The Art of Video Games

This weekend Max and I went to the Art of Video Games exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It was fun and I definitely recommend you go - and play! There were several games that you could play. The games were projected onto large screens to show how players interact with diverse virtual worlds, highlighting innovative techniques that set the standard for many subsequent games. The playable games are Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst and Flower.

Photo credit: Max

In Flower, the player controls the wind, moving through an increasingly beautiful landscape of grass, flowers and an urban landscape that comes back to life. Watching others play, I definitely had an emotional response every time an area went from grey to colour for the first time. Behind the controller myself, I'm terrible but I loved playing and wish that I had a Play Station 3 just for that game!

Photo credit: Max

The Art of Video Games will travel to 10 cities after it leaves Washington, D.C. Confirmed venues include:

• Boca Raton Museum of Art in Boca Raton, Florida (October 24, 2012–January 20, 2013)
• EMP Museum in Seattle, Washington (February 16, 2013–May 13, 2013)
• Phoenix Art Museum in Phoenix, Arizona (June 16, 2013—September 29, 2013)
• Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York (October 25, 2013–January 19, 2014)
• Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York (February 15, 2014–May 18, 2014)
• Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio (June 19, 2014–September 28, 2014)
• Flint Institute of Arts in Flint, Michigan (October 25, 2014–January 18, 2015)
• Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia (February 13, 2015–May 10, 2015)
• Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, Tennessee (June 6, 2015–September 13, 2015)
• The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami, Florida (October 9, 2015–January 25, 2016)