The Art of Video Games

Hi Love,

The Art of Video Games is one of the first major exhibitions to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking graphics, creative storytelling and player interactivity. The exhibition features some of the most influential artists and designers across five eras of game development, from early pioneers to contemporary designers. Video games use player participation to tell stories and engage audiences. In the same way as film, animation and performance, video games are a compelling and influential form of narrative art.  

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, 2006, Shigeru Miyamoto, Executive Producer; Eiji Aonuma, Director;
Satoru Takizawa, Art Director; Eiji Aonuma, Satoru Iwata, Producers, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo of America, Inc.

Alienware and Killer Networking are actively involved with the Miami presentation of this exhibition, including through a showcase of their most impactful and innovative solutions that have been a shaping force in the history of PC gaming.

Alienware has long been a leader in the PC gaming space with a nearly 20-year track record of gamers developing solutions for gamers.

Some of the most iconic gaming PCs in history bare the Alienware logo and many will be on display in a separate installation during the run of the exhibition.

Similarly, Killer Networking has set the standard for consistent and reliable connectivity, a well-earned reputation bestowed by countless gamers and a valued component to many Alienware solutions.

More About the Exhibition 

Video games are a prevalent and increasingly expressive medium within modern society. In the forty years since the introduction of the first home video game, the field has attracted exceptional artistic talent. An amalgam of traditional art forms - painting, writing, sculpture, music, storytelling, cinematography - video games offer artists a previously unprecedented method of communicating with and engaging audiences.

New technologies allow designers to create increasingly interactive and sophisticated game environments while staying grounded in traditional game types. Five featured games, one from each era, are available in the exhibition galleries for visitors to play for a few minutes, to gain some feel for the interactivity. The playable games (Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst and Flower) show how players interact with the virtual worlds, highlighting innovative new techniques that set the standard for many subsequent games.

The Smithsonian American Museum invited the public to help select the video games in this exhibition. A pool of 240 games was selected by the exhibition’s guest curator, Chris Melissinos and an advisory group consisting of game developers, designers, industry pioneers and journalists. More than 3.7 million votes were cast by 119,000 people in 175 countries.

Rez, 2001, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, producer; Jun Kobayashi, director; Katsumi Yokota, art director and lead artist,
SEGA Dreamcast, © SEGA. All Rights Reserved

The Art of Video Games is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum with generous support from the Entertainment Software Association Foundation; Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins; Mark Lamia, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk; Rose Family Foundation; Betty and Lloyd Schermer; and Neil Young. The C.F. Foundation in Atlanta supports the museum’s traveling exhibition program, Treasures to Go. 

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About Alienware

Alienware products are designed for gaming and can be identified by their science-fiction-themed designs. Established in 1996 by Nelson Gonzalez and Alex Aguila, Alienware assembles desktops, notebooks, workstations, and PC gaming consoles. According to employees, the name "Alienware" was chosen because of the founders' fondness for the hit television series The X-Files, which also inspired the science-fiction themed names of product lines such as Area-51, Hangar 18, and Aurora. The company's corporate headquarters is located in The Hammocks, in Miami, Florida.

About Killer Networking

Rivet Networks is the owner of the Killer Networking family of high performance products, designed to be the benchmark for all superior system networking standards. Through its line of products, Rivet delivers unprecedented speed, intelligence and control for gamers and performance users alike. The company and its employees share a strong passion for high-performance computing and the gaming industry and are dedicated to driving continued innovation and new products in the market. 

About The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University opened its current 46,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building in November 2008. Admission to the Museum is always free. The Frost is an American Alliance of Museums accredited museum and Smithsonian Affiliate, and is located at 10975 SW 17th Street, across from the Blue Garage and adjacent to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon - 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and most legal holidays. For more information, please visit thefrost.fiu.edu or call 305-348-2890.

The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU receives ongoing support from: The Steven and Dorothea Green Endowment; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners; Agustin Venero and the Venero Family; The Miami Herald; and the Members & Friends of The Frost Art Museum. 

-- Love Rae