03-03-2024, 01:01 PM
Yeah I'm inclined to agree with you on all accounts. An artists skill can definitely include the skill of making engaging work generally, and not just defined as technical abilities. And in that case it only makes sense to say that the most skilled artists will make the best artwork, since we agree that good artwork is defined by being engaging or entertaining. But then that's a bit of a circular definition, I suppose.
There's definitely a lot of aspects to making art that compensate for each other. I think the cleaning-house game is actually a really interesting thing to think about. Because there are games like that. Especially when VR games first came out, there were tons of ____ simulators that have a simple concept like being a chef, barista, clerk, different animals, anything really. These games are initially novel and amusing, but aren't designed to have much depth. You lose interest fairly quickly. It's interesting to think about what would have to be added for a game like that to be not just kinda fun for an hour, but GREAT. I feel like a cleaning your house simulator game could do any of the following things:
-Make a point about the futility of life, or some broader human concept.
-Communicate a deeper story, like maybe you uncover intriguing items when cleaning that let's you piece together something interesting
-If it were actually very fun due to how the levels are designed
-If the graphics were so good as to be actually awe inspiring, or stylized in a very attractive way
Like if the game had any one of these you could forgive it lacking in other areas and it could be considered a very good game, or at the least worth playing. as opposed to just technically solid, but otherwise boring. And I think that demonstrates the same way you can evaluate art. I think maybe I disagree with the second to last paragraph slightly, in that it seems to me that in order for art to be good, it must excel in at least one area. But it doesn't necessarily need to have everything. I don't know that having decent skill in each fundamental area guarantees that the work will be impressive. I think it has to do something exceptionally well. But of course the best art demonstrates a lot of skill in more than one area.
There's definitely a lot of aspects to making art that compensate for each other. I think the cleaning-house game is actually a really interesting thing to think about. Because there are games like that. Especially when VR games first came out, there were tons of ____ simulators that have a simple concept like being a chef, barista, clerk, different animals, anything really. These games are initially novel and amusing, but aren't designed to have much depth. You lose interest fairly quickly. It's interesting to think about what would have to be added for a game like that to be not just kinda fun for an hour, but GREAT. I feel like a cleaning your house simulator game could do any of the following things:
-Make a point about the futility of life, or some broader human concept.
-Communicate a deeper story, like maybe you uncover intriguing items when cleaning that let's you piece together something interesting
-If it were actually very fun due to how the levels are designed
-If the graphics were so good as to be actually awe inspiring, or stylized in a very attractive way
Like if the game had any one of these you could forgive it lacking in other areas and it could be considered a very good game, or at the least worth playing. as opposed to just technically solid, but otherwise boring. And I think that demonstrates the same way you can evaluate art. I think maybe I disagree with the second to last paragraph slightly, in that it seems to me that in order for art to be good, it must excel in at least one area. But it doesn't necessarily need to have everything. I don't know that having decent skill in each fundamental area guarantees that the work will be impressive. I think it has to do something exceptionally well. But of course the best art demonstrates a lot of skill in more than one area.