Exhibitions
The Art of Video Games
3rd floor North, American Art Museum
March 16, 2012 – September 30, 2012
Explore
- Is your favorite video game featured in the exhibition?
- Donate now online or by text
- Save-the-date for GameFest and other exciting public events!
- See if the exhibition is visiting your hometown
- Add your pics to our Flickr group!
- Who is talking about the exhibition?
- Check out the book from Welcome Books
- Watch the webcast of the winning games announcement
- Go behind-the-scenes with the museum's blog Eye Level
About the Exhibition
Video games are a prevalent and increasingly expressive medium within modern society. In the forty years since the introduction of the first home video game, the field has attracted exceptional artistic talent. An amalgam of traditional art forms—painting, writing, sculpture, music, storytelling, cinematography—video games offer artists a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences.
The Art of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions 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. It features some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early pioneers to contemporary designers. The exhibition focuses on the interplay of graphics, technology and storytelling through some of the best games for twenty gaming systems ranging from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3. Eighty games, selected with the help of the public, demonstrate the evolution of the medium. The games are presented through still images and video footage. In addition, the galleries will include video interviews with twenty developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, and historic game consoles. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, is the curator of the exhibition.
Developments in hardware and software, as well as the advent of the internet, have given artists an ever widening palette of tools with which to create, while common game-play elements can be seen throughout. Five featured games, one from each era, show how players interact with diverse virtual worlds, highlighting innovative techniques that set the standard for many subsequent games. The playable games are Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and Flower.
The Smithsonian American Art Museum invited the public to help select the video games to be included in the exhibition. The 240 games on the ballot were selected by Chris Melissinos, who worked with the museum and an advisory group consisting of game developers, designers, industry pioneers, and journalists. The games were selected based on a variety of criteria, including visual effects, creative use of new technologies, and how the game fit into the narrative of the exhibition. Voting took place between February 14 and April 17, 2011. More than 3.7 million votes were cast by 119,000 people in 175 countries! See which games were voted into the exhibition, or check out the original voting website.
Opening Weekend—GameFest
Mark your calendars to join us from March 16–18, 2012, for three days of insightful talks by video game pioneers, panel discussions where you can meet designers and artists, movie screenings, costume photo-ops, and hands-on play. Details are being finalized and will be posted online, or sign-up to receive news and updates about GameFest and other plans for the exhibition.
Public Programs
March 16–18, 2012, GameFest
April 29, 2012, Gamer Symphony Orchestra
May 4, 2012, Symposium— Video Games: Beyond Play, Part 1 and Part 2
May 5, 2012, 21st Century Consort, Music of Games; ticket purchase required
Book— The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect
A companion book, The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect, accompanies the exhibition. It is written by Chris Melissinos, with a foreword by Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and an introduction by Mike Mika, head of development for Other Ocean Interactive and a prominent advocate for the preservation of videogame history. It also includes more than 100 composite images of games created by Patrick O’Rourke. The book, published by Welcome Books in cooperation with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, will be available in the museum store and at bookstores nationwide (hardcover, $40).
National Tour
The Art of Video Games is available for tour after closing at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. If you are interested in hosting the exhibition at your museum, please visit our traveling exhibitions page for contact information.
Confirmed venues include:
Boca Raton Museum of Art (October 24, 2012–January 20, 2013)
EMP Museum in Seattle (February 16, 2013–May 13, 2013)
Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY (February 15, 2014–May 18, 2014)
Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio (June 19, 2014–September 28, 2014)
Flint Institute of Arts in Flint, Michigan (October 25, 2014–January 18, 2015)
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, Tennessee (June 6, 2015–September 13, 2015)
Stay Connected
Join the conversation about the exhibition on Twitter by using #taovg and following @americanart. Add your video game-inspired pics to our Flickr group “Celebrating The Art of Video Games! And check out our answers to some of these Frequently Asked Questions.
Go Behind the Scenes
If you are interested in receiving monthly updates and special behind-the-scenes offers leading up to the exhibition opening in Washington, D.C. and throughout the run of the exhibition, please sign-up.
Extra Credit!
Become a part of this historic exhibition by adding your name to the credits, which will be presented both in the museum and online. Donate now online or by text.
The Museum's blog Eye Level
The People Behind the Video Games: Tommy Tallarico, December 20, 2011
The People Behind the Video Games: David Cage, October 27, 2011
The Art of Video Games: A Sneak Peek, October 20, 2011
The Art of Video Games: Five Questions for Chris Melissinos, August 18, 2011
The People Behind the Video Games: thatgamecompany, July 12, 2011
The Art of Video Games: The Votes are In!, May 5, 2011
5 Questions with Chris Melissinos, March 29, 2011
The Art of Video Games: Vote Now!, February 19, 2011
5 Questions with Chris Melissinos, March 29, 2011
The Art of Video Games: Vote Now!, February 19, 2011
In the News
The Daily Beast, December 29, 2011, "Most-anticipated releases in culture for 2012"
Boing Boing, May 6, 2011, "Interview: The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian" by Rob Beschizza
All Things Digital, April 3, 2011, "Video Games As Art? With an Upcoming Smithsonian Exhibit, Pong Equals Picasso" by Erik Silk
The Washington Post, Faster Forward, February 21, 2011, "A conversation with video game exhibition curator Chris Melissinos" by Hayley Tsukayama
Credit
The Art of Video Games is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from the Entertainment Software Association Foundation; Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins; Mark Lamia; Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk; Rose Family Foundation; Betty and Lloyd Schermer; and Neil Young. Promotional support is provided by the Entertainment Consumers Association. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum’s traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go.
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