The Art of Video Games was an exhibition by the Smithsonian American Art Museum which was on display from March 16 to September 30, 2012. The exhibition was designed to highlight the evolution of art within the video game medium over its forty-year history. Following its time at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the exhibition toured to 10 additional venues in the United States. Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems, was the curator of the exhibition.
Purpose The Art of Video GamesSmithsonian American Art Museum, The Art of Video Games, http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/archive/2012/games was 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 featured some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early pioneers to contemporary designers (see grid below). The exhibition focused 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.
Smithsonian previously had coin-op arcade games on display in the mid-1980s, including the arcade video games Pong, Pac-Man and Dragon's Lair.
Public vote 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.
Galleries Visitors to The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum were greeted by a 12-foot projection that included excerpts from most of the 80 games featured in the exhibition with a chipmusic soundtrack written and recorded by 8 Bit Weapon and ComputeHer. An interior gallery included a series of short videos showing the range of emotional responses players of all ages have while interacting with games. Five themed videos addressing the themes of Beginnings, Inspiration, Narrative, Experience and The Future showcased excerpts from interviews with 20 influential figures in the gaming world—Nolan Bushnell, David Cage, Steve Cartwright, Jenova Chen, Don Daglow, Noah Falstein, Ed Fries, Ron Gilbert, Robin Hunicke, Henry Jenkins, Jennifer MacLean, RJ Mical, Mike Mika, David Perry, Jane Pinckard, George L. Rose, Kellee Santiago, Tim Schafer, Jesse Schell, Warren Spector and Tommy Tallarico. The videos are also available on the museum's website.Smithsonian American Art Museum, Exhibition Videos, The Art of Video Games, (retrieved 4-3-2012) A five-channel installation displaying advances in core mechanics illustrated how home video games have evolved dramatically since their introduction in the 1970s through elements like avatars, jumping, running, climbing, flying, cutscenes and landscapes.Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Art of Video Games, The room also held a selection of concept art from several games of different eras. Five playable games, one from each era, showed how players interact with diverse virtual worlds, highlighting innovative techniques that set the standard for many subsequent games. The playable games were Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and Flower. Interactive kiosks in the final gallery covered five eras of game technology, from early pioneers to contemporary designers, and 20 gaming systems from Atari VCS to PlayStation 3. Each kiosk featured a game from each of four genres—action, target, adventure and tactics—that visitors could select to listen to commentary, game dialogue and music.
Games exhibited
The following list of games are those that were selected by Melissinos and the advisory board for inclusion in the exhibition. The exhibition is divided into five chronological eras, showcasing platforms from within that era. For each platform, three games from each of four game genres were initially selected for inclusion, with one game determined by the public voting to be part of the final exhibition. In addition, playable versions of five games are available: Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and Flower.Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Art of Video Games, Featured Games,
Era 1: Start! (1970s–1983) Platform Genre Game Year Atari VCS Target Space Invaders 1980 Missile Command 1981 Yars' Revenge 1981 Adventure Adventure 1980 Pitfall! 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982 Action Tunnel Runner 1983 Haunted House 1981 Pac-Man 1981 Tactics Combat 1977 Star Raiders 1979 Video Chess 1979 Colecovision Target Carnival 1982 Zaxxon 1982 Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom 1982 Adventure Alcazar: The Forgotten Fortress 1985 Gateway to Apshai 1983 Pitfall II: Lost Caverns 1984 Action Donkey Kong 1982 Jungle Hunt 1983 Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle 1982 Tactics Evolution 1982 Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator 1983 Artillery Duel 1983 Intellivision Target Demon Attack 1982 Star Strike 1981 Space Battle 1979 Adventure Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 1982 Swords and Serpents 1982 Thunder Castle 1986 Action Microsurgeon 1982 Tron: Maze-A-Tron 1982 Masters of the Universe: The Power of He-Man 1983 Tactics Armor Battle 1977 B-17 Bomber 1982 Utopia 1981
Era 2: 8-bit (1983–1989) Platform Genre Game Year Commodore 64 Target Attack of the Mutant Camels 1983 Paradroid 1985 Raid on Bungeling Bay 1984 Adventure Wasteland 1988 The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate 1988 Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders 1988 Action Impossible Mission 1984 Boulder Dash 1984 Jumpman 1983 Tactics M.U.L.E. 1983 Little Computer People 1985 Sid Meier's Pirates! 1987 Nintendo EntertainmentSystem Target 1943: The Battle of Midway 1988 Top Gun 1987 Life Force 1987 Adventure Final Fantasy 1987 The Legend of Zelda 1986 Shadowgate 1987 Action Mega Man 2 1988 Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 Metroid 1986 Tactics Archon: The Light and the Dark 1983 Desert Commander 1989 North and South 1989 Master System Target Fantasy Zone 1986 After Burner 1987 Missile Defense 3-D 1987 Adventure Phantasy Star 1987 Heroes of the Lance 1988 Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 1985 Action Shinobi 1988 Land of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse 1992 Marble Madness 1984 Tactics Gain Ground 1990 Spy vs. Spy 1984 Rampart 1991
