SAAM Arcade 2023

Turn the volume up for SAAM Arcade 2023! Music and sound design are essential elements in the gaming experience. A soaring soundtrack engages players and draws them into the game narrative; a charming 8-bit tune reminds players of hours spent with friends and family, overcoming challenging puzzles and defeating extraordinary opponents. Music can act as a building block for game worlds and a mechanic for navigating those worlds through rhythm and repetition. This year’s Indie Showcase will highlight games that use music and sound design in engaging, experimental, and inventive ways, from classic rhythm games to musical puzzles to groundbreaking soundtracks.

This year’s Arcade is presented in celebration of the exhibition Musical Thinking: New Video Art and Sonic Strategies. The exhibition explores the powerful resonances between recent video art and popular music. The works on view use musical tools to explore the American experience, including lyrics, scoring, improvisation, and cultural references. Like the works of video art highlighted in the galleries, games employ the same toolkit to evoke emotional responses and communicate the game’s story, values, and goals.

SAAM Arcade will take place in person on July 22, 2023 from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Visitors can enjoy classic console and arcade games, chat with indie game developers, and listen to video game music!

SAAM Arcade is made possible with generous support from the Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation and the Julie Walters and Sam Rose Endowment.

Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 11:30 a.m. ET to 7 p.m. ET

SAAM Arcade returns to the Kogod Courtyard this year! Join SAAM for our beloved annual celebration of creativity and innovation in games. This year, we’re welcoming visitors back to the museum, featuring the 2022 Indie Developer Showcase and a curated selection of eight indie games presented by their developers! Visit the museum for a day full of new games as well as classic arcade and console games from MAGFest. A special scavenger hunt that connects video games and SAAM’s collections will be available at the information table.

For video game lovers who can’t make it in person, we’re also excited to announce our 2nd annual SAAM Arcade Game Jam!

Centered around the theme of  Color, Line and Form,  SAAM Arcade 2022 explores the essential elements of visual expression. Armenian-American artist Arshile Gorky said “abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes.” When we break something down into its most basic features, innovation and creativity emerge in new and unexpected ways. Game developers use these same essential elements to create an interactive experience for players, relying on color, line and form to tell complex narratives and engage broad audiences.

SAAM Arcade has always centered around questioning the boundaries of art, and 2022 is no different! If  Color, Line and Form are the essential elements of visual expression, what are the essential elements of a game? Is it the code or the control? What about the rules or rewards? SAAM is proud to display independent games that reimagine how color, line, and form can be used to create unique experiences for developers, players, and observers.  

SAAM Arcade is made possible by the generous support of Events DC. 

Online, Saturday August 1 – Sunday August 2, 2020

In 2020 SAAM moved its annual SAAM Arcade activities online. During this two-day virtual program, participants were able to explore how video games act as a medium for expanding the way Americans tell and experience stories. We offered exclusive limited-time access to play the latest independent games featured in our Indie Developer Showcase. Additionally a special screening of the feature-length documentaries Indie Game: The Movie and Not for Resale premiered online. Finally, families were encouraged to let their creativity shine with step-by-step instructions for video game–inspired crafting at home.

Kogod Courtyard, Saturday, August 3 – Sunday, August 4, 2019

The SAAM Arcade 2019 theme, “breaking barriers,” showcased projects that recognize and relish the diversity of gaming audiences, allowing a wide-array of players to see themselves and their interests reflected on screen.

At SAAM, we believe that video games are a medium that has a great capacity for expanding the way Americans tell and experience stories. We also believe that this potential will only be fully realized when game makers, players, characters, companies and cultures are diverse and when all participants receive equitable and respectful treatment within these communities. SAAM Arcade strives to highlight traditionally underrepresented segments within the gaming world by celebrating diversity within this artistic medium.

For more information, email us at SAAMArcade@si.edu