame!!!
All I have to say is: Miyamoto used to be a frontrunner when it came to story-telling in games, so I find this news nothing short of ironic, even if it's not quite unexpected.
The best quote I heard from old Shiggy was this one:
Video games are bad for you? That's what they said about rock n' roll.
For you, the day LordJumpMad graced your threads, was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday. [url=http://www.backloggery.com/jumpmad]Unive...
"What we have created are not art but products. For us, the main are the customers and not games themselves. I always tell staff to call Nintendo games products, not art."
That's my boy.
I keep telling you guys. The games industry is a money making business. Video games are not art. They're products of corporate greed.
Movies, books, and music are money making businesses too and your refrence is like blasting movies for where cameras, computer that are involved in making moves, and DVD players are made.
Just to riff on TBD's comment:
I tend to agree that art is in the eye of the beholder. While Miyamoto doesn't set out to create art, that isn't his "business demographic" after all, he wouldn't hesitate to accredit the great success of the Zelda and Pikmin series to their compelling visual artistry. Conjecture on my part, but it's clear he takes pride in his efforts which automatically places his products in a league of their own.
Whatever the outcome of The Great Debate there are experiences intrinsic to games that compel the player to transcend the medium. If a game crafts such a distinct moment the player will know, and enough such experiences qualify the game as a work of art. By definition I would argue, though of course everyone has a different interpretation.
I respectively disagree with him, but I don't care enough about it to debate it much. Besides, who am I to tell Shigeru Miyamoto what games can be classified as?
Miyamoto is not the only person in the industry, and as amazing as he is, he doesn't get to speak for the entire industry. There are people of there makin legitimate interactive art games.
Also Miyamoto's work is art whether he wants it to be or not. The creator doesn't get to decide if his work is art. Society does. Miyamoto's games are exhibited in game art exhibitions all over the world.
Mario is art.
I do suspect what Miyamoto's is refering to here is INTENTION. Certainly in big budget games there has always been the intention to make a produc that makes money. But the same is true about blockbuster Hollywood. Anyone think that films can't be art because of Hollywood?
A surprisingly short sighted argument from the great man. He was either misquoted or quoted out of context, surely.
Miyamoto is not the only person in the industry, and as amazing as he is, he doesn't get to speak for the entire industry. There are people of there makin legitimate interactive art games.
Also Miyamoto's work is art whether he wants it to be or not. The creator doesn't get to decide if his work is art. Society does. Miyamoto's games are exhibited in game art exhibitions all over the world.
Mario is art.
I do suspect what Miyamoto's is refering to here is INTENTION. Certainly in big budget games there has always been the intention to make a produc that makes money. But the same is true about blockbuster Hollywood. Anyone think that films can't be art because of Hollywood?
A surprisingly short sighted argument from the great man. He was either misquoted or quoted out of context, surely.
I'm inclined to agree with you, but that's a bizarre last sentence. Can't we believe that "the great man" is capable of this opinion without it being a misquote / out of context?
Miyamoto is not the only person in the industry, and as amazing as he is, he doesn't get to speak for the entire industry. There are people of there makin legitimate interactive art games.
Also Miyamoto's work is art whether he wants it to be or not. The creator doesn't get to decide if his work is art. Society does. Miyamoto's games are exhibited in game art exhibitions all over the world.
Mario is art.
I do suspect what Miyamoto's is refering to here is INTENTION. Certainly in big budget games there has always been the intention to make a produc that makes money. But the same is true about blockbuster Hollywood. Anyone think that films can't be art because of Hollywood?
A surprisingly short sighted argument from the great man. He was either misquoted or quoted out of context, surely.
I'm inclined to agree with you, but that's a bizarre last sentence. Can't we believe that "the great man" is capable of this opinion without it being a misquote / out of context?
I can't believe that Miyamoto would have such a juvenile understanding of the relationship between art and commerce, given the guy's clear intelligence and long experience in the industry.
Though to be honest, from his point of view I can actually understand him. If I were to make a game to sell it, the last thing I would want to consider it is "art". It would be a product, maybe a personal favorite, but not art.
Going around thinking I'm creating art like I'm some sort of genious wouldn't be good for the development of the product or my mind after its release.
If it ends up being a work of art to others, that's another thing.
Forums
Topic: Shigeru Miyamoto "I have never said that video games are an art"
Posts 1 to 20 of 73
This topic has been archived, no further posts can be added.