It’s been two years since fabled film critic Roger Ebert made waves in the gaming industry, asserting that video games would never be art. Since then (and after somewhat of a mea culpa), his Twitter feed has remained the occasional source of smaller ripples – jabs alluding to a general lack of interest in the medium that still manage to stir up a segment of the gaming public.
Yesterday yielded another example of the Ebert Paradigm, as the writer expressed interest for an article written to criticize Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us – catching heat for his own views as a result.
The story begins in the online New York news publication Capital, where on Wednesday, Stephen Boone posted an editorial responding to the excited E3 reception for The Last of Us’ gameplay presentation. Boone, who didn’t attend the event but replayed its live feed, uses The Last of Us to expand on a larger claim that the industry is being diminished by “loud, assaultive, photorealistic game design that rewards wispy attention spans while demanding minimal problem-solving skills of its players.”
Now for readers who’ve actually been following The Last of Us throughout its development – learning about Naughty Dog’s onus on stealth and survival; the unlikely (yet intimate) bond that develops between Joel and Ellie; and the fact ammo is in rare supply in its post-apocalyptic milieu – the argument Boone tries to establish may seem a bit stretched, especially when he tries to cast the game in the same “typical shooter” lot as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Something tells us Roger Ebert doesn’t fall in to that demographic. It didn’t take long for the critic to give Boone’s piece a shout-out, tweeting shortly after the article ran in praise of Boone’s writing skills. Ebert withheld personal judgement on The Last of Us (he was arriving at his character limit) but many saw the plug for Boone and the article as an endorsement of the ideas they presented – including the team at Naughty Dog.
Both Evan Wells, co-founder of Naughty Dog, and Neil Druckmann, creative director of The Last of Us, took Ebert’s tweet to resemble an opinion and responded over the social network in respectful disagreement – both with a spate of replies taking a tone like this one, from Wells:
“I’ve the utmost respect for @ebertchicago so I hope he takes another look @
#TheLastofUs b4 dismissing it. We’re trying something different.”
Ebert remained adamant, however, that booning Boone’s piece didn’t reflect a stance of his own; he didn’t tweet more articles in praise of The Last of Us or the video game industry, but he did try to reassure his neutrality to Wells and Druckmann:
“To @evan_wells and @Neil_Druckmann. I have no opinion on your game. I tweeted Boone’s article. Was that dissing you?”
Wells replied accordingly within the hour.
“@ebertchicago No attack intended. I respect your opinion & feel you’d enjoy the games we make @NaughtyDog if you had the chance to play them…
“We thought by tweeting the piece & complimenting Boone that you shared his opinion. The game is more than he credited us with.”
The conversation seems to have been brought to an amicable end, but it’s not the first time Ebert has *cough* not-so-subtly *cough* subtly embedded his attitude towards games in tweeting the opinions of others. He might not have any specific qualms about The Last of Us – he’s still a full-time critic within his own industry – but to say he didn’t see a colleague’s well-written piece maligning it and didn’t decide to give that piece some press? That could be harder to pretend.
No doubt many find it frivolous – listening to a self-admitted non-gaming critic critique games – yet Ebert’s stature within the larger scope of American culture has allowed his words to make headlines nonetheless. Ranters, do you think Ebershow the lack of imagination the piece describes?
The Last of Us releases in 2013, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.
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Follow me on Twitter@Brian_Sipple.
Source: Twitter (Roger Ebert, Evan Wells, Neil Druckmann), Capital [via Roger Ebert]
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I just wonder if anyone’s ever shown Ebert a thatgamecompany game, or a Team ICO game, or perhaps a Michael Ancel game (Rayman Origins, if nothing else).
I guess it just seems like a really stupid thing for an otherwise-smart person to do, to pass judgment on an entire medium as being eternally doomed to artlessness. You don’t judge the medium of film by just the work of Michael Bay.
Eberts age is really starting to show, I miss the good ol’ days when Siskel would put him in his place and when their opinions were relevant in the pre-internet days. He’s been a critic long enough to know that no good comes from blatantly writing off anything you know absolutely nothing about. For shame Ebert, for shame.
I agree, I think more than anything it’s a generational thing, and it doesn’t really bother me because I know Ebert has probably never played a game in his life, but it is frustrating because his words have so much weight
I doubt his words vis-a-vis videogames have any wait. I don’t think he’s changing any minds either way.
not of people that play video games probably, but he is still a culturally significant figure, and people do listen to him
being a critic isn’t art nor is it a real career =D take that, Ebert! he’s just lucky enough to get paid to give opinions
That may be true of the reviewers on this site, and any site on the internet, but Ebert is a God amongst them. He has the Pulitzer, they have an .htaccess file, and not much else.
