The Art of Video Games

The Smithsonian American Art Museum in D.C. is having an exhibit on art in video games, and you're invited to vote. Just use your email, and then vote for whatever games you want in 5 generations.

The Good:

• Games like Limbo, Psychonauts, and Shadow of the Colossus are getting recognition.
• You can vote for a heckuva lot of games.

The Bad:

• Why are the last 2 generations dumped into one category, Smithsonian?
• In the Atari section, two games up for voting are E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial and the infamous butchered port of Pac-Man. What.

edited 14th Feb '11 3:40:16 PM by OurGLORIOUSLeader

YAY, VOTING!

The website doesn't work.

DAMMIT!

EDIT: Now it's working. Hmm, Deus Ex or Grim Fandango... I also might choose Crash Bandicoot Warped, Metal Gear Solid, or Paper Mario.

edited 14th Feb '11 3:46:37 PM by Scardoll

Fight. Struggle. Endure. Suffer. LIVE.

Finished my voting about a half-hour before this thread was posted.

I was surprised that it wasn't all mainstream stuff.

edited 14th Feb '11 3:47:16 PM by JotunofBoredom

Umbran Climax◊

Wait, what? The last two gens are lumped into one, but every other generation is open? VIDEOGAMES DIDN'T BECOME ART UNTIL THE LAST GENERATION.

For fucks sake, its like doing an exhibit on postmodernist art then inexplicably giving the bulk of the show to neo classical. I mean, whats the point?

The website isn't working for me.

Is Okami on there?

edited 14th Feb '11 3:48:31 PM by ccoa

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.

...

Fight. Struggle. Endure. Suffer. LIVE.

Obviously, pixel art is not art despite having art in the phrase.

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.

Because there isn't a homonym about art being both expression and simply another word used for drawing or representation.

Yes... but it has competition from Kingdom Hearts II and Final Fantasy X.

On the other hand, I voted for Okami because the exhibit is about the art of video games.

And if the website doesn't work at first, try refreshing a few times. It happened with me as well.

edited 14th Feb '11 3:55:19 PM by OurGLORIOUSLeader

Yeah, art-wise Okami blows them both out of the water, IMO. Wish I could get it to work, but all I see is an empty frame.

EDIT: ^^ Thus speaks someone who has never actually created pixel art.

edited 14th Feb '11 3:56:57 PM by ccoa

Waiting on a TRS slot? Finishing off one of these cleaning efforts will usually open one up.

Are you going to continue keeping that stupid opinion?

Because it is a stupid opinion. Have you ever played Grim Fandango?

edited 14th Feb '11 3:59:06 PM by Scardoll

Fight. Struggle. Endure. Suffer. LIVE.

Now, now, let us keep it civil. On a related note: it's odd how many categories have lots of fantastic, beautiful games (the one with Limbo, Mass Effect 2, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion comes to mind)... and yet many in Eras 1 have hardly any at all. Not to say they have none, it just seems like they weren't looking hard enough.

And really... E.T.? Really?

edited 14th Feb '11 4:05:07 PM by OurGLORIOUSLeader

So I clicked on Era 1 and now I'm just staring at a blank box, no matter what I do, nothing happens...

It's probably loading. Did that for me a few times.

360 Gamertag: Electivirus. 3DS friend code: 5412-9983-8497. PSN ID: Electivirus. PM me if you add me on any.

Ooh, Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy Tactics were on the list. The former has one of my favorite soundtracks and artstyles, and the latter has one of my favorite stories in a game...

Blizzard made Pitfall?

Space Invaders, Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong Country, Ocarina of Time, and Kingdom Hearts II.

I'm satisfied with my choices. =D

360 Gamertag: Electivirus. 3DS friend code: 5412-9983-8497. PSN ID: Electivirus. PM me if you add me on any.

One interesting thing that I noticed was that there were significant differences between the games that I like and the games that are works of art. Also, at least they acknowledged the existence of the Sega Saturn.

oh lol. Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?

I like Ocarina of Time more (gameplay wise, anyway), but Majora's Mask had more of an emotional impact with me.

360 Gamertag: Electivirus. 3DS friend code: 5412-9983-8497. PSN ID: Electivirus. PM me if you add me on any.

Well I voted Paper Mario anyway.

Mmmm, I can let that slide. I love Paper Mario enough to NOT destroy you for that choice. :P

360 Gamertag: Electivirus. 3DS friend code: 5412-9983-8497. PSN ID: Electivirus. PM me if you add me on any.

We shall see. We...shall...see.

Yeah, I'm noticing that the games I want to vote for aren't the ones that are most artistically interesting. For example, despite having Phantasy Star and Final Fantasy as option in the NES era, I voted for Marble Madness.

But somehow,◊

Ocarina of Time was the better game, Majora's Mask is probably more in the artsy direction they're looking for.