As someone whose first video game console was an Atari 2600, I can tell you with great certainty and enthusiasm that video games have come a long way since their early Pong days in the 70s. But don't just take my word for it--it appears that the Smithsonian agrees with my opinion in their current exhibit, The Art of Video Games.
According to the exhibit's site, "The Art of Video Games is one of the first exhibitions to explore the forty-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. ... The exhibition focuses on the interplay of graphics, technology and storytelling through some of the best games for twenty gaming systems ranging from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3. Eighty games, selected with the help of the public, demonstrate the evolution of the medium. The games are presented through still images and video footage. In addition, the galleries will include video interviews with twenty developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, and historic game consoles."
I missed the opening GameFest weekend, which was held during March 16 - 18, but additional events are scheduled for April and May. After the exhibit closes in Washington DC at the end of September of this year, it will travel to 10 other locations throughout the US for those avid gamers who can't make it to our nation's capital. There's also a companion book for the exhibit, The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect by Chris Melissinos and Patrick O'Rourke, which you can learn more about here.
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