Video games use images, actions, and player participation to tell stories and engage their audiences. In the same way as film, animation, and performance, they can be considered a compelling and influential form of narrative art.
From the Smithsonian American Art Museum Website:
The Art of Video Games is the first exhibition to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. The exhibition will feature some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early developers such as David Crane and Warren Robinett to contemporary designers like Kellee Santiago and David Jaffe. It also will explore the many influences on game designers, and the pervasive presence video games have in the broader popular culture, with new relationships to video art, film and television, educational practices, and professional skill training. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, is the curator of the exhibition.
New technologies have allowed designers to create increasingly interactive and sophisticated game environments while staying grounded in traditional game types. The exhibition will feature eighty games through still images and multimedia elements. In addition, the galleries will include video interviews with developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, historic game consoles, and a selection of playable games. Visitors will be able to connect with the content of the show across generations, from those who remember the classics such as Pitfall! and Pac-Man to those playing contemporary games like Flower and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
From February 14 through April 7, 2011, the public is invited to help select games to be included in the exhibition. You can vote online for eighty games from a pool of 240 proposed choices in various categories, divided by era, game type, and platform. Tell us what you think about the exhibition through the voting site, or join the conversation on Twitter by using #taovg and following @americanart.
http://www.americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/
So friends, which video games do you think qualify as "art?"
From the Smithsonian American Art Museum Website:
The Art of Video Games is the first exhibition to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. The exhibition will feature some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early developers such as David Crane and Warren Robinett to contemporary designers like Kellee Santiago and David Jaffe. It also will explore the many influences on game designers, and the pervasive presence video games have in the broader popular culture, with new relationships to video art, film and television, educational practices, and professional skill training. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, is the curator of the exhibition.
New technologies have allowed designers to create increasingly interactive and sophisticated game environments while staying grounded in traditional game types. The exhibition will feature eighty games through still images and multimedia elements. In addition, the galleries will include video interviews with developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, historic game consoles, and a selection of playable games. Visitors will be able to connect with the content of the show across generations, from those who remember the classics such as Pitfall! and Pac-Man to those playing contemporary games like Flower and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
From February 14 through April 7, 2011, the public is invited to help select games to be included in the exhibition. You can vote online for eighty games from a pool of 240 proposed choices in various categories, divided by era, game type, and platform. Tell us what you think about the exhibition through the voting site, or join the conversation on Twitter by using #taovg and following @americanart.
http://www.americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games/
So friends, which video games do you think qualify as "art?"
Insert theme music here.
The Art of Videogames at the Smithsonian
- 17/02/2011 01:03:16 AM
527 Views
- 17/02/2011 03:57:25 AM
303 Views
Max Payne 2 wasn't on any of the lists. Sniff. At least Earthworm Jim was. 
*NM*
- 17/02/2011 03:25:16 AM
1442 Views
*NM*
- 17/02/2011 03:25:16 AM
1442 Views
Second visit: I wasn't going to vote for Minecraft, but changed my mind.
- 17/02/2011 02:51:51 PM
325 Views
- 17/02/2011 03:57:25 AM
303 Views
There's a lot of pressures they're trying to address with these choices.
- 17/02/2011 04:03:33 AM
354 Views
Their categories and choices suck.
- 17/02/2011 10:10:58 PM
342 Views
Too obscure, relies too much on prior knowledge of the game industry
- 17/02/2011 10:38:18 PM
318 Views