Roger Ebert's Response to Clive Barker

Let's turn again to the golden boy. As you meet his haughty gaze, let me read you some of the things Roger Ebert has written about video games and art.

"I believe art is created by an artist. If you change it, you become the artist."

"Art seeks to lead you to an inevitable conclusion, not a smorgasbord of choices."

"Video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic."

At one point, Clive Barker pleaded, "I'm just saying that gaming is a great way to do what we as human beings need to do all the time -- to take ourselves away from the oppressive facts of our lives and go somewhere where we have our own control."

Ebert's retort to this was icy. "I do not have a need 'all the time' to take myself away from the oppressive facts of my life, however oppressive they may be, in order to go somewhere where I have control. I need to stay here and take control."

Brian Moriarty, Opinion: Brian Moriarty's Apology For Roger Ebert (March 15, 2011)

• art
• expression
• video games