Video Games
What's your view on Video Games? Do you agree that they can be mass works of art? That they can be up there with Films and Music when it comes to portraying and envolking human emotion? The British video game industry generates more revinue than it's film industry. That they're used to tell epic storylines, potentials of so many outcomes. Video games have moved on way further than the days of Super Mario Brothers.

But also they can be simple in concept, lacking in story line, such as Angry Birds... and still be just as valid as a form of art. That the act of flicking birds across a screen can help hours pass by. They're not bad for kids, they teach hand-eye co-ordination, puzzel solving. They can help calm down and distract kids possativly; such as those with painful medical conditions. I've read, and seen, quite a few stories of kids playing video games while having things such as Canulations or worst, it keeps their mind off what's going on.

I'm looking looking forward to getting my new nintendo, does anyone have a DS? What games do you recomend?
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:54, 131 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

I'm playing Fallout New Vegas again
I really like it.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:56, Reply)

Dragon Age 2 is out tomorrow
So I'm finishing Dragon Age Origins: Awakening in prep for it.
How are you playing FO:NV differently this time?
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:58, Reply)

1) I'm being a bit of a bastard, i've already helped the Powder Gangers to massacre everyone in Goodsprings and I'm going to help Ceaser as much as possible
but I also want to get the Enclave mission which I couldn't get the last time as I had helped NCR too much by the time I met Arcade Gannon.

and 2) I've cheated and upgraded all my skills to 100 and stats to 10.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:01, Reply)

I can't be a bastard in games
I start off, but then end up being nice again.
On my second play through I put god mode on, makes the beginning of the game much more bearable!
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:03, Reply)

I'm not giving myself money or equipment or using god mode
but I can't be arsed having shit sneak ability and not being able to pick any locks.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:04, Reply)

Have you ever played the Fable games?
They bring all new joy to being a bastard.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:09, Reply)

Played one and two
Both felt lacking, but then Peter Molyneux games often do.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:19, Reply)

3 is very good.

( Dr Preference AjcuiVd289, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:28, Reply)

I just didn't like the way it changed halfway through

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:45, Reply)

I love them,
Phoneix Wright on the DS.
But it's all about minecraft for me at the moment.
(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:57, Reply)

What is minecraft?

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:59, Reply)

The less successful followup to
Mein Kampf
( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:00, Reply)

Can you watch youtube?
Where you are?
(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:01, Reply)

I can, do you build worlds then run about fighting with square headed people?

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:07, Reply)

Yeah pretty much
watch all 50 million of these, it's two people who are shit at playing minecraft playing minecraft, it's funny.

www.youtube.com/show?p=M-_uPjfjVzc&s=1
(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:11, Reply)

That looks shit...I don't get it

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:17, Reply)

It's like lego, but when it's dark monsters try to blow up your blocks and eat you.

(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:19, Reply)

Yes games are comparable to films and music
Games have been given awards at the BAFTAs for over 10 years now.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:57, Reply)

I don't think video games are the same
as films, music or books in terms of art. Maybe one day they will be, but right now they really aren't.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:57, Reply)

Personal opinion and all that
But what qualities do you believe video games lack that prohibit them from being considered art?
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:59, Reply)

They're generally simplistically plotted
in terms of motive and possible divergent courses. The graphics don't really impress me enough to divert attention. The main problem is they're not over-all good enough. They can have great story perhaps, or great graphics, but to qualify as art they have to be a coherent whole
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:03, Reply)

Given some of the shit that qualifies as "art" these days
that's a crap argument.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:04, Reply)

In reply to both you and Labs
you're qualifying as art then, anything that the author of it wants to claim is art?
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:07, Reply)

Surely it's the audience that accepts it as art?