My review from beyond the grave:
F**k Ebert.
Now returning to my regularly scheduled afterlife.
Love,
Gene
Wow! Hah.
Not even calling him Roger anymore. Harsh.
How can anyone pass judgement on a game that no one has played or hasn’t even been released.
Exactly. But that’s what Evert continues to do, so I don’t have any problem with gamers continuing to see him as shedding integrity.
That’s right, I won’t even spell his name right.
Haha sure
I’ve never liked this guy, he’s waaaaay too big for his britches.
The sheer amount of hate Ebert gets from gamers everywhere for voicing such opinions clearly shows that the gaming community has an unresolved complex about that issue.
Ebert is trolling gamers. But we’ve got to admit he is partially right. And partially wrong.
Video games aren’t art. They CONTAIN art. They are an interactive medium that uses art as an emotional device. Be it musics, graphics, writing, cinematics…
Are card games art? Is chess art? I don’t think so. Gaming in its purest and most primitive form can’t be art. Nor can any form of gameplay ever be. But when video games resort to art to go someplace new, this is where Ebert is right and wrong. It is not art, but we are in the presence of art.
You’re likely to get a lot of disagreement with that rationale, since the same argument could probably be made about film and photography.
Film in its purest and most primitive form is just images of people and things, no artistic intent is required. Also, I think judging and entire medium by its ‘purest and most primitive form’ isn’t really going to change anyone’s mind or convince them that there’s some sort of standard rule, which is what Ebert is trying to claim.
Journey or Limbo has far more artistic intent and design philosophy than plenty of movies I could list, yet Ebert wouldn’t flinch to say brainless films are still more artistic than even the least ‘game-y’ games.
i agree games them selves are not art. chess is not art however the pieces can be. video games are not art however their pieces can be, the characters, locations, story, ect. can be considered art.
Simple truth is you cannot understand gaming if you don’t game.
Bring The Last of Us for PC with signing petition here http://petitionbureau.org/thelastofuspc
lol
Aint gonna happen.
Naughty Dog works only on PlayStation, no meager petition is going to change that.
I have a lot of respect for Roger Ebert as a film critic, but this upsets me.
@Roger Ebert, this guy…
If Ebert or that other guy think they’re so smart and games are stupid, let me see them play through the first few levels of portal 1 or 2.
LOL, it is made more funny by the fact that ninety percent of movie lovers (or least a a big majority)hate movie critics opinions, so what are they going to think about his their opinions on video games.
And where did you get that fact?
Yeah, that’s not true.
K, well I have no frigging clue who this guy is, but if he’s the type of person who would praise brainless sexcrazed, orgy movies from likes of Fellini as Arts worthy or even movies worth watching balbalbalab, while talking shiz about games…which he hasn’t even played…he can go to hell for all I care.
This is the guy who gave Star Wars The Phantom Menace 4 / 5 stars.
He has no right to make any comments on games since movies is his thing…. Now on that he’s s***… His reviews aren’t art there self centered media plugs so he can make a living off everyone else’s talent… Another so called famous writer !! As history has shown did the reviewer on shakespeare last the test of time… I think not… History doesn’t follow the wannabes just the ones who make it… And you mr ebert have done jack s***!!! Troll
The Last of Us? Art?
…seriously? It’s using a much overplayed style, being the apocalypse or some similar event happens, you play as survivors, just about everything is a different shade of grey or brown, and there’s copious amounts of gore, violence, and swearing.
If you want art, look towards Flower, Journey, or even Limbo, not just yet another third person shooter.
I wasn’t aware you’d played the whole game….and prior to release. That’s the only way you’d know all that you said for sure…oh wait I get it! You’re full of s**t!
I wasn’t aware I needed to play the whole game to say what it looks like.
The 10 minute gameplay trailer at E3 was more than enough to base an opinion on, and it’s simply a generic game in a generic setting.
Sounds to me like somebody can’t take criticism.
zing!
2012 Apocalypse – Ebert Plays his first game…………….And Likes it.
I’d go as far as saying Roger Ebert, if anyone, is irrelevant. Making broad sweaping statements about a subject in which he knows nothing. When I still paid any attention to his movie “reviews” I quickly realized he’d often review a movie based on a trailer without having seen the movie at all. David Bowie said it best when he said “artists makes art, not critics”. That points out what Roger Ebert really is, a paid whiner with a chip on his shoulder who can’t create, movies, games or anything else so instead he derides them all.