WASHINGTON, DC — "The Art of Video Games" is one of the first major exhibitions to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium. The exhibit focuses on graphics, storytelling and player interactivity and features some of the most influential artists and designers across five eras of game development.
"The Art of Video Games" will be on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum from March 16 through September 30. Chris Melissinos, former chief evangelist and chief gaming officer for Sun Microsystems and founder of PastPixels, is the guest curator of the exhibition. Georgina Goodlander, the museum's social media and Web content manager, is the exhibition coordinator. The exhibition will travel to several cities in the United States following its run in Washington, DC.
"Video game designers are engaged in creating a world, as are all artists," said Elizabeth Broun, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. "The Smithsonian American Art Museum recognizes the designers and developers who create these beguiling worlds in this exhibition. Contemporary video games have taken this creative expression to a whole new level, and we are eager to explore this popular global phenomenon."
“Video games are a prevalent and increasingly expressive medium within modern society," notes Melissinos. "In the 40 years since the introduction of the first home video game, the field has attracted exceptional artistic talent. Video games, which include classic components of art, offer designers a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences by including a new element, the player, who completes the vivid, experiential art form by personally interacting with the game elements."