Conviction or evocation: On the limits and potentials of the contemporary concept of values of games

The past decade has seen a gradual but steady increase in the use of games beyond mere entertainment, lending games a new role that has not been embraced with universal assent. Some consider it as domestication, bastardization, and colonization of games and play. Others consider games and a gaming frame of mind an inevitable characteristic of a livable world in the twenty-first century. The games’ struggles in finding their new functional place are often framed as a political or practical matter. The solutions, therefore, are sought in understanding the existing power relations, improving the quality of design, or addressing technological barriers. The epistemic nature of these struggles, however, often remains overlooked. Inspired by the works of Medieval Persian philosophers on the value of art, in this article I aim to unravel the added value of treating these struggles philosophically. The article presents how the narratives around instrumental and intrinsic values of art vis-à-vis science are shaped and evolved in Western and Persian philosophy. It then outlines the limits of the contemporary understanding of the value of art and its consequences on the design and use of communication media. The article concludes by arguing that the solutions to such struggles can be sought in reaching a better understanding of artworks and how they can be legitimized in practice and policies.