Believe it or not, the video game industry is one of the youngest in the entertainment sector, beginning in 1972 with the release of the Magnavox Odyssey. While critics such as Roger Ebert continue to question the artistic merits of our beloved industry, it appears one major museum has accepted our medium as an artistic outlet, and has released the games it has chosen to showcase the talents of the industry.
The well-respected Smithsonian American Art Museum has revealed the results of a recent online vote that the institution held, which determined the games that will be showcased at the exhibit that will run from March 16th to September 30th, 2012 at the American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Many classic titles as well as modern blockbusters will be shown, alongside playable stations featuring Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and World of Warcraft. The entire final list is as follows:
1943: The Battle of Midway
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
After Burner
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Bioshock
Boom Blox
Brütal Legend
ChuChu Rocket!
Combat®
Desert Commander
Diablo II
Donkey Kong™
DOOM II
Dune II: Battle for Arrakis
Earthworm Jim
Einhander
Fable
Fallout
Fallout 3
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy VII
flOw
Flower
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Goldeneye 007
Gradius V
Gunstar Heroes
Halo 2
Heavy Rain
Jumpman
Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II
Marble Madness
MassEffect 2
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Metroid Prime 2: Echos
Minecraft
Okami
Pac-Man
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star IV
Pikmin 2
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
Pitfall!
Portal
Rez
Shadow of Colossus
Shenmue
Sid Meier’s Pirates!
SimCity
SimCity 2000
Sonic Adventure
Space Invaders
Spy vs Spy
Star Fox™
Star Fox™: Assault
Star Strike
Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
StarCraft
Super Mario 64
Super Mario Brothers 3
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario World
The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Walker
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell
Tomb Raider
TRON: Maze-Atron
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Utopia
Worms Armageddon
Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure
Zaxxon
So, are your favorites here? What games do you think could be added onto the list? One thing’s for sure – we sure have come a long way since the simple days of Pong.
