I feel like the “are video games art?” discourse to be silly
Games by definition, are art, same as how TV/movies/music is considered art
Now if a game is considered “good” or “bad” art , that’s different (like how a stature that took 5 years to build vs a quick stick figure doodle you made in 10 seconds are both “art” despite the massive difference in quality), but that still doesn’t change the fact that it IS art
The core of the discourse isn’t whether or not they are art in and of themselves, which is always true. But whether they are perceived as art by wider audiences. The trials of every new medium has been to make known its artist merits by attaching itself to the merits of the previous prestige art form. Film like novels, prestige TV like theater, and video games like movies.
The matter is complicated by how gamers all have identity issues both demanding to be seen as serious art enjoyers while having no cultural merit of their own, and then rejecting it because their hobby does become seen as and judged as serious art and they don’t want them in their hobby