Era 3: Bit Wars! (1989–1994) Platform Genre Game Year Sega Genesis Target Gunstar Heroes 1993 Viewpoint 1992 Ranger X 1993 Adventure Phantasy Star IV 1993 Flashback: The Quest for Identity 1992 Shining Force 2 1993 Action Earthworm Jim 1994 Sonic CD 1993 Michael Jackson's Moonwalker 1990 Tactics Herzog Zwei 1990 Dune II: Battle for Arrakis 1994 Nobunaga's Ambition 1986 Super NintendoEntertainment System Target Gradius III 1990 Star Fox 1993 Super Smash TV 1991 Adventure Chrono Trigger 1995 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 1991 EarthBound 1995 Action Super Star Wars 1992 Super Mario World 1991 Donkey Kong Country 1994 Tactics SimCity 1989 Syndicate 1993 Act Raiser 1990
Era 4: Transition (1995–2002) Platform Genre Game Year IBM PC compatibles Target Star Wars: TIE Fighter 1994 Crimson Skies 2000 Diablo II 2000 Adventure Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn 2000 Grim Fandango 1998 Fallout 1997 Action Deus Ex 2000 Doom II 1994 Unreal 1998 Tactics Starcraft 1998 Uplink: Hacker Elite 2001 Command & Conquer 1995 Nintendo 64 Target Pilot Wings 64 1996 Star Fox 64 1997 GoldenEye 007 1997 Adventure The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 2000 Paper Mario 2000–2001 Action Super Mario 64 1996 Banjo-Kazooie 1998 Shadows of the Empire 1996 Tactics Worms Armageddon 1999 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 1998 Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber 1999 Dreamcast Target Toy Commander 1999 Typing of the Dead 1999 Rez 2001 Adventure Shenmue 1999 Phantasy Star Online 2000 Skies of Arcadia 2000 Action Jet Grind Radio 2000 Sonic Adventure 1998 Crazy Taxi 1999 Tactics ChuChu Rocket! 1999 Panzer Front 1999 Rhapsody of Zephyr 2001 Saturn Target Panzer Dragoon II Zwei 1996 Black Fire 1995 Wing Arms 1995 Adventure Blazing Dragons 2000 Dark Savior 2000 Panzer Dragoon Saga 1998 Action NiGHTS into Dreams... 1996 Tomb Raider 1996 Clockwork Knight 2000 Tactics SimCity 2000 1999 Blazing Heroes 1999 Command and Conquer 1995 PlayStation Target Einhander 1998 Colony Wars III: Red Sun 2000 Point Blank 1998 Adventure Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete 1996 Final Fantasy VII 1997 Grandia 1997 Action Metal Gear Solid 1998 Crash Bandicoot: Warped 1998 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee 1997 Tactics Final Fantasy Tactics 1997 Carnage Heart 1997 Command and Conquer: Red Alert 1996
Era 5: Next Generation (2003–current) Platform Genre Game Year Xbox Target Panzer Dragoon Orta 2002 Xyanide 2006 Sniper Elite: Berlin 1945 2005 Adventure Fable 2004 Indigo Prophecy 2005 Shenmue II 2001 Action Halo 2 2004 Jet Set Radio Future 2002 Psychonauts 2005 Tactics Steel Battalion 2002 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 2002 Sid Meier's Pirates! 2004 Xbox 360 Target Geometry Wars 2: Retro Evolved 2008 Ikaruga 2002 Assault Heroes 2 2008 Adventure Mass Effect 2 2010 Limbo 2010 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 2006 Action Gears of War 2 2008 Halo 3 2007 BioShock 2007 Tactics Halo Wars 2009 Darwinia+ 2010 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II 2006 Modern Windows Target Shatter 2009 Everyday Shooter 2007 flOw 2006 Adventure World of Warcraft 2004 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2003 Fallout 3 2008 Action Half-Life 2 2004 Portal 2007 Call of Duty: World at War 2008 Tactics StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 2010 Age of Empires III 2005 Minecraft 2009 GameCube Target P.N.03 2003 Star Fox Assault 2005 Alien Hominid 2004 Adventure The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 2003 Tales of Symphonia 2003 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 2004 Action Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 2003 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem 2002 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes 2004 Tactics Battalion Wars 2005 Pikmin 2 2004 Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance 2005 Wii Target Boom Blox 2008 Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy 2008 Sin and Punishment: Star Successor 2010 Adventure The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess 2006 Super Paper Mario 2007 Monster Hunter Tri 2010 Action Super Mario Galaxy 2 2010 Metroid Prime: Trilogy 2009 Epic Mickey 2010 Tactics Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbados' Treasure 2007 Little King's Story 2009 Battalion Wars 2 2007 PlayStation 2 Target Silpheed: The Lost Planet 2001 Espgaluda 2004 Gradius V 2004 Adventure Final Fantasy X 2001 Kingdom Hearts II 2006 Ōkami 2006 Action Tony Hawk's Underground 2 2004 God of War 2005 Shadow of the Colossus 2005 Tactics Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty 2001 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown 2005 Armored Core 3 2002 PlayStation 3 Target Flower 2009 Super Stardust HD 2007 PixelJunk Shooter 2009 Adventure Dragon Age: Origins 2009 Final Fantasy XIII 2009 Heavy Rain 2010 Action Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 2009 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2010 LittleBigPlanet 2 2011 Tactics Brütal Legend 2009 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Commander's Challenge 2009 Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution 2008
Subsequent exhibitions Following its time at the Smithsonian, the exhibit was also shown at ten other venues across the United States, between 2013 and 2016.
Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. (March 16, 2012 – September 30, 2012) Boca Raton Museum of Art in Boca Raton, Florida (October 24, 2012 – January 13, 2013) EMP Museum in Seattle, Washington (February 16, 2013 – May 13, 2013) Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, Arizona (June 16, 2013 – September 29, 2013)