Good comments, and well thought out. This was definately worth a read. The question of what art is, and what we can do to achieve this goal is something that not enough people really care about. However, there is nothing wrong with some simple instant gratification. The 90 minute Jeremy Bruickheimer special effects laden blockbuster can always be good for some quick entertainment, but for the really good stuff you have to go searching.
Its the same with movies, novels, games, everything. There's what the masses want, what people need for simple and basic entertainment, then there are the tales, the legends and myths that live throughout the ages.
Example, when I say Homer, you think Simpsons (which in itself is times brilliant and mass entertainment) or the Greek who wroke the Iliad and the Odyssy (check my spelling on that?), stories that have been with us for thousands of years...
Well, I'm going off on a bit of a tangent here, and not entirely making sense. Hunh, well good post nonetheless. Talk to you later.
MaestroRage
amen.
A favorite quote of mine goes "You can never pass somebody if all you do is follow in their footsteps"
Break the norm, or be broken into it.