While I generally consider the individual elements, i.e, the music, models, textures, and story, to technically be various forms of art, for some reason games themselves don't really seem like art to me. Though you could certainly say that making a game that's actually fun is an art form, and a hard one at that, the finished game itself always seems to me to be more an entertainment product than art. But then again, I think that has more to do with the individual game than the media itself. But then again, I've played some games that I consider to have more personal artistic value than other, more traditionally acknowledged forms. I'd say Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Silent Hill, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Yume Nikki, LSD, and a few others I can't remember are better examples of art than most movies. But then again, that really says more about the state of the movie industry than it does about video games, lol.
As for RPing, I suppose you could see it as a form of improv acting, but to me, it's definitely a hobby. It's a lot like acting, and if you have actual acting experience that could probably make you a 'better' RPer, but being a 'good' RPer certainly doesn't make you a good actor. On the other hand, when you write stories about your character you're essentially doing the same thing as the numerous authors who write novels like Gaunt's Ghosts Ciaphas Cain, stories set it pre-established game worlds. I think there's even one being written for XIV. I've read a few Black Library books, and I got The Infernal City, and though they can definitely be good and entertaining, I haven't yet read one game tie-in book that I could compare to the classics. Though, on a side note, fan-art can definitely be art to me. I've seen a lot of really incredible stuff made for WH40k and Pokemon in particular.
Like Kes said though, this is all completely subjective, and thus has little real definitive value.
As for RPing, I suppose you could see it as a form of improv acting, but to me, it's definitely a hobby. It's a lot like acting, and if you have actual acting experience that could probably make you a 'better' RPer, but being a 'good' RPer certainly doesn't make you a good actor. On the other hand, when you write stories about your character you're essentially doing the same thing as the numerous authors who write novels like Gaunt's Ghosts Ciaphas Cain, stories set it pre-established game worlds. I think there's even one being written for XIV. I've read a few Black Library books, and I got The Infernal City, and though they can definitely be good and entertaining, I haven't yet read one game tie-in book that I could compare to the classics. Though, on a side note, fan-art can definitely be art to me. I've seen a lot of really incredible stuff made for WH40k and Pokemon in particular.
Like Kes said though, this is all completely subjective, and thus has little real definitive value.
