The late Roger Ebert famously opined that video games were not art. The intensity of his stance softened with time, but he nonetheless never swayed from it. I’ve a lot of appreciation for Ebert’s legacy; his astute analysis of film–and his deep respect for movies as cultural artifacts–but I was surprised when I learned of his disregard for this medium. It’s bothered me for some time. I recently replayed a video game I’ve always cherished, one I seem to revisit every few years, and it dawned on me: I’m ready to address this subject.

What follows isn’t a rebuke of Ebert specifically, but instead the notion that video games belong in a comparative doghouse next to other forms of entertainment. To buoy my points, I’m going to use what–in my opinion–is the greatest video game of all time. That game is Chrono Trigger. Read the rest of this entry →