Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Smithsonian To Feature Video Game History

Posted by Soulskill on from the take-that-ebert dept.

RedEaredSlider writes "The Smithsonian American Art Museum has featured everything pop culture from Dorothy's ruby red slippers to Seinfeld's puffy shirt. Now it will exhibit a history of video games. An exhibit called 'The Art of Video Games,' will open to the public in Washington, DC on March 16, 2012. The exhibit will explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies." They're currently holding a vote to determine which video games should represent their respective eras.

9 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Cabinet art by PCM2 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If this exhibition is really going to be about "the art of videogames," I hope the curators don't give short shrift to the art on the outside of the game cabinets. It seems to have suffered a lot in recent years, but in the 80s, cabinet art was one of my favorite things about visiting arcades. And of course, pinball cabinet art can be simply amazing.

    --
    Breakfast served all day!
    1. Re:Cabinet art by gmhowell · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No such luck. Just looked at the choices. If they are any indication, the exhibit will be solely for home based games featuring changeable media (cartridges or discs). No arcade games.

      And while I don't generally care for them, they ignored the 'sports game' genre. Don't recall seeing any racing titles.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    2. Re:Cabinet art by QuantumLeaper · · Score: 2

      Arcade games are not represented, only console and computer games.

  2. Login Required? by scdeimos · · Score: 2

    Apparently you need to login to even see the list of 240 proposed games. I hope they've got Dragon's Lair in there somewhere, but I won't be finding out.

    1. Re:Login Required? by warGod3 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just needs an e-mail address and it assigns you a password to vote... broken down by era (5) and by type (i.e. DOS, SNES, Sega, etc.)

      --
      "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet." General James Mattis
  3. How about Pinball Coverage... by Super+Dave+Osbourne · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The need to cover Pinball history from Bagatelle in the mid/late 1800s to the integration of the bat/flipper into the modern game of pinball, along with the prohibition and gambling bans it experienced (targeted by so many politicians and mobs) to today's modern but almost extinct game is as important to the history of gaming in the world. At one point Pinball as an industry had gross revenue beyond Hollywood, world wide. Its that important, so coverage of video gaming today historically should include Pinball if for no other reason that Pinball Parlors (arcades) were the just-add-water locations needed for the huge video gaming destination during their debut in the early 80s.

  4. Arcade games in general have suffered a lot by Viol8 · · Score: 2

    Are they any new ones even being produced anymore? I live in the UK and while fruit machines are thriving , old style video games have all but vanished apart from in a few central london arcades. You no longer find them in motorway service stations or small take away shops like you used to.

    Even the ones you do see tend to be quite old and have PS2 level graphics. In fact I know of one arcade thats still running Daytona Racing from 1994.

    I get the feeling that the arcade specific part of the videogame industry is pretty much on its last legs. In the west anyway, don't know about the far east.

  5. Gamers comments by Martin+S. · · Score: 2

    The comments section is littered with pretty scathing opinions about the choices.

  6. No Apple II? Mac? or Magnavox Odessy? Handhelds? by oneiros27 · · Score: 2

    Some of the games I might've voted for if they were in an Apple II category, eg. Sim City. (for the SNES? hell no) ... and Oregon Trail didn't even make the list!

    And the Mac wasn't represented, either (eg, Dark Castle)

    And text based games (there's more art than just graphics)

    And where's KC Munchkin? (Odyssey 2)

    DOS doesn't even make a showing 'til the N64 era, which means stuff like Commander Keen doesn't get credit.

    Hell, they didn't even have cabinets ... so no vectorex games, either. And I didn't see the Atari Lynx, Gameboy, or any hand helds in there.

    --
    Build it, and they will come^Hplain.