Quote Originally Posted by Vivi
At what point do we get over ourselves and admit that a game can evoke emotion and feeling simply by virtue of interacting with it? Because these are only a few of the games I think really cross over into the realm of art not just based on visuals or story, but through the experience of interacting with all of the elements. It's the gameplay that ties everything together, and in an interactive medium like this it also becomes not only the most important single aspect of the game itself, but also the one place where we can really see games tread new ground and set themselves apart from other mediums.
That whole post is treading really new ground because the concept of interaction provoking emotion and thought is something that I don't think has been formally recognized. But I think once we understand it a little better, that's where video games are going to come out as an unmatched medium.

It's really tricky, because traditionally, gameplay itself isn't something you would consider art. The classic argument is "Chess players don't get all defensive about whether what they do is art, so why do video game players?" I kinda agree with that (but what you said is slightly changing my mind). For example, David Jaffe once gave the example of when you're playing a war game, and you're in the middle of taking a hill, you're not thinking about the politics of war, the expendability of life, the duty/honor of a soldier - you're thinking about the game mechanics and the resources at your disposal and the strategy involved in how to accomplish the task at hand. I might even go as far as to posit that in Ico & Shadow, you're still focused on the set rules within that game's universe of mechanics and what can and cannot work. The stuff that already is art, the animation, images, music, and storytelling, are all brought up as a consequence of gameplay, whether you succeed and get to see new stuff or fail and have to start over again.

Obviously a lot of games (and to some extent, those two games) defy this. I think what makes me agree with you most is the end of Metal Gear Solid 3 (SPOILER)where the game waits for you to euthanize The Boss. I do think maybe you're onto something, interaction as art, but it needs to be hashed out more before there's a real basis for it.