Hey all,

The voting for the Smithsonian American Museum of Art’s exhibit, the Art of Video Games, concluded a few weeks ago. There were 240 games entered as nominees, but only 80 of them are going to be featured in the exhibit next year.

The exhibit will show games from five different eras:

1. Early Gaming – 1970s – early 1980s
2. 8 Bit – 1983-1989
3. Bit Wars – 1989-1994
4. Transition – 1995-2002
5. Next Generation – 2003 – Current

Several commercially successful platforms (sorry Atari Jaguar fans) were chosen to represent each era. For each platform, 12 games were nominated and broken into 4 genres: action, target, adventure, and combat/strategy. For each platform/genre combination 3 games were nominated but only one could win.

I tried to make a nice table for this, but it ended up being tricky. The results broken up by era first, and then by platform. The four genres run horizontally, with the winners of each marked with a cute little star (). My own personal votes have the logo next to them. Sometimes they line up, sometimes people voted for the wrong games.

Okay, that makes it sound more complicated that it is. In any case, here are the results of the voting.

ERA 1 (1970s – early 1980s)
Atari VCS	Target	Space Invaders	Missile Command	Yars’ Revenge
	Adventure	Adventure	Pitfall!	E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
	Action	Tunnel Runner	Haunted House	Pac-Man
	Combat/Strategy	Combat	Star Raiders	Video Chess
ColecoVision	Target	Carnival	Zaxxon	Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom
	Adventure	Alcazar: The Forgotten Fortress	Gateway to Apshai	Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
	Action	Donkey Kong	Jungle Hunt	Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel’s Castle
	Combat/Strategy	Evolution	Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator	Artillery Duel
Mattel Intellivision	Target	Demon Attack	Star Strike	Space Battle
	Adventure	Advanced Dungeons and Dragons	Swords and Serpents	Thunder Castle
	Action	Microsurgeon	TRON: Maze-Atron	Masters of the Universe: The Power of He-Man
	Combat/Strategy	Armor Battle	B-17 Bomber	Utopia

The results of the first era didn’t surprise me much. Space Invaders was absolutely huge, as was Pacman. Pacman is probably the most recognized of any game in the United States; It’s hard to find a bar that doesn’t have some variant of this game in it, even now. Although that isn’t the Atari VCS version, I still feel like it is deserving of a place in the exhibit. I admit I haven’t played most of these games, as they are a bit before my time (a bit, get it?). I do have fond memories of the tank battles with my brothers in Combat and getting eaten by alligators in Pitfall!, so I’m glad to see that they made the cut.

ERA 2 – 8-BIT (1983 – 1989)
Commodore 64	Target	Attack of the Mutant Camels	Paradroid	Raid on Bungeling Bay
	Adventure	Wasteland	The Bards Tale III: Thief of Fate	Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders
	Action	Impossible Mission	Boulder Dash	Jumpman
	Combat/Strategy	M.U.L.E.	Little Computer People	Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Nintendo Entertainment System	Target	1943: The Battle of Midway	Top Gun	Life Force
	Adventure	Final Fantasy	The Legend of Zelda	Shadowgate
	Action	Mega Man 2	Super Mario Brothers 3	Metriod
	Combat/Strategy	Archon: The Light and the Dark	Desert Commander	North and South
SEGA Master System	Target	Fantasy Zone	After Burner	Missile Defense 3D
	Adventure	Phantasy Star	Heroes of the Lance	Ultima IV: Quest for the Avatar
	Action	Shinobi	Mickey Mouse in the Land of Illusion	Marble Madness
	Combat/Strategy	Gain Ground	Spy vs. Spy	Rampart

It’s funny, although we had a Commodore 64 that I remember playing, I don’t recall any of these games. The names alone make me feel like I’m missing out: Attack of the Mutant Camels , The Bards Tale III: Thief of Fate, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Little Computer People? All sound like fun. I’ve also read a bit about the economic simulation M.U.L.E., but haven’t played it either. I voted for Archon in the NES platform, even though I played it on the Commodore 64 (or maybe it was the old Amiga, I don’t recall).

The NES games I do remember playing. The Legend of Zelda is a shoe-in for its category, with its iconic characters (*grumble grumble*) and clever use of weapons. In fact, just putting “Zelda” or “Link” in the title seems to be a sure-fire way to be in this exhibit. Regardless, it’s an absolute classic and a must-play if you have an NES. So much so that I still remember getting stuck in that damned repeating brush maze, even though I haven’t played the game for over a decade. The NES action genre is a tough one to choose: the Mega Man, Mario, and Metroid series are all well loved. I had to go with Super Mario Brothers 3, not only because I want to have a raccoon tail so that I can fly, but there was even a movie made to advertise the game (review of The Wizard will be coming… at some point). Wait, how does having a raccoon tail allow you to fly? I would have liked Metroid to win if it were any game other than Super Mario Brothers 3. That game has amazing atmosphere, and one of the coolest heroines ever. She can turn into a ball. Plus, the metroids are genuinely creepy as they have a desire to eat your brains, they’re basically aliens and zombies. *shivers*

I’m not a big Sega fan, but Marble Madness was the first game that I played that mixed a great physics engine with maddening level design. And Spy vs. Spy, you play a spy, black or white, laying traps for the other spy. Its versus mode was the ultimate game of who can screen-cheat better. Classic hyjinks and a ton of fun.

