Can Games be art?

Apparently, this is quite a old debate.

I was reading a blog post independent game company, "Tale of Tales." Not ordinary games, mind you, but so called "art games". Unlike normal games, they do not usually have an ultimate goal, but rather seek to give the player a more profound emotional experience.

No goal? No scoring system? Hey, that's not a "game."

"One obvious difference between art and games is that you can win a game. It has rules, points, objectives, and an outcome. Santiago might cite a immersive game without points or rules, but I would say then it ceases to be a game and becomes a representation of a story, a novel, a play, dance, a film. Those are things you cannot win; you can only experience them."
source here

Logical, I suppose, but we must compare this to the definition of "art". Unfortunately, that is not an easy thing to explain. Wikipedia: ""Art is the process of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions." Plato: "Art is an imitation of nature."

I guess they're not too easy to relate back to the idea of a "game". But, these definitions do not complete the picture. Art has reached the point where it is not just an imitation, but an interpretation. As well as that, fuller pieces of work also attempt to reach out to the audience and enrich their understanding.

But that's where it fails. If the person misses the "art" of something, then a painting is no better than a bunch of pigments on a wall. For example, playing a game for the sake of passing time. Yet again, for this reason, almost anything can be seen as art. (Whether it's good or not is another matter)

Many may not believe a game could be considered "art" in it's entirety, but most definitely, there are aspects of art in a video game. Good design, atmosphere environment, an engaging storyline, amongst others, contributes to a more 'enjoyable' game. Perhaps, in the future, art can be better be expressed through games, using it as a medium.

Finding extra emotional understanding and "art" in a game, well that's up to the player.