Video games as art

My brother and I just had this conversation this weekend. We were talking about how we feel about video games being considered an art form. We both agree that they are. So I decided that my brother and my conversation from this weekend would be a good posting. My brother and I were talking about some different games that really could be looked at as an art and some reasons. The first one that we were talking about was the Fall Out series. We said it was a very artistic view of what the future could look like if nuclear warfare is continued to be used. Also, the first two being based in California makes it seem close to home. Another game we talking about or a mix of games are the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. It takes the art form of music to another level. With these games older rock songs are being played and sung by the game players. Also, they add in some songs that are not well known among the population and these bands get more publicity and gain popularity. So in the end these games are actually promoting music. My brother talked about a game that I have never heard of before. It is called Little Big Planet. He told me that this game lets you create your own levels and characters and then log in online and play them. I thought this was very interesting because I had never heard about a game like this that enabled you to create a level that you create. The last game that we discussed was Star Wars Night of the Old Republic. My brother brought up the fact that some people have said that the story line of the game is better than the movies. I told him that this was impossible. Star Wars being so advanced for its time and is still some of the best movies created. As you can tell I am a big Star Wars fan. One other thing that we brought up was just the basic fact of that many games now let you have the capability to create your own character to make it look very close to the way you look or just how you want it to work. So in general, are video games a form of art? I feel so.