Smithsonian announces winning titles from "Art of Video Games" poll

Remember back in those carefree days of February 2011 when we brought you news of the upcomingSmithsonian exhibitionabout the art of video games? At that time, the exhibition's curator, Past Pixels' Chris Melissinos, appealed to the videogames community for help in winnowing a mammoth list of 240 deserving titles down to a more manageable 80 really deserving games. After tabulating 3.7 million votes from players worldwide, the final list has been announced.

The exhibition, which promises 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,” will feature playable versions of Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and World of Warcraft. Visual material and info will be provided for 75 other titles spanning the history of gaming, from action titles like 1943 and Doom 2 to cerebral and indie fare such SimCity 2000 and Minecraft. Watch the Smithsonian'svideo of the announcement here.





Download thefull list of exhibition pieces here, then boot one up and have someone tell you, “that belongs in a museum!” so you can fire back, “so do you!” Alternatively, let us know what you think of the inclusions below.

May 5, 2011