So, last week the government decided that games are elligible for grants, officially recognizing the medium as an art form. The internet was hooting. I also have talked to several witnesses that swore up and down that there was hollering as well.

I generally don’t like to throw my hat into the “are games art” debate because there’s no real answer. Art is subjective. As far as I’m concerned, yes, games are art because many have touched me in a way that made me change my thinking, or otherwise altered my state of mind (read: feel emotion).

Arguing about what is or isn’t art is silly. I for example, don’t believe that modern “art” is art. Fuck Jackson Pollock. Anything that can be recreated by dropping a bucket of paint down a flight of stairs should not be considered anything other than a mess requiring a few hours hard work to clean up. That said, I’m sure there’s someone out there who did experience a euphroic moment while looking at Pollock’s work. For that person, my perceived mess is his art.

I wont convince him, and he wont convince me. So why bother arguing? To each his own and all that. Nothing is officially or not officially art.

The thing that really gets me with this whole story is the people who were jumping up and down saying that this piece of news was really important. Why? If you were someone who considered video games to be an art form, then you didn’t need the government to make it official. Sure, some developers will be able to make games they otherwise couldn’t have, but they’re going to be competing with other artists, filmmakers, musicians, etc for grant money, and that process in and of itself is corrupted by politics.

All this really accomplished was opening the gaming world to asinine “expert criticism and analysis” a-la Inside the Actor’s Studio.

I could do without.

In other news, here’s the plan (I think) for Kat’s Korner. Every day that there isn’t a comic, there will be an update. Whether it’s sketches, photos, notes, etc, something will be there every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until further notice.

Each Sunday I wanna put up a fan art section, so if you’ve got any gaming related strips or drawings… send them in! Show off your awesome stuff and get it hosted at Corpse Run!