ERA 3 – BIT WARS (1989 – 1994)
SEGA Genesis	Target	Gunstar Heroes	Viewpoint	Ranger X
	Adventure	Phantasy Star IV	Flashback: The Quest for Identity	Shining Force 2
	Action	Earthworm Jim	Sonic CD	Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
	Combat/Strategy	Herzog Zwei	Dune II: Battle for Arrakis	Nobunaga’s Ambition
Super Nintendo Entertainment System	Target	Gradius III	Star Fox	Super SmashTV
	Adventure	Chrono Trigger	Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past	EarthBound
	Action	Super Star Wars	Super Mario World	Donkey Kong Country
	Combat/Strategy	SimCity	Syndicate	Act Raiser

Ah, the classic duel of consoles. Looks like I nailed the Genesis games: Earthworm Jim is one of my favorite shooters, second only to Jazz Jackrabbit on the PC; Dune II is the first real-time strategy game, so of course I had to vote for it on account of it spawning an entire genre.

The SNES I played only a little: I chose Donkey Kong Country for its great graphical style and fun missions, and those minecarts were quite the ride; Starfox I played some and liked, though I’m more familiar with its Nintendo 64 incarnation. Chrono Trigger is one of those games that I have played only a little, but liked and would have preferred over yet another Zelda game. Oh well.

ERA 4 – Transition (1995 – 2002)
DOS/Windows	Target	Star Wars: TIE Fighter	Crimson Skies	Diablo II
	Adventure	Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn	Grim Fandango	Fallout
	Action	Deus Ex	DOOM II	Unreal
	Combat/Strategy	Starcraft	Uplink: Hacker Elite	Command and Conquer
Nintendo 64	Target	Pilotwings 64	Star Fox 64	Goldeneye 007
	Adventure	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time	The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask	Paper Mario
	Action	Super Mario 64	Banjo-Kazooie	Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
	Combat/Strategy	Worms Armageddon	Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six	Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
SEGA Dreamcast	Target	Toy Commander	The Typing of the Dead	Rez
	Adventure	Shenmue	Phantasy Star Online	Skies of Arcadia
	Action	Jet Grind Radio	Sonic Adventure	Crazy Taxi
	Combat/Strategy	ChuChu Rocket!	Panzer Front	Rhapsody of Zephyr (The War of Genesis)
SEGA Saturn	Target	Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei	Black Fire	Wing Arms
	Adventure	Blazing Dragons	Dark Savior	Panzer Dragoon Saga
	Action	NiGHTS into Dreams	Tomb Raider	Clockwork Night
	Combat/Strategy	SimCity 2000	Blazing Heroes	Command and Conquer
Sony Playstation	Target	Einhander	Colony Wars III: Red Sun	Point Blank
	Adventure	Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete	Final Fantasy VII	Grandia
	Action	Metal Gear Solid	Crash Bandicoot: Warped	Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
	Combat/Strategy	Final Fantasy Tactics	Carnage Heart	Command & Conquer: Red Alert

Making me choose between Starcraft and Command & Conquer was a cruel, cruel move. In the end, I had to go with C&C, not because I think it is the better game, but because of its unique use of live-action, full-motion video sequences between missions. This is something that not many games use, and I think it should be in an exhibit about the history of games, simply because it shows an attempt to move games closer to a more traditional medium. Starcraft is excellent and has such a huge following and is one amazing, if not the best, esport. It thrived in Korea for over a decade as a way of life. So I don’t have hard feelings on this one.

Diablo 2 is a solid action-RPG, though I’m a little suspicious of its placement into the “target” genre, particularly since it ousted one of the best space-simulations out there, TIE Fighter.

One game that I really wanted to see represented was Jet Grind Radio. It’s such a great game, with unique graphics, a groovy soundtrack, and a focus on non-violent (but hyjinks-filled) gameplay. It is right up there with Deus Ex for games that I wish made it through this era. Deus Ex is a perfect blend of RPG, action, suspense; it’s just a great game from start to finish. Sure, it has its flaws, but any game that gives players so many ways to overcome adversaries is OK in my book.

I didn’t play much Nintendo 64, but I did thoroughly enjoy Goldeneye 007, with a bit of Mario 64 thrown in for good measure, so I’m glad to see they made the cut. Finally, I don’t believe that I need to mention to gaming goodness that is Final Fantasy VII. I was a bit sad to see that its strategy spin-off, Final Fantasy Tactics beat out Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Red Alert was one killer game that I know I’ve played through at least a half-dozen times. It has Einstein!

