Many people believe that video games are toys that brainwash children into sitting in front of a television screen, causing obesity, violence, and apathy towards education. However, video games are an art form akin to novels or film. Art is an outlet of human creativity. Art stimulates senses and causes emotions for the viewer or participant. An artist uses imagination and skill to create an object or environment that others can view and participate in. Art is divisible into genres and styles, and all art is communicated through a medium.
	Video games are definitely an outlet of creativity. For example, Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Mario, used his adventures in the caves and forests of his backyard and stories of heroes he read when he was a child to inspire the creation of Link, the main character of the Legend of Zelda series. Some games are even an outlet for the player’s creativity. Will Wright, creator of The Sims, was inspired by the rebuilding of his home after it burned down to design a game that allows players to create a home and interact with it.
	Games also cause emotions in the player. Using visual, auditory, and sometimes physical feedback, games tell some sort of story. Some narratives of games are derived from classic stories of rescuing the princess from the castle, or from defeating an evil that threatens the world. The Final Fantasy series of games have inspired a whole genre of games that excel at these stories, called “role-playing games.” The game is used to place the player in the shoes of the main character, participating in the storyline rather than as a bystander, as many films and novels are. Games can draw on feelings like love and fear, or parallel real-world situations, such as underground organizations attacking a world power, to help the player connect with the game. A successful game often leaves the player caring for the virtual world in which they are interacting. 8.5 million players worldwide play World of Warcraft, a game where a whole world is explorable. Blizzard, the developers of Warcraft, created an immersive world with a storyline that spans centuries and where players strive for rare and expensive equipment and weapons. Blizzard is also responsible for Starcraft, a real-time strategy game. This genre of games is akin to being a battlefield commander, giving orders to units to collect resources and fight battles. Though the game is 9 years old, the core mechanics of the game were created so evenly thousands continue to play online every day, and is also key to professional gaming contests. Some professional gamers make hundreds of thousands of dollars and have fan clubs of half a million people.