Video games are a unique art form defined by player transformation rather than passive consumption, rendering traditional criticism fundamentally inadequate—because describing a personal metamorphosis is impossible.
Video games are art. This statement, once controversial, now feels self-evident. Yet decades into their cultural dominance, video games remain critically elusive. They generate billions in revenue, command global audiences, and employ some of our most talented creators. But unlike literature, film, or music, they resist meaningful criticism. Reviews often devolve into consumer guides or technical postmortems. Academic analyses struggle to articulate their essence. Even passionate essays about landmark titles—Shadow of the Colossus, Factorio, or Tetris—feel like faint echoes of the experiences they describe. Why? Because video games are not merely consumed; they transform players in ways that defy description. This transformative core makes them a strange, uncriticizable art.
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