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:17, Reply)

Which is why
it might be art to some people, but I haven't seen an example that qualifies by my definition yet
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:28, Reply)

I accept that
But at least it seems that you're open to the possibility of games being considered as art.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:39, Reply)

Of course
the possibility exists.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:43, Reply)

As Chompy says below
You just haven't played the right games. You don't need to have amazing, lifelike graphics, a good number of modern art stuff frankly looks like a 5 year old ate too many crayons and sharted over a canvas.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:05, Reply)

if you (as in one, not as in you labia majora!) have a demanding job and a good social life
and go to the gym or otherwise exercise, when do you find time to play these things? i am not being sarky, i am genuinely interested!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:13, Reply)

If you work 9 til 5:30
Spend an hour or so at the gym, and don't spend every evening or whole weekend out with people, then there's still plenty of time to play games.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:16, Reply)

9-5.30?
christ, i wish.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:19, Reply)

Quite a lot of people manage that just fine
I get all my work done within my contracted 37.5 hours a week, leaving my evenings and weekends for socialising or relaxing on my own, both of which can involve games, or not, depending on my mood.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:21, Reply)

i'm expected to hit 35 hours chargeable and 15 hours non-chargeable a week
and that's just the bits you can actually record :(
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:25, Reply)

And that's your choice, and for that you are financially rewarded
but most people are not solicitors (thank god) and most people think that having a job should enable you to have the life you want, rather than your job being your life.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:28, Reply)

I'd say the recent Fallout games would fall under this then
I've not played New Vegas, but 3 was superb, and the graphics and sandbox environment are absolutely fantastic.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:06, Reply)

I would say the majority of games now have better graphics than most Manga films.
RPG's have trailed the way in motive and divergent courses, then since GTA 3 the third person sandbox games have got it down to an art.
(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:09, Reply)

I disagree, books and films can get completely dwarfed by the content that is in some video games.
Where as a film can have two hours, a book a week, video games can have months of content. In terms of lines in scripts, there are far more lines, it's not unusual for a video game to have 150k lines + of spoken or written script.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:36, Reply)

You're playing the wrong games,
Half life 1 and 2 are better than most films and books.
Something like Limbo manipulates your emotions on the same level as the best books.
(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:01, Reply)

Half Life 2 is still one of my favourite games
Have you ever played Deathmatch online?

It's fucking insane.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:04, Reply)

Nope I've played a fair few games
some are fun. Some like Bioshock are the equivalant of an alright sci-fi novel. None of them have made me want to keep playing or made me feel actual emotion. Therefore for me they're not art.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:05, Reply)

surely the problem is
that none of them are as much fun as putting the mouse down and going out with REAL PEOPLE? i stare at a computer all day, often for more than 12 hours at a time, the last thing i want to do is play with one when i get home, however amazing the graphics might be!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:10, Reply)

This is true
and probably the reason games don't engage me and I find the plots simplistic
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:12, Reply)

Different types of fun.
Just because you do one doesn't mean you can't do another as well.

In fact, I would venture the argument that these REAL PEOPLE of which you speak are equally as capable of being shit and dull.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:13, Reply)

WHEN, though?
i am either in the gym first thing and in work for 9 or in work for about 8. i work until about 8 and then i go out. or i am in work until about midnight, or at the gym. weekends i will usually be seeing someone for lunch and someone else in the evening, and on top of that i do shopping and other bits of admin as well as my oxford course. i'm a pretty average person, so when could i fit in playing computer games, if i were to try one?
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:15, Reply)

That's not really what I'm taking exception to.
It's your apparent attitude that one is inherently inferior to another because you don't happen to see the attraction. You're a bit Monty over it.

You are NOT a pretty average person. Take from that what you will.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:16, Reply)

no i am not saying it's inferior as such
i am just saying that it's still on a COMPUTER, at the end of the day, when you've worked on one of the bastard things all week!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:18, Reply)

I talk to idiotic people all week
why should I prefer to speak more people in the evening? It's preference, nothing more.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:19, Reply)

if your missus and friends are idiotic
either you or they need to change
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:21, Reply)

No, they're not idiotic
but the people I speak to all day usually are.

