Must Video Games Be Art?
16 February 2024
I purchased that videogame, Palworld, the one that is Pokémon with guns. Many of the visual aspects of the game feel uninspired and lacking personality as a result of heavy AI usage in the development of assets, but the core mechanics of the game are undeniably fun. This begs an interesting question about video games - while they might be works of art, must they be?
Personally, I don't think that AI is art or is a good thing almost at all. It requires a volume of data to use for training that often cannot be ethically sourced. In the case of many types of art, most AI models scrape the internet for artwork and do not compensate or even credit copyrighted work. I feel that AI takes the blood, sweat, and tears out of making art, which is what makes art compelling to me. If an artist is not willing to do the work to create a piece, what value is there in consuming it? Of course, this brings up a completely separate topic of the attention and content economy in which we live, where an audience looking at something without thought is enough to make the content presenter profit, the goal of some presenters above all else. This is something else I disagree with! But we are talking about AI. I didn't know how extensive the use of AI was in the development of this game when I bought it, I was swept up in the hype. I can't say for certain that I wouldn't have bought it if I had known, but I know I would have been more hesitant. It shows in the emptiness of many aspects of the world, the way all of the pals feel like direct rip offs or combinations of Pokémon, and how so many landscape features are copy and pasted around the world. The game is not ugly, but it does not have much visual "wow" factor.
With my personal disclaimer about AI and my distaste for it out of the way, this game is actually very fun. There are survival elements to the game and the gameplay loop is very satisfying. The gist of the game is that you are able to build a base, where you build equipment that helps you catch pals, who you can employ at the base to automate work. Building equipment requires resources, which can be gained by grinding with your character or by using pals with different resource collection skills. Unlocking new equipment requires leveling up, which is done best by catching as many pals as you can. Catching pals has a two-fold benefit: there are random personality traits associated with a pal that may increase their battle stats or their work stats, so catching multiple pals to ensure the most efficient traits are employed at the base is recommended. The survival system doesn't rely as heavily on grinding as other survival games, and the balancing of pal skills is satisfying to manage at the base.
The game then brings up a philosophical question about video games: must they be works of art? I'm sure everyone thinks of several video games off the top of their head when discussing video games that are works of art, or even masterpieces. There is a labour of love and care that you can feel in the product that gives it that little extra umami. Palworld is a major example of a game that feels lacking in that umami department, but remains entertaining and difficult to put down. There is little to no emotional engagement or story to the game, but is that required to make a game good? Where on the spectrum between compelling video game and slot machine is a video game allowed to be considered a work of art? Must it hold more than attention?
As fun as this game is to play, I disagree with the AI use in generating assets. I can't recommend purchasing this game on principle, but I will admit that I have enjoyed the time spent playing the game (which is a lot). I can't say that I see this game as a work of art, or a masterpiece, but rather a very successful product that will generate a profit for Pocket Pair. I don't think that video games need to be hand crafted pure artwork at every turn to be entertaining, but I think moving forward I'd rather focus on games that are deeper in the artistic spectrum with new and fresh concepts over a repackaging of previously enjoyed elements.