This game is a fantastic piece of art.

[Deuterium the Sentient Mattress]

I just think this needed saying:

I don't know if Bennett intended it, but after only 30 minutes with this game I'm starting to see it as a a prime example of a successful "art game". By which I mean a game that succeeds as a piece of art, as opposed to a game that tries too hard to be (for instance, MirrorMoon EP). And for that I have to applaud the guy. The world needs more good art games, and this is one of them.

[Deuterium the Sentient Mattress]

Originally posted by Toast:

With due respect to yourself and the developer, I strongly disagree.

There is a question I think is important, and which I would like you to ask yourself and to answer honestly: Would you really feel the same way without the unnecessary commentary which plays throughout the game? I don't believe that you would.

What this game succeeded at is being youtuber bait. I don't mean that as an insult. I do think it's a good game, and being youtuber bait is an excellent and very effective marketing strategy. I also like the artwork which is present in the game. I think it is very well crafted.

I do not view games as art. I view games as containing art. Big difference. Games are ultimately defined by gameplay. Take that away, and what you have is no longer a game. Functionally speaking, there is no such thing as an art game. There are only games with a high amount of focus on art. That is what this game is, and without the commentry, it would be significantly less so.

Interesting point of view.
I think that the commentary combined with the gameplay is what makes it artistic. So I'd say that I agree, I wouldn't feel the same way without the commentary, because it's part of the experience. Without the commentary it'd just be an annoying and difficult game. With the commentary it becomes more of an allegory for challenge in general, plus a sort of commmentary on gaming as a whole.

As for the whole "games containing/being art debate" - I personally think that a game can be art in and of itself. Take for instance Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. That is an art game, but mst impostantly, it could not exist in any other form. It uses just its gameplay and mechanics to create a sense of kinship, and it does it very well.

[Jellyfission]

Originally posted by Toast:

Would you really feel the same way without the unnecessary commentary which plays throughout the game?

Unnecessary? The narration is what makes brings an already good game to a level where it really shines.

[Corvus]

What this game does intentionally is try to make you mad.

The narrator tries to be coy and witty, but ultimately comes off as annoying.

[Tim Timsen]

Originally posted by Corvus:

The narrator tries to be coy and witty, but ultimately comes off as annoying.

Which is "trying to make you mad".

[Ubiquitous]

Art is greater than the sum of it's parts. The game is simply a game, the commentary is simply commentary. The experience they provide together is what elevates their status to art; Just as a painting is only pigment against canvas before our introspection heightens it's value.

[ingosupercute]

If this game is art, then it's the same kind of art where people pay 100k € for a picture that looks as if a monkey had randomly fingerpainted, or the kind of art where people pay 20€ entrance fee to look at an empty room. I will never understand art I suppose.