If you ever get in an argument with someone in the know about whether or not video games are art, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are often two examples that jump into the conversation. These unique PlayStation 2 games have a certain artistic flair that few people can identify, but the man responsible for these experiences, Fumito Ueda, recently spoke to Edge about why he believes his games are perceived as art.
“I think the three reasons might be that I chose universal themes, that we made games that we ourselves genuinely wanted to play, and that we made them with great care. It’s vital, it rings true,” Ueda said. “More than a moving scenario, to really affect people you need a moving and credible story. The difficult part was that, in pursuit of credibility, I had to eliminate anything that seemed unnatural.
“That’s the reason the games appear so minimalistic. [But more] broadly speaking, I think it’s because those games are less mainstream than other titles. From a business point of view, artistic [value] is something that can increase a product’s longevity. But, to be honest, while the potential video games have for even more artistic expression is endless, without popular appeal, [making games] will not hold as a business.”
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to play an Ueda-developed game in quite some time. The next experience he has on the docket is The Last Guardian, which is either in development or completely off the table, depending on who you ask.