The point I'm trying to make is that your argument sucks.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:25, Reply)

then you may wish to edit your post above accordingly
until it correlates at least vaguely with what you are trying to say.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:26, Reply)

*sigh* fine.
Happy now?
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:28, Reply)

Clearly many people do have time to play them or they wouldnt exist
which immediately proves that your claim to be a "pretty average person" is rubbish.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:18, Reply)

As Kroney says
An average person doesn't spend 12 hours or more at work, nor do they see people every single evening.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:18, Reply)

maybe i've been living in london too long
i'm distinctly average amongst my friends and colleagues!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:21, Reply)

This is the biggest turn off to moving to London
The expectation that you work all hours. I have my work/life balance set just fine.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:22, Reply)

of course
one could NOT post on b3ta and leave at least an hour earlier.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

But Labs, many, many people live in London and work sensible hours
but when you're spending at least two hours bouncing on your boss's cock and then a further hour fluffing the head of HR, a girl like Swipey is going to end up working longer hours than normal people.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:26, Reply)

Things are strange in That There London Town

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:27, Reply)

It's not all like that!
I manage to work, work out, eat, play video games and have an active social life.

Join us........
(Himjim died a little more inside on, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:30, Reply)

But what you're forgetting Labs
is that Swipey earns massively less than the average person, in fact, she's the least well paid person she knows, so to make up for her lack of actual money, of which we clearly have plenty, she has to settle for talking to people to pass the time.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:21, Reply)

i was here until 10pm last night
trying to identify an unregistered scrap of land on a map bigger than my office because some tool 3 years ago couldn't do his job properly.

there is not enough money in the world to make up for that, i am scarred for life.
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

If you worked harder you could have a bigger office
Therefore the map would fit.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:26, Reply)

you have no idea how big this fucking map was
i think it contained all of wales
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:27, Reply)

Baudrillard lolz
See, Postmodernist Philosophy can be fun!
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:29, Reply)

Sometimes all I want to do is NOT hang out with real people
Some sit down and watch tv, some read books, I play games.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:14, Reply)

Gaming can be a social thing too
At my old house, we'd get a friend to bring his projector round, set it up so it was on a blank wall, and have multiplayer sessions on loads of games, both new and old.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:14, Reply)

One does not neglate the other, and in fact, sitting around with your mates playing video games together can be quite social.
I think the steriotype of gamers spending all day every day is more and more becoming a thing of the past. Just because you have gaming has a hobby, it doesn't mean you can't do anything else.

Like with everything in life, moderation is the key.
( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:32, Reply)

See also Planescape Torment for the story/script
Braid and Ico also.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:06, Reply)

In fairness,
the shit I had this morning was better than most films and books.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:08, Reply)

Which is a fair enough point,
why are films and books still held above computer games then?
(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:14, Reply)

Art exists only for the sake of the art.
Therefore films, books and computer games are not art.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:18, Reply)

What a gay post.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:20, Reply)

I've got a DS
and play MarioKart on the Metro to work. My Mam bought one for Christmas and I've had to get her all the puzzle games as she is addicted to it
( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:58, Reply)

Thanks for stomping me gonz
Yeah whatevs, no seriously don't worry about it, no it's fine.

Get Professor Layton I love those games.
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 9:58, Reply)

If you had invited me for meat
I would have argued your cause. But quite frankly you can just suffer in your inferior post.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:02, Reply)

If it helps, I started writing it before you posted, but got distracted.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

I think you can definitely find yourself feeling more involved with a video game
I'm a fan of the Final Fantasy games, have been for years (no, they're not porn, hentai, or anything dodgy, before you lot say anything) and each of those take up hundreds of hours of playing time, which I've always enjoyed.

I also really enjoyed Fable 1 & 2, but 3 was a shitting letdown. Again, it was a game you had to invest a number of hours into, but I always thought it was worth it.

