Youth : OPINION: Are Video Games Compatible With ‘Art’? : GRACE CHUNG: Senior, 17, Dana Hills High School, Dana Point

In the 1950s, when Elvis Presley became the object of idolatry for millions of teen-agers, many people asked the same question: Can this kind of entertainment cohabitate with other classical art forms?

Today’s teen-agers recognize that the classical art forms--classical music, theater and poetry--now include rock music as one of the categories. And what do we call Elvis now? Classic rock.

Video games are not only compatible with the arts, but, like rock music, will soon be classified as an art form. Like music and poetry, video games give the young people of today a chance to enhance their minds. They may not do it through the beautiful descriptions of a poet, but through a joystick and control pad, a youth’s hand-eye coordination develops, and his analytic eye becomes keener. Have you ever witnessed a 10-year-old who can fly a fighter plane in a computer game with such skill that you would swear he could fly a real plane?

Just because two things are different, that doesn’t mean that you cannot like them both. Classical music and video games are different art forms, just as basketball and skiing are different sports. You may choose to like one, both, or neither. Instead of wondering whether Mozart and (the video game) Street Fighter can coexist, we should gaze in wonder at the radical new art forms that our generation is creating.

GINA LEE: Senior, 17, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School

A growing number of teens who are intrigued by fast-paced video games are not necessarily turning away from the arts. Many lack exposure to the aesthetic aspects of our culture. On the other hand, they are constantly reminded of the latest electronic games through advertising and the media. Maybe when our society shifts its priorities and glorifies aesthetics rather than action-packed entertainment, we will see teens rushing to the art gallery rather than the local arcade.

LEV POLINSKY: Sophomore, 15, Santa Monica High School

Many complain that my generation is growing up on video games. I agree. The pressing question, however is: Can and should society do something about it?

The problem with video games is that they train one’s mind on something that does not require much intellect. When you play for a few minutes, maybe an hour, it’s fine. But once you start playing for hours on end, day after day for months, serious damage is liable to occur.

People aren’t learning to think. They’re learning to substitute numbers into formulas, the same way they’re learning to press a certain sequence of buttons on their Nintendos. No wonder that, according to a Science magazine study, only 5% of questions on high school math tests require students to think.

How do we solve this one, then?

Parent involvement. Children do listen to their parents, especially when they are young. Unfortunately, if nothing is said, we kids take the easy way out. And, believe me, playing Nintendo is easy.

JESSE COLLIER: Senior, 17, Dana Hills High School

In their effort to find an audience, the arts have been guilty of catering to a select few, the “cultural elite”--a practice that has only dug them deeper into what has now become a subcultured fizzle.

Accessibility is another factor. With home video games systems in almost every household, “temptation” is easily filled. Friends say, “You wanna check out my hot new game?” or, “Let’s go down to 7-11 to play the new Street Fighter,” rather than, “There’s a great new play at school!” For most teens, the arts just seem too passe, something their parents would probably be into.

I do feel strongly that it is possible to love Mozart and Street Fighter, and that both should be experienced. However, as long as the arts remain out of touch and out of reach, young adults will continue to flock to the local arcades.

LAUREN KEELER: Sophomore, 15, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica

Can video games and fine arts coexist peacefully? The answer is obvious. Of course they can; they do. The idea that video games could replace the arts is ridiculous. At any school 600 of the 3,000 students are generally involved in the school’s music program. This number is, I suspect, substantially higher than the number of students who play Street Fighter on a daily basis, and that is only one form of art. When you consider the students who dance, draw and write, I would say that more than half of the ones who attend my school are involved in creating some type of art. I bet that this is a higher percentage than the percentage of “adults” who are similarly involved.

Video games are not replacing the arts, but if they were, what would be so bad about it? Games like Tetris and Q*bert use logic and math skills and even games like Teen-age Mutant Ninja Turtles actively involve the player, forcing the player to participate. This is a step up from that passive digester of brains: television.