Games are art: Video games as theatrical performance

There have been many recent discussions concerning the status of video games as an art form. The converts naturally assert that they are, and others (some artists, judges, parents, and lawmakers) deny it. What is at stake is, in the worst case, the freedom to create and sell games, as the freedom of speech and artistic license arguments move into the media and the courts. Here the argument is made that video games are essentially theatrical performances with some few exceptions, and such performances are universally accepted as art.