The meaning of pushing buttons : an exploration of videogames as art and the expression of sprites, cutscenes, and D-pads

Videogames have been a mainstream entertainment medium since the 1970s, but some games have begun to express themselves beyond mere entertainment value. Games have always emulated visual and narrative elements similar to existing media such as film, novels, and paintings, but the interactive elements allow videogames to stand alone as an expressive medium. This paper seeks to explore the ways in which videogames can express a variety of ideas. I also wanted to explore the question: Can videogames be considered art?