Aesthetics for Birds

Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art for Everyone

Category Archives: Games

March 6, 2019
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Is Commander Shepard Female? Determining Canon in Video Games

What follows is a post in our JAAC x AFB collaborative series, where we highlight articles from the Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. This post features Marissa D. Willis’ recent paper, “Choose Your Own Adventure: Examining the Fictional Content of Video Games as Interactive Fictions“. “Video games don’t tell stories,” he told me. “They’re just games.” So said a friend of mine when I told him I was writing about video games as works of fiction. And despite his mansplaining my own topic to me, my friend was giving voice to the very problem which I hope to address. Despite the fact that more people are playing video games these days than ever before, and game makers continue to create more inventive and engaging narrative works every day, my friend is not alone in his opinion.

July 3, 2018
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Why Fashion is More Than a Mere Consumer Object

What follows is a guest post by Laura T. Di Summa (William Paterson University). Perhaps we can agree on the fact that philosophers have not, for the most part, taken fashion very seriously. There seems to be something wrong, specifically, about being fashionable – about trafficking in the world of glossy magazines, runways, and looks and styles that change, frequently, and at a price. There seems to be something wrong about wearing the very clothes we find in those magazines, about buying them, and about investing energy (and money) in keeping up with them.

February 23, 2018
by Alex King
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Black Panther and Crossplay: Why Cosplay is More Important Than You Think

In a post for the Oxford University Press Blog titled “Cosplay is Meaningless”, G.R.F. Ferrari, a professor of Classics at Berkeley, argues that cosplay is just about perfecting the art of dress-up. He writes: Cosplayers … are not out to intimate something about themselves, or, for that matter, about anything else. As an occasional cosplayer myself, I have to say that I couldn’t disagree more with what Ferrari says. Cosplay is much more aesthetically, socially, and personally important than he gives it credit for.

February 28, 2017
by Aesthetics for Birds
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*This Thursday* JAAC X AFB Discussion: Tavinor on Video Games

Just another reminder that the next JAAC x AFB Discussion will be appearing this Thursday, March 2. We will be looking at “What’s My Motivation? Video Games and Interpretive Performance” (abstract below the fold) by Grant Tavinor, available in JAAC’s Winter 2017 volume, 75 (1), online here. Grant is Senior Lecturer of Philosophy at Lincoln University, NZ and author of the book The Art of Videogames. And big thanks to C. Thi Nguyen (Assistant Professor, Utah Valley University) for providing the critical précis. Grant will provide a response, and they will both be available to discuss your questions and thoughts in the comments. Mark it in your calendars, and look forward to seeing you then!

February 21, 2017
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Upcoming JAAC X AFB Discussion: Tavinor on Video Games

The third JAAC x AFB Discussion will be appearing next Thursday, March 2. We will be looking at “What’s My Motivation? Video Games and Interpretive Performance” (abstract below the fold) by Grant Tavinor, available in JAAC’s Winter 2017 volume, 75 (1), online here. Grant is Senior Lecturer of Philosophy at Lincoln University, NZ and author of the book The Art of Videogames. And big thanks to C. Thi Nguyen (Assistant Professor, Utah Valley University) for providing the critical précis. Grant will provide a response, and they will both be available to discuss your questions and thoughts in the comments. Mark it in your calendars, and look forward to seeing you then!

February 10, 2017
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Yougov Survey Answers Perennial Question: Can Video Games Be Art?

Survey says… No. :'( But tattoos can be, and many other things. Internet-based market research company YouGov asked over 1500 Brits whether they thought various mediums could be art. Their results: Unsurprisingly, results varied a lot across age groups, and some across class. Take a look at YouGov’s write-up of these surveys, and their detailed survey results. This updates some older results they got in 2014. Well, I guess we can shut things down around here. Thanks to everyone for playing! p.s. But seriously, stay tuned for the next JAAC x AFB Discussion on this beloved non-art-form. We’ll be discussing Grant Tavinor’s JAAC paper “What’s My Motivation? Video Games and Interpretive Performance”. Photo credit: Ryan Quick, The Art of Video Games via Flickr

April 27, 2016
by Aesthetics for Birds
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ASA Funds Workshop on the Philosophy of Games

 ASA Funds Workshop on the Philosophy of Games The Board of Trustees of the American Society for Aesthetics has approved funding up to $5,000 in support of the Workshop on the Philosophy of Games, to be held October 14-15, 2016, in Salt Lake City. Conference Organizers are C. Thi Nguyen (Utah Valley University) and Brock Rough (University of Maryland). The conference will explore a variety of issues: What are games? What is their value? Can games be artworks or possess aesthetic value? Are there ethical  issues that arise with game play? The CFP is here. DEADLINE for paper submission: July 1, 2016 As more information becomes available, it will be posted on the ASA web site and ASA Facebook pages. The conference will feature ten presentations, in a round-table workshop format. Travel funding reimbursement of $500 will be offered for each paper, with one $1000 travel grant for the best graduate … Continue reading →

February 13, 2014
by Aesthetics for Birds
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Why Video Games in Art Museums Still Aren’t Art

What follows is a guest post by Brock Rough. Brock is a graduate of Northern Illinois University (2010, MA in Philosophy), and currently a PhD Candidate at the University of Maryland, College Park, Department of Philosophy. His research focuses on the art status and ontology of videogames, their role as a test case for theories of art, and the ontology and intersection of games and art. Before pursuing philosophy, Brock spent several years working as a portrait painter. Videogames are a massive cultural phenomenon. They have come far from the early days of Pong, Pac-Man, and Super Mario Bros. to become productions with Hollywood blockbuster-sized budgets and sales records, like the Call of Duty, Madden NFL, and Grand Theft Auto series’. With such popularity, it was inevitable that some would begin to question the art status of, at least some, videogames. And for some, the issue has been put to … Continue reading →