While the whole “video games as art” debate may still be raging in some communities (I’m looking at you, Ebert), the Smithsonian American Art Museum seems convinced. Between March and September of 2012 they will have on display an exhibit titled The Art of Video Games. The exhibit is intended to display 80 games from five different eras over the 40 year course of video game history. The games chosen for the exhibit are those that are “visually spectacular or boast innovative design” and are being selected by popular vote on the exhibit’s website.
That means that each one of you has a say in which video games are represented as the pinnacle of artistic expression in our medium. All you have to do is head on over to The Art of Video Games site and “register” with your email address (seriously the easiest registration ever) and vote! There are four categories within each of the five eras: Target, Adventure, Action, and Combat/Strategy, and each category has four nominees which I suppose were chosen by the folks at the Smithsonian.
There are some great games nominated and this is an excellent opportunity for gamers to share their opinion on what games we love. Remember to vote for the games that you consider the most artistic or innovative and while this may be hard for many of us, try to remain unbiased.
