Hey all,

I found out about something exciting! The Smithsonian American Art Museum is going to have a video game exhibit next year! It’s true, from the 16th of March to the 30th of September 2012, patrons will be able to experience The Art of Video Games. The exhibition will have a few games set up and ready to play, as well as printouts of game artwork, interviews with influential designers, and more.

After reading the blurb above, I got really excited and started planning my trip to Washington D.C. I have always thought that video games should be treated as art; I believe that this exhibition will help to promote games and show that they are legitimate and worthy of respect as works of art.

What’s more, is that fans of museums and games can go and vote on which games they think should be included. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has provided a list of 240 games to be included, but only 80 of them will make the cut. The grand list is broken down into groups of three games. These groups are organized by era, platform, and genre. While some of the classifications may be suspect, overall I think the system will produce a nice spread of games.

You have until 7 April to get your votes in!

When making my own personal votes, I tried to choose games that had the most artistic value. Some of the choices were brutal: choosing Starcraft or Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn? Yikes! It’s like choosing between my children! Or, like saying, “Okay, we can only have either Indiana Jones or Star Wars, but not both.” Or choosing between 1984 and Brave New World. Heresy!

See you in D.C.!
-S