Museum of Modern Art Finally Recognizes Video Games As Art

What are video games? Some consider them passionate expressions of of a developer's inner self while others consider them to be 'those flashy things my kids play on the TV'. Back in the day, games were basically seen as the devil's work; they rotted out your eyes and introduced a world of violence and gore to the impressionable youth of yesterday. Technically none of this had any real ill effects on gamers and, as society evolved, the video game industry grew rapidly and gradually became a more acceptable aspect of our everyday lives.

We're sitting at the tail end of our current generation of gaming consoles that have really done more to bring video games into everyday life more than any other generation before it. We've had the introduction of motion gaming, which suddenly drastically changed the way we play games. Instead of sitting with a blank stare at the screen, players are now utilizing their whole bodies while playing games. This makes it a lot easier for multiple players to really get involved and share the experience together. It's also made the idea of video games more appealing to people of all ages. Motion controls are far from perfect but, if this trend continues into the next generation of consoles, we could be seeing some massive changes coming in the next decade.

Lecture aside, the real world is really beginning to open up to video games and recognize them as more of an art form than anything. Now more than ever, people are starting to realize how much time and work are put into these $60 games we take for granted. The Museum of Modern Art has officially stated that they'll be adding a video game exhibit to truly showcase video games as an art form. This is a massive milestone for the video game industry and is paving the way for greater things to come.

The feature will include various aspects of 40 games that range from some of the first titles such as Pac-Man and SpaceWar to modern revolutionizing games such as Portal and Minecraft. The exhibit will 'emphasize not only the visual quality and aesthetic experience of each game, but also the many other aspects from the elegance of the code to the design of the player's behavior, that pertain to the interaction design'.

Yes, it's a good day to be a gamer...

Fans can help bridge the gap between gamers and fanciers of art by checking out the Museum of Art's video game exhibit when it's unveiled in March, 2013.