Does a video game have an ‘author’?

I would like to think the answer to this question is "Yes." Video games are capable of stirring deep emotional responses within the individual playing, and sometimes in the group playing if it is a cooperative game. Video games can tell a riveting story, immerse players in the story like no other form of media can, and show players that their actions will have a definite and serious impact on the rest of the world around them. These things are all good and well, but to determine if a video game can have an actual author, one must examine the term 'author' more closely.

According to the Merriam-Webster website, "Author" is defined as "One that originates or creates." The examples given include software authors and film authors. I find this definition to be the most accurate representation, that I could find, of what it means to be an author. The differentiation made between a painter and a short story writer are only made for specificity's sake. The act of creating something for the purpose of enjoyment is all part of the same idea. 

Now, not all games necessarily have an author. Some games only have a creator(I'm thinking Tetris here.) For a game to have an author, they must have a story. The same way there wouldn't be an author for a movie that was a compilation of video clips taken of nature, because there is no story. That said, there are plenty of games that have wonderful stories and talented authors. Some games have multiple authors, as do some books and films. In the end, there is really no difference in the will to create something enjoyable, except the format used to make it. 

Plenty of games have wonderful stories with many facets that engage the player. One game that comes to mind is Metal Gear Solid. The cocky protagonist of Metal Gear Solid is Solid Snake. As Snake, the player must fight through dozens of faceless soldiers(that are actually clones) to defeat a rogue organization intent on activating a giant robot equipped with nuclear warheads. Each character in the story has a definite, dimensional personality, from Snake's power-hungry brother to the scared scientist that regrets ever working on the Metal Gear project in the first place. The kind of character development found in this game couldn't be accomplished in a movie because of the time it would require, and is often forsaken for the typical stereotypes that people can identify with. The only other place that one might find a story as deep as the one in Metal Gear Solid would be in a novel. So, I conclude the original question with this: Yes, a game can have an author.