It may be a bold assertion to make, but I believe that computer games can be art. Certainly there's a huge majority of game concepts which lack any intelligence at all. Innovation is hard enough to find among the muck of copycats and rehashes, much less Art. But you might even ask, "Why would I want to see Art in computer games?"
That's a valid question.
I suppose the answer lies in each individual. Do you like stories which mean more than what the plot tells? I certainly enjoy a story with some philosophical and intellectual depth, especially if it can stand alone as pure entertainment. So why shouldn't we see such depth and meaning in games?
Doom is great fun, but the most meaningful thing about its story is that its creators obviously didn't want one. But that's an unfair attack. Blastfest action games shouldn't be expected to have deep, meaningful stories. This reiterates the answer to the question above: it all depends on what you want from a gaming experience.
So what exactly is my point? I would like to see more games designed with this 'game as art' concept in mind. Certain adventure games approach it, and a few role-playing games could be said to have approached it as well. These are definitely the appropriate genres in which to find meaningful content.
So how can this be done? Just how do you insert such 'meaningful content' into a game? It's a matter of design. There are several elements to this idea:
Story, character interaction, and implication.
Story. This is the basis for the whole experience, and the best way to convey a set of ideas to the player. In my opinion, the story has to deal with fairly mature topics to really be valuable as a learning experience (and teaching, afterall, is the point of Art). Just like any other fictional media, a game's story should set up conflict. Unlike traditional fiction though, a game must invite the player to personally overcome this conflict, and that's what makes games such a potentially valuable form of Art. It can allow the player to grapple with his or her own feelings about the conflicts presented and maybe reveal new perspectives in relation to them.
Character interaction. Perhaps the most profound Art experiences involve 'people relationships.' Of Mice and Men is certainly profound, and it is all about human relationships. (I think this is why much science fiction fails to be universally relevant-- often the fiction revolves around technology and ideas instead of people.) Too many game designers simply ignore the rich variety of expression that character interaction allows. Repetitive one-liners just don't make for acceptable character development. And so we come to the primary part of character interaction-- the intimation of what the characters in a game feel, think, and need. Of course, it's up to the designer(s) to create good characters, which is no simple task. If the player can know that a character has feelings and needs, the player can begin to empathize. Empathy leads the player into thinking of his or her own feelings, which leads to the next element:
Implication. Here's where we get the most satisfying part of the Art experience. Once we establish conflict, develop emotionally driven characters, and establish the player's place within all of it, the player can begin to understand the implications that will inevitably exist in the game's meaning. Oh, you did have something to say, right? Well, it's here that the player can learn about it and extend it to any level he or she wishes. Perhaps he or she will simply ignore it; that's dependant upon what the player seeks from the game.
But at least there can be some meaningful content to find.
And now I must ask, "Just what are the implications of this article?" For me personally, this implies that games have a 'higher' place in society than just an avenue to entertainment and wealth. With the unmitigated forging ahead of technology, we'll have more and more power to create. But so often it is ignored. There's no vision, and no thought for the future. Sure, a game is inherently restricted to the platform(s) for which it is available, and therefore the game's life is limited to the life of that platform. Still, I have to wonder if there can be a 'timeless classic' which could transcend these circumstantial bonds and become something more.
Something more like Art.