The art of Video Games : : From Pac-Man to Mass Effect

Locations
Call Number: 794.8 Me
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	794.8 Me	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Published to coincide with the Art of Video Games exhibition, which runs from March 16 to September 30, 2012, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C.
Start!. Atari VCS : Combat ; Space invaders ; Pitfall! ; Pac-Man -- Colecovision : Donkey Kong ; Zaxxon ; Star trek: strategic operations simulator ; Pitfall II: lost caverns -- Intellivision : Star strike ; Advanced Dungeons & dragons ; TRON: maze-a-Tron ; Utopia -- 8-bit. Commodore 64 : Jumpman ; Attack of the mutant camels ; Sid Meier's Pirates ; The bard's tale III: thief of fate -- Nintendo Entertainment System : The legend of Zelda ; 1943: the battle of Midway ; Desert commander ; Super Mario Brothers 3 -- Sega Master System : Marble madness ; Phantasy star ; After burner ; Spy vs. spy -- Bit wars!. Sega Genesis : Dune II ; Phantasy star IV ; Gunstar heroes ; Earthworm Jim