EXHIBITION: The Art of Videogames
"[T]he core of “The Art of Video Games” is a display of 20 computer and gaming systems and short films explaining the relevance of four games on each of those platforms — 80 total. (The exhibition does not include a VIC-20 but does feature its successor, the Commodore 64.) In a nod to the interactivity of games, and an eager abdication of full curatorial control, the museum asked the public to vote on what would be displayed, choosing from among three options in each of four categories on each system, called Action, Target, Adventure and Tactics. [...]
The organizers were clear in interviews that they were not claiming to offer a list of the 80 most important video games. And it is good that they were not, because the selection leaves huge holes in any reasonable history of games. Tetris, for example, perhaps the most universal electronic game of all time, makes no appearance. Pong? Nope. Sports games? Nope. There aren’t even any traditional arcade consoles or any mention of the emergence of arcade culture. There is almost nothing said about the Internet or mobile games." (Seth Schiesel, The New York Times)
LINK: "An Exhibition in Easy Mode" (New York Times)
LINK: The Art of Videogames
LINK: Gallery on flickr