“The Art of Video Games” Exhibition coming to Boca Raton Museum of Art

As most of you know, GameZone is based in Deerfield Beach, Florida. While it may not be the most convenient place when it comes to video game journalism, it does have its perks. Beautiful weather, beaches, and the first museum to host the Smithsonian American Art Museums's groundbreaking exhibition, The Art of Video Games.

That's right, the Boca Raton Museum of Art will be the first museum in the nation to house this exhibit which "explores the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, focusing on striking graphics, creative storytelling, and player interactivity."

The exhibition is curated by Chris Melissinos, former chief gaming officer for Sun Microsystems and Founder of PastPixels. It highlights some of the best games for 20 gaming systems ranging from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3. The galleries include 80 video games presented through still images and video footage, along with video interviews with developers and artists, historic game consoles, and large prints of in-game screenshots.

Additionally, five featured games from each era — Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and Flower — will be playable, demonstrating how players interact with virtual worlds, while "highlighting innovative new techniques that set the standard for many subsequent games."

“Video games are a prevalent and increasingly expressive medium within modern society,” said Melissinos. “In the 40 years since the introduction of the first home video game, the field has attracted exceptional artistic talent. Video games, which include classic components of art, offer designers a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences by including a new element, the player, who completes the vivid, experiential art form by personally interacting with the game elements.”

The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect, a companion book written by Chris Melissinos, will be available for purchase in the Museum store. The book features more than 100 composite images of featured games by Patrick O'Rourke and examines each of the 80 featured games, providing a "behind-the-scenes look at their development and innovation, and commentary on the relevance of each in the history of video games."

As a believer in "video games as art", I am interested to see what this exhibit has to offer. GameZone will definitely be checking this exhibit out and if you reside anywhere in South Florida, we highly recommend you do so as well. It's not everyday an exhibit relating to video games makes its way down here. The Art of Video Games is running from October 24, 2012 through January 13, 2013.

The Boca Raton Museum of Art will offer a "variety of associated programs and educational opportunities for visitors of all ages and interests."

[Photo: CASEY HUDSON, director; MAC WALTERS, DREW KARPYSHYN, writers; CASEY HUDSON, producer, Mass Effect 2, Microsoft Xbox 360, 2010, © 2010 Electronic Arts, Inc. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.]