Museum of Modern Art to Begin Featuring Games

New York’s prestigious Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has picked 14 games to become part of an installation debuting in March 2013. It hopes to eventually expand that list to about 40 games.

“Are video games art?” said the museum. “They sure are, but they are also design, and a design approach is what we chose for this new foray into this universe. The games are selected as outstanding examples of interaction design--a field that MoMA has already explored and collected extensively, and one of the most important and oft-discussed expressions of contemporary design creativity.”

The first 14 games are as follows:

• Pac-Man (1980)
• Tetris (1984)
• Another World (1991)
• Myst (1993)
• SimCity 2000 (1994)
• vib-ribbon (1999)
• The Sims (2000)
• Katamari Damacy (2004)
• EVE Online (2003)
• Dwarf Fortress (2006)
• Portal (2007)
• flOw (2006)
• Passage (2008)
• Canabalt (2009)

It’s interesting that two of the games games-- EVE Online, Dwarf Fortress--are still active and evolving, and will continue to change in the years to come. I hope the installation will reflect that!

MoMA’s blog post is exhaustive, breaking down the criteria it used--behavior, aesthetics, space, time--when choosing the games that were featured in this initial lineup.

The above 14 are not the only games to be featured at MoMA, however. The museum hopes to acquire many more, eventually hitting around 40 games, over the next several years, including:

• Spacewar! (1962)
• Assortment of Magnavox Odyssey games (1972)
• Pong (1972)
• Snake (originally designed in the 1970s; Nokia phone version dates from 1997)
• Space Invaders (1978)
• Asteroids (1979)
• Zork (1979)
• Tempest (1981)
• Donkey Kong (1981)
• Yars’ Revenge (1982)
• M.U.L.E. (1983)
• Core War (1984)
• Marble Madness (1984)
• Super Mario Bros. (1985)
• The Legend of Zelda (1986)
• NetHack (1987)
• Street Fighter II (1991)
• Chrono Trigger (1995)
• Super Mario 64 (1996)
• Grim Fandango (1998)
• Animal Crossing (2001)
• Minecraft (2011)

If your favorite game ever isn’t featured, there may be a reason for that.

“Because of the tight filter we apply to any category of objects in MoMA’s collection," it wrote, "our selection does not include some immensely popular video games that might have seemed like no-brainers to video game historians."

Also, the first comment on the MoMA blog about Passage bums me out.

New York’s prestigious Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has picked 14 games to become part of an installation debuting in March 2013. It hopes to eventually expand that list to about 40 games.

“Are video games art?” said the museum. “They sure are, but they are also design, and a design approach is what we chose for this new foray into this universe. The games are selected as outstanding examples of interaction design--a field that MoMA has already explored and collected extensively, and one of the most important and oft-discussed expressions of contemporary design creativity.”

The first 14 games are as follows:

• Pac-Man (1980)
• Tetris (1984)
• Another World (1991)
• Myst (1993)
• SimCity 2000 (1994)
• vib-ribbon (1999)
• The Sims (2000)
• Katamari Damacy (2004)
• EVE Online (2003)
• Dwarf Fortress (2006)
• Portal (2007)
• flOw (2006)
• Passage (2008)
• Canabalt (2009)

It’s interesting that two of the games games-- EVE Online, Dwarf Fortress--are still active and evolving, and will continue to change in the years to come. I hope the installation will reflect that!

MoMA’s blog post is exhaustive, breaking down the criteria it used--behavior, aesthetics, space, time--when choosing the games that were featured in this initial lineup.

The above 14 are not the only games to be featured at MoMA, however. The museum hopes to acquire many more, eventually hitting around 40 games, over the next several years, including:

• Spacewar! (1962)
• Assortment of Magnavox Odyssey games (1972)
• Pong (1972)
• Snake (originally designed in the 1970s; Nokia phone version dates from 1997)
• Space Invaders (1978)
• Asteroids (1979)
• Zork (1979)
• Tempest (1981)
• Donkey Kong (1981)
• Yars’ Revenge (1982)
• M.U.L.E. (1983)
• Core War (1984)
• Marble Madness (1984)
• Super Mario Bros. (1985)
• The Legend of Zelda (1986)
• NetHack (1987)
• Street Fighter II (1991)
• Chrono Trigger (1995)
• Super Mario 64 (1996)
• Grim Fandango (1998)
• Animal Crossing (2001)
• Minecraft (2011)

If your favorite game ever isn’t featured, there may be a reason for that.

“Because of the tight filter we apply to any category of objects in MoMA’s collection," it wrote, "our selection does not include some immensely popular video games that might have seemed like no-brainers to video game historians."

Also, the first comment on the MoMA blog about Passage bums me out.