I think they've surpassed a lot of films, but I'll never say they're better than books.
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:04, Reply)

The only problem with Final Fantasy
was the amount of effort you had to expend to get into them, you couldn't just dip in occasionally, it literally takes hours every week or you forget what you've done.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:05, Reply)

Final Fantasy 13 is the worst by a fucking mile
20 hours in and it's still a linear tutorial with far too many cutscenes and exceptionally simplistic (mash 'X', that's all) combat. Worst game I played last year.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:07, Reply)

I've heard that, aye
Problem is, I've also heard several reports that once you're past that shit, it's meant to be one of the best of them
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:08, Reply)

After 20 hours of utter tedium,
Detestable mono-dimensional irritants for protaganists and a progression that rivals a straight line for simplicity, I don't think I'll bother.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:12, Reply)

That's JRPGs in general, though.
Linear and not at all beardy enough.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:14, Reply)

That's the same reason I've not bought it

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:16, Reply)

Aye, I agree with you on that
The only reason I was able to play them in the first place was because I watched someone play FF7 for an hour or so, and found myself really drawn into the storyline.

After that, the hours it took didn't seem too bad...
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:08, Reply)

They're shit and gay and anyone who likes them is therefore shit and gay by association.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:06, Reply)

^this

( girlinthehole, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:08, Reply)

Well, there's a shock(!)

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:09, Reply)

What a surprising, thoughtful and poignant remark
But I would like to point out one flaw in your argument; you are a helmet of leviathan proportions.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:09, Reply)

The world left you behind with the advent of cassette tapes.

( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:10, Reply)

cassette tapes papyrus
( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:11, Reply)

Colour TV

( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:11, Reply)

I'm terrible at games, I get distracted by the new shiny ones
and fail to complete the older ones, meaning that when the new shiny sequel comes out, I have to get it and endure the spoilers.

So. I am playing Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas and Dragon Age before I buy anything else.

That's the plan, but the compulsion is strong.
( Kroney, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:09, Reply)

Portal 2 is the game I'm most looking forward to this year, I'm gonna play that like mad.

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:19, Reply)

There are games that I can appreciate from a visual point of view
and as feats of programming they are hugely impressive. The problem is I have literally no desire whatsoever to play them. None at all. The thought of sitting there pretending to shoot at stuff seems so utterly boring, and those Wii type things are undignified and silly. Not for me, thank you.

I went out with a woman who had a 13-year-old son who was obsessive over these things and he was practically a recluse as a result – there’s a whole load of socially incompetent weirdoes out there who don’t really engage with the real world. I’m not judging here – the real world’s fucking horrible and I don’t want to engage with it myself, but I can see the argument that obsessive ‘gaming’ is unhealthy.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:19, Reply)

Yeah he was 13 and "playing computer games" all the time in his room.

(PsychoChomp, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:21, Reply)

Hahaha
He was - she'd blocked all the porn access on his PC after she caught him having a wank one day. He used to play some WWII game with a headset so he could talk to all the paedos pretending to be kids on there.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

as opposed to being 30 and doing it, like the rest of you clowns in this special circus ^^^^^^^^^

( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)

Autistic internet fatty clowns
This place gets worse by the day
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:27, Reply)

I understand multiplayer games to play with your mates
I've never wanted to sit in by myself playing. I also don't have a gaming computer so...
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

I think the main reason I dont play them often
is that I am shit at them. The only excpetion to this is MarioKart, much to the annoyance of Mrs Cow when I beat her every time we play
( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

Mariokart is a lot of fun
I think 64 was the best, to be fair that's the last one I played
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)

We play on the Wii
I like the pretend driving
( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:25, Reply)

Actually I plyed the Wii version on our work Wii
I prefered the old versions, I still love it on the SNES
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:26, Reply)

I'm convinced everyones' gaming ability peaks at around twelve.
I played my N64 recently and it's absolutely beyond me how I completed Goldeneye when I was about nine.
(Barry from Eastenders is, despite the words written above, not a woman, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:34, Reply)

I still fucking love that game

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:44, Reply)

I need someone to complete Control on 00 Agent for me, it's driving me fucking insane.

