The Beautiful Game? You Decide…

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is opening a brand new exhibit in March titled “The Art of Video Games” – and what’s more, they want us lovely people to vote on the content!

The online vote will give you a chance to vote for 80 games from a pool of 240 proposed choices in various categories, divided by era, game type and platform. The winning games will be displayed in the exhibition as screen shots and short video clips. Voting will take place at www.artofvideogames.org, from Feb 14 to April 7. A valid e-mail address is the only requirement to vote.

The longlist games on the voting site were selected for their graphic excellence, artistic intent and innovative game design by Chris Melissinos, a video games collector and the exhibit’s curator, with a followup review by game developers, designers, industry pioneers and journalists.

“The Art of Video Games” will feature some of the most influential artists and designers during five eras of game technology, from early developers such as David Crane and Warren Robinett to contemporary designers like Kellee Santiago and David Jaffe. The exhibition will feature 80 games and 20 gaming systems ranging from the Atari VCS to the PlayStation 3.