ERA 5 – Next Generation (2003 – Current)
Microsoft Xbox	Target	Panzer Dragoon Orta	Xyanide	Sniper Elite: Berlin 1945
	Adventure	Fable	Indigo Prophecy	Shenmue II
	Action	Halo 2	JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future	Psychonauts
	Combat/Strategy	Steel Battalion	Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell	Sid Meier’s Pirates!
Microsoft Xbox 360	Target	Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2	Ikaruga	Assault Heroes 2
	Adventure	Mass Effect 2	Limbo	The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
	Action	Gears of War 2	Halo 3	Bioshock
	Combat/Strategy	Halo Wars	Darwinia	Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
Modern Windows	Target	Shatter	Everyday Shooter	fl0w
	Adventure	World of Warcraft	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	Fallout 3
	Action	Half Life 2	Portal	Call of Duty: World at War
	Combat/Strategy	Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty	Age of Empires 3	Minecraft
Nintendo GameCube	Target	P.N.03	Star Fox: Assault	Alien Hominid
	Adventure	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker	Tales of Symphonia	Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
	Action	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem	Metriod Prime 2: Echos
	Combat/Strategy	Battalion Wars	Pikmin 2	Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Nintendo Wii	Target	Boom Blox	Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy	Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
	Adventure	The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess	Super Paper Mario	Monster Hunter Tri
	Action	Super Mario Galaxy 2	Metriod Prime Trilogy	Disney Epic Mickey
	Combat/Strategy	Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure	Little King’s Story	Battalion Wars 2
Sony Playstation 2	Target	Silpheed: The Lost Planet	Espgaluda	Gradius V
	Adventure	Final Fantasy X	Kingdom Hearts II	Okami
	Action	Tony Hawk’s Underground 2	God of War	Shadow of the Colossus
	Combat/Strategy	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	Tom Clancy’s Rainbox Six: Lockdown	Armored Core 3
Sony Playstation 3	Target	Flower	Super Stardust HD	PixelJunk Shooter
	Adventure	Dragon Age: Origins	Final Fantasy XIII	Heavy Rain
	Action	Uncharted 2: Among Thieves	Call of Duty: Black Ops	LittleBigPlanet 2
	Combat/Strategy	Brutal Legend	Command & Conqer: Red Alert 3 – Commander’s Challenge	Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution

Okay. If you want upsets, look no further. Let’s start with the gorilla in the room: World of Warcraft lost out to Fallout 3?!?! This is hard to believe, and a bit of a shame. From a cultural perspective, World of Warcraft has orders of magnitude more influence than Fallout 3. It has millions of subscribers and even much of the non-gaming general public knows about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing Fallout 3, in fact, it was one of the first games I ever blogged about, but World of Warcraft has been the MMO to topple, and is an iconic piece of early 21st century culture. There is an entire media-creation culture surrounding World of Warcraft as well, consisting of thousands of hours of machinma, hundreds of original songs about the game, and tons of original art about the game. Heck, there has even been a South Park episode about it.

Some of the other winners turned out to be surprises: Final Fantasy X losing to Okami? FF10 is the reason to own a Playstation 2. Gorgeous music (I’ve got the super-duper soundtrack, something like 100 tracks, amazing!), heart rending story, and a solid combat system. It’s funny; this is one of those games (along with Mass Effect 2, which I am glad to see made it) where I feel the combat is weak when paired next to the storytelling.

And not to be too much of a Blizzard fanboy, but I’m surprised that Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty lost out to Minecraft. I feel like SC2 is pristine representation of strategy games, but I haven’t tried out Minecraft at all, and I know it’s gotten rave reviews and is highly addictive. It’s definitely one that I’ll have to take a look at. Still, I am sad to see one of my favorite games ever absent from the exhibit.

Overall, I tried to approach the games from a historical perspective: if people in 2200 found a vault with these 80 games, would they be a good representation of the technology, of the types of games that were being produced, and of what people played? With the possible exception of World of Warcraft being absent, I think so. Mostly because, as far as I can tell, no massively multiplayer games made the cut. This is surprising and startling to me, considering that MMOs are hugely popular, highly lucrative, rapidly growing, often criticized and scrutinized by the media, and, most importantly, pervasive throughout our culture culture. Still, the exhibit will have World of Warcraft available to play, so I suppose I can’t get too bent out of shape about it. Let’s hope the next time they choose to do this exhibit this can be remedied.

There were a few games that very much surprised me, but even when the games that I would choose didn’t make it, often it was another game of high value, so I remain highly excited for the exhibit and will definitely be heading to Washington D.C. next year.

Well, that’s about it. This turned out to be one mega-post. And holy cow those tables took a long time to build and style. I hope that you all find them useful.

I’ll be seeing you in DC!
-S