Portal deserves this.

Street Fighter II, excellent! Okami next?

The design elements and such involved certainly deserve recognition, but stuff like this always feels mildly pandering.

Okami HD should be on that list, that game is like a painting in motion.

Man, no Ico or Shadow of the Colossus is the biggest rub for me!

That's a nice list. Also, Jef2D sounds like a dullard.

@Sooty said:

Okami next?

No.

FUCK YOU EBERT!

I'm so glad Grim Fandango is on the list.

Grim Fandango! Yes!

Their statement that these games are art matters more than their showing the games themselves.

Vib RIbbon!

I came in expecting to get mad, but those are actually pretty good choices.

DWARF FORTRESS. A GAME WITHOUT ART IS ART.

@s10129107 said:

FUCK YOU EBERT!

This is how I wake myself up in the morning.

No DOOM? What the fuck!?

They should get some Journey in there! Everyone would be impressed by that.

Really cool to see Grim Fandango on the potential list, too.

Surprised that flOw made the cut and Journey didn't.

@MuttersomeTaxicab: ASCII art is art.

Grim Fandango!

That is a pretty intelligent listing of games there. I would definitely rank most of those as important milestones in videogaming.

And Grim Fandango? Wow, now they really need to put that on GOG or something so I can finally play it.

Coldplay does kinda suck though.

They have flOw but no Journey?? BLASPHEMY!!

Portal is actually the the first thing I thought of when I read the headline. This is very cool.

Mario 64 being in an art museum will be the coolest way to ever play that game.

@nohthink said:

They have flOw but no Journey?? BLASPHEMY!!

That was my first thought, but it's a 2012 game. I'd imagine it'd be up for consideration within a few years.

I'd love to hear more about their vetting process for games they add. In terms of historically important games, I feel like this list is pretty damn flawless thus far.

Edit: They actually talk about it a bit in link to the museum's website. Good stuff.

Yar's Revenge still freaks me out. 
 
Also, it's cool to see that someone there knows what they're doing.

I'm disappointed by the omission of Super Mario World.

Their statement that these games are art matters more than their showing the games themselves.

never heard most of those games, wheres cod4 which rwas the first fps?

Vib-Ribbon is great choice. Good lists overall, I have to say.

@Rayeth said:

@MuttersomeTaxicab: ASCII art is art.

Oh, fine. I know that. It's just amazing that the MoMA knows it, too!

Persona 4 is a damn museum! Dammit!

@trolipo3 said:

never heard most of those games, wheres cod4 which rwas the first fps?

lolol, you so crazy.

Metal Gear Solid 1 is art of the highest degree. All things considered, probably the best game ever made imo.

Well, there you have it folks, games are officially art, we can all stop arguing about it now.

I don't see how Canabalt fits in that list. It sticks out like a sore thumb.

OUT OF THIS WORLD, YES, YES, YES, yes, yes, ohhhhh yes

Okami HD should be on that list, that game is like a painting in motion.

WELL. I'm glad that finally settles it...

Machinarium is the most art. It has actual art in the game. Real art.

@MuttersomeTaxicab said:

DWARF FORTRESS. A GAME WITHOUT ART IS ART.

This, also surprised me. I think it's wonderful.

I bet Notch is going to take another vacation after hearing this news.

flOw before Flower or Journey?

@CaLe said:

Metal Gear Solid 1 is art of the highest degree. All things considered, probably the best game ever made imo.

Thinking about that, MGS1 is a somewhat glaring omission from the list. I feel like that was the first game that truly delivered on a cinematic experience like no other; though I'm sure that's up for debate.

Is this good or bad? also, why's there grim fandango but no maniac mansion?

My favorite game isn't included!  This is an outrage!

Dwarf Fortress but no NetHack?!

@Pie said:

Coldplay does kinda suck though.

tru dat

"INTERACTION DESIGN."

THANK FUCKING CHRIST SOMEONE IS PAYING ATTENTION.

Man, after a shitty couple days of arguing on Giant Bomb, hearing someone actually recognize interactive design, making gameplay systems, creating content that reacts, that it's actually art. I've spent the last three weeks planning my first night of a new tabletop campaign called Corundum; designing a narrative that offers choice and has to be ready for anything my players invent, gameplay systems that feel rewarding to control and be conflicted by, a setting that is original and still relatable, maps that offer player involvement and effective (and affective) moments, a sense of verisimilitude and their overall enjoyment. It has been a greater creative venture than if I had played music, wrote prose or drew a picture, and yet some wouldn't call it 'art'.

Thank you Museum of Modern Art. You are the best.

Just played Passage since it was the only game on the list I didn't recognize. I didn't get it.