The Smithsonian American Art Museum is doing an exhibit on the art of video games (if you hadn't picked that up from the title ). The exhibit starts in March, but starting today you can vote on which games will be included. They divided video game history into five eras, seperated each era by platform, divided each platform into four genres, and there are three nominations for each genre for each platform (it will make more sense when you look at it, trust me).
The eras go from basically the start of gaming in the 1970s up to current games. The genres they chose are Action, Adventure, Target, and Combat/Strategy. I'm sure people will be disappointed with so few genres, but there's only so many they can have before it becomes unwieldy. Also, due to the lacking number of genres and only three nominations for each per platfrom, there are a lot of favorites that aren't included. Again, I assume that is because there would be just too many options if they tried to include every game. Still, there are plenty of quality games that are nominated.
This being primarily a PC gaming forum, I'm sure others will not be happy with the fact that so many of the games are console games, but eh. It's still a cool idea. It is weird, however, that they didn't include portable systems (Gameboy, DS, PSP, etc). Also, multiplatform games are only ever nomitated once. For example, Portal is nominated on both Windows and the XBox 360.
You have to register to vote, but it's really easy. One other thing to mention, the website is a little wonky. Some of it is probably because this is the first day it's been up, but pages take a while to load. If you wait long enough you can eventually vote, but it might take a while.
In case you missed the link up top, here it is one more time: http://www.artofvideogames.org/
I got through about half the list last night. Seems they are trying to make it work better because it is down today. Still pretty cool, they have more variety than I expected honestly.
Hmmm. So I guess games are finally being considered a form of art... does it then follow that they will be protected with the same laws and subsidies?
Okay, now that its working again, here were my final votes, just to give you guys an idea of what games are included (Don't feel like listing all 240 ). Sorry its a bit messy, my table making skills failed me so the genres are seperated by commas.
Action, Adventure, Target, Combat/Strategy
Era 1
Atari VCS Pac-Man, None, Missile Command, None
Coleco Vision Donkey Kong, none, none, Artillery Duel
Intellivision Don't know any of these game!
Era 2
Commodore 64 Jumpman, none, none, Sid Meier's Pirates
NES Super Mario Bros 3, Final Fantasy, Top Gun, none
SEGA Master System none, Ultima IV, After Burner, none
Era 3
SEGA Genesis Earthworm Jim, Phantasy Star IV, Gunstar Heroes, Dune II
SNES Donkey Kong Country, Chrono Trigger, Star Fox, Sim City
Era 4
Windows/DOS Dues Ex, Fallout, Star Wars: TIE fighter, Command and Conquer
Nintendo 64 Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask, Star Fox 64, Worms: Armageddon
Sega DreamCast Crazy Taxi, none, none, none
Sega Saturn Don't feel like voting for any of these games either/Didn't own a Saturn
Sony Playstation Metal Gear Solid, none, none, Command and Conquer: Red Alert
Era 5
Microsoft Xbox Psychonaughts, Fable, none, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
"" Xbox 360 Bioshock, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, LoTR: Battle for Middle Earth 2
Modern Windows Call of Duty: World at War, Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic, none, Minecraft
Nintendo Gamecube Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Alien Hominid, Pikmin 2
Nintendo Wii Metroid Prime Trilogy, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, none, Battalion Wars 2
Sony Playstation2 Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Espgaluda, Armored Core 3
"" PlayStation 3 Little Big Planet 2, none, none, Command and Conquer Red Alert 3
None means I didn't vote for any game in that category.
A museum for video games! Interesting!!
Well, the problem is not "PC vs console" but more about "computer vs console"... for the era 1, i have use Sinclair computer, first the ZX80, followed by the Spectrum... era 2, i have use first a sinclair QL followed by a Amiga...
If they put the commodore 64 in era 2, why don't they a the Vic 20 in era 1 ( somehow a hybrid computer/console with a cartridge slot, 800000 unit sold in 1982 )... and forget about the Amiga 500 who have sell over 6 million unit...
By the way, they need to add a era 0 ... for one of the first video game made in 1961... somehow the ancester of sins of a solar empire ... http://www.old-computers.com/history/detail.asp?n=58&t=9
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