Can Game Mechanics Be Art?

Core-A Gaming explores whether game mechanics themselves constitute art, using Marvel vs. Capcom 2's design philosophy as a framework. The discussion spans how systems—rather than narrative or visuals—can carry aesthetic intent, examining moments where mechanical depth becomes expressive. Timestamps break the argument into distinct angles: the definitional problem (2:00), the relationship between systems and player agency (3:14), design philosophy shifts across studios (5:26), emergent complexity in specific titles (10:09), and where mechanics cross into artistic territory (11:53). The video treats mechanics not as tools serving a story, but as primary creative language.