After somewhat of a hiatus, the LA Weekly's Joshuah Bearman has returned with an interview with Nic Kelman, editor of the book Video Game Art, which we previously mentioned on GSW back in December.

Kelman seems positive as an advocate for games as art since he's, well, not in the game industry, but still points out: "Look at some of the best design in video games — the colossi in Shadow of the Colossus, or the character design in Psychonauts — that you’re not seeing anywhere else. One of the points of the book is that we’re on the verge of games coming into their own as a medium. Breakthroughs are happening. It’s one game in 50, yes, but that ratio exists in any art form."

Also rather wonderfully overwrought, but arguably correct, is Kelman's commentary on the MMO: "And in MMOs the gameplay itself is often boring. But people are addicted. It’s this constantly unfolding drama with a giant cast of complex characters. They’re complex because they’re real people. And that’s the tip of the iceberg for real emotional connection. I mean, people are dying from dehydration playing these games. When was the last time anyone died from being so engrossed with Proust? Never." So... WoW is the new Proust?