The debate over games as the “ninth art”

If you look at the traditional list of the eight arts, literature, music, painting, sculpture, architecture, theatre, film, and dance, they are all centred on aesthetics and expression. Games, however, seem to be centred on interaction and rules, and that is exactly why some people feel games do not quite fit the label of “art”.

But if you shift the perspective slightly, games can also be seen as a composite art form for the digital age. They bring together music, visual art, writing, performance, technical design, and sometimes even philosophical reflection. Yes, most commercial games are primarily made for entertainment, but there are plenty of works that actively test the boundaries of what art can be. Think of Undertale, Disco Elysium, or Baldur’s Gate 3. They use interactivity to express ideas about people, society, and values in a way that feels genuinely human.

The soul of games is interaction. When art moves from static to dynamic, and from one-way communication to participation, it may be time to rethink what we mean by “art” in the first place.

Maybe games do not need to enter museums to be considered meaningful. Their meaning happens in the moment you engage with them. And precisely because of that, games can sometimes feel even closer to what it means to be human than more traditional art forms.