Fox News debates government funding for artistic games

Are video games art? Thank you, please stop asking. Should the question of "are video games art" be debated on Fox News by shiny middle-aged white dudes hollering confusedly about "taxpayer money?" Now there's a proposition to make you wish that whole Rapture thing had panned out.

"Should the video game Call of Duty get federal funding?" is the question posed bythis Fox News report, from which you'll probably conclude that nobody in the real world is suggesting that the video game Call of Duty should get federal funding. And you would be correct! The National Endowment for the Arts is adding non-profit artists and educators working in interactive media to the listof those eligible for arts-grant funding. Obviously, asking "Should this funding go to Call of Duty?" is likeaskingif, because NPR exists,Fox should get federal funding for journalism. (Oooh, fourth-estate burn!)

But Modern Warfare 2 is the game they've got footage of, so a debate about President Obama's use of your tax dollars ensues between Facts (represented by geek advocate Brian Ambrozy) and Yelling (professional shouter Neal Asbury). As an Americaphile living in New Zealand (not to mention writing for a website about video games), I've got no skin in the "Federal funding" game – but what do you think? Ignoring Fox News' idiocy, should the NEA fund games? Does this all just give you a headache?

May 23, 2011