(Barry from Eastenders is, despite the words written above, not a woman, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:46, Reply)

Does that unlock invincibility?

( Agnostic Antichrist Baltimora, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 11:02, Reply)

I've tried in the past to play the odd game but it just doesn't light my fire at all.
Computer pinball was quite fun.
( girlinthehole, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

did somebody say 'socially incompetent wierdo'?
I'm here......
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:23, Reply)

Monty, you're making that point
to a group of people who literally spend all day posting on the internet.
(Bazongaloid, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)

Hahaha

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:35, Reply)

Obsessive anything can be unhealthy
Arguably constant and habitual drug use is worse, no?
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)

Almost certainly.
As I said, I'm not judging.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:33, Reply)

My nephew loves playing computer games of all kind but he also loves doing sports etc
If it ever got to the stage where he prefered staying in and playing computer games to going out then I would insist his my sister take away all the consoles until he saw sense.
( girlinthehole, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:27, Reply)

I remember being stupidly excited when we got our Atari 800 back in the eighties
It had a disc drive and everything. Before that, I'd only had my own Atari 400, which had two - count 'em, two! - cartridges (BASIC and Pacman).

I have to say I've pretty much followed DJTP in terms of games consoles over the years, but now he's grown up and moved into real computing and having a social life, I'm the autist of the family.

I do very much enjoy the kind of immersive games you can get these days, but as the PS2 is the height of my gaming capabilities, I don't tend to play anything more advanced than Tomb Raider.

For the DS, I can highly recommend the Professor Layton games and the LEGO film series - Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Batman etc. If you want something more involved, then go for Advance Wars, Hotel Dusk, Last Window or something similar.

There are lots of good 'dipping into' games. Zoo Keeper is phenomenal, as is Puzzle Quest. Also Zubes, which is aesthetically pleasing as well as being a good game for long-term play.

But, to answer your initial question, yes, I think games these days do qualify as art. A lot of them get mare care and attention put into their creation than the latest blockbuster film/novel/hit TV show.
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:22, Reply)

Deffo looking forward to Layton and Zelda games =D

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:33, Reply)

I've just downloaded a bunch of new games for my AceKard
and the bastards won't work. I definitely need to check my firmware.

*frowny face*
( b3th Not shit. Not mod., Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:42, Reply)

I got the 'AceKard 2i', came in the post the other day, one big advantage to not playing DS games in years is that older pirateable games will be new to me =D

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:51, Reply)

I cried at the end
Blip


.
( Hdjejjwsjdjjf LOOK, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:22, Reply)

Do you lose the game and a bet on who would be the taker...
...you or your dad?
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)

haha!

( sporters I’m sincerely gratitude to you, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:24, Reply)

My PS3 is already gathering dust.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is not as good as people said it was.
(Barry from Eastenders is, despite the words written above, not a woman, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:30, Reply)

I thought it was a great game
A little frustrating at times, but a vast improvement on the first, and better than the second.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:32, Reply)

To be fair I reckon I've only played it for a grand total of about an hour.
I haven't played the other two so have no idea what's going on, which doesn't help.
(Barry from Eastenders is, despite the words written above, not a woman, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:35, Reply)

No that really doesn't help
Play the second one before brotherhood at least, even if you don't play the first (but then you miss out on the over-arcing plot).
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:36, Reply)

'Space Invaders' on the BBC Micro is good.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:54, Reply)

Big fan of Pacman myself

( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:55, Reply)

Personal Space Invaders, like a few on here, are not good

( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:56, Reply)

NAMING NO NAMES.

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 10:58, Reply)

WHAT IS IT WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN A TON OF COKE IN THE PAST NOT KNOWING THAT BEING 2INCHES FROM YOUR FACE IS TOO CLOSE ?!?!?!?!

( G/PP 💩💩💩💩💩&#128, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 11:00, Reply)

Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is one of the best games I've played on any platform ever.
Also GTA although it's buggy but good fun.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Thu 10 Mar 2011, 11:20, Reply)