So, presumably right before the world ends, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC will host art that most of its denizens aren't used to: Video Game Art. Beginning on March 16th and lasting until September 9 in 2012 (or the end of the world, whichever comes first), the Smithsonian will host an exhibition covering everything from the Magnavox Odyssey (of which is already in the Smithsonian now) to the PlayStation 3 and everything in between.
Video game art exhibitions aren't anything new, however big name players like Smithsonian have never had one. The Smithsonian said that not only will they have developer interviews, concept art, screenshots, rarely seen console concepts, game footage, and more, but they'll also take input from the public on what they would like to see.
While it's quite a ways off and perhaps the opening exhibit will be about Grand Theft Auto VI and the closing exhibit would be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, but I would love to see more old school stuff from cancelled games and what not. Starcraft Ghost would be cool to see, so would the original Fallout 3. Games like Zelda and Mario and Half Life are sure to make appearances but it'll be interesting to see what else they can come up with.
Perhaps it's society's willingness to accept the fact that video games have turned into something that parents considered damaging to their kid's and the future of the country, into an art form. You look at Pong or Pac Man and it's essentially a time waster, there's no story, no background, just an attempt at a high score. Whereas now, games like Uncharted and Half-Life have sweeping stories and real world backgrounds and are more about just getting a high score. They're about telling a story that is written by both the developer and the player. Video games are the only form of art in which a writer writes a story but it's up to the viewer to decide how to get through it.
It'll be interesting to see what they come up with, but they also want to hear what the public wants to see, so make sure to tell them!
