You know what, I'm going to throw my $0.02 in here.
Art embodies the human ability to express oneself. It can be made for profit, to send a message, and even for fun. That's the beauty of it. At least that's how I see it. Video games as art? Yes, I think in a way all video games are art. For instance something like
Ocarina of Time would be the art world's equivalent of the
Mona Lisa, mainstream, brilliant, and loved by many. What about Madden 94? Would that be art too? Yes, it would be a really basic nondescript flower painting. (Imagine something you see hanging in the doctor's office
)
I believe there are different "tiers" of art ranging from the really boring mass produced pieces (Kinkade is a great example) up to the really wonderful pieces Da Vinci and Dali created. Lowbrow and highbrow if you will. We can then classify video games as art where the really amazing ones stand out and the games created just for profit (and some other categories) fall into the lower tier. You don't have to judge Guitar Hero 27 on the same level as Earthbound. Some people use art as a catch-all term where it means everything needs to be judged equally. And that's not the case.
This is one of the STUPIDEST things I have read in a long time. Some of the most respected pieces of art were created for profit! For instance Da Vinci's
The Last Supper was created on commission!