Posterity only remembers the most acclaimed pieces, there are plenty of airport novels no one remembers and that have nothing to envy to modern Tiktok.

Yes, there are. I made a deliberate decision about 10 years ago to only read good novels just because I'd read so many terrible ones! But I'm hoping my question will lead to some good narrative game recommendations.

There are many innovative and critically acclaimed titles in the independent game scene, though they are obviously judged on different criteria by taking advantage of the interactive medium. Inside, Disco Elysium, and Kentucky Route Zero, just to name a few.

Mainstream gaming is still getting there, but to me titles like The Last of Us Part 2 are on par with classic HBO shows like Six Feet Under.

I agree with you for the most part, but I do think there are games that are truly works of art. That Dragon Cancer immediately comes to mind.

Cosmology of Kyoto, according to Roger Ebert.

Looking about, that does sound fascinating. Seems like the kind of game that could have a modern remake.

Come on, that's a lame argument and completely subjective.

What makes LotR a "great artistic work"? What makes Stardew Valley not a "great artistic work"?

Just like some books, films, or other art can resonate and have a profound impact on a person, so can video games.

> What makes LotR a "great artistic work"?

That's a great question. It's a mixture of technical skill and intellectual depth.

For example, throughout Scotland placenames are a mixture of old Gaelic, modern Gaelic and Norse, and then there are the Anglicised versions on top. So learning what placenames mean is something I did in school and it's a fascinating subject.

So when Gildor is talking with Frodo, and mentions the "...Branduin, that you call the Brandywine..." (quote from memory; might not be correct), that's exactly what happens with placenames. It's that level of depth (in all aspects, this is just an example) that makes it a great work. You can read more on just the name of a river at https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Baranduin

Enjoyment of art is, as you say, totally subjective, but anyone who's artistic can generally identify when something is a great work even if they don't personally like it.

Edit: if you like this kind of stuff, there are also some cool blog posts on the logistics of the Battle of Gonder: https://acoup.blog/2019/05/10/collections-the-siege-of-gondo...

LotR is not a "great artistic work". It's beloved by many (myself included), but the fact that it's detailed doesn't make it a great artistic work.

As literature goes it has tons of shortcomings.

Everything has shortcomings but as a work of literature lotr is very obviously a great artistic work and the fact that you don't know that tells me immediately that you've never produced anything worthwhile.

Tell me I'm wrong.

There are so many.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is one great artistic work. If you haven't played it, you haven't experienced the peak of a massive wildly recognized medium. Last of Us (the show) was essentially copied verbatim from the video game, scene for scene.

On the entire opposite side of the complexity spectrum, both Limbo and Inside are great artistic works.

I have read many books and seen many movies that I feel are worse artistic works than the best games, but I also think it's a hard comparison to make.

There is no music that compares to "War and peace" or paintings like "1984", nor is the movie "Alien" like any book. Describing H R Gigers monster design with words will not have the same artistic impact.

I think different creations can be be great artistic works on entirely incomparable axes.

please play gorogoa for an artsy, moving puzzle game. (for me personally the benchmark is the last express, but i guess generally reviews are mixed but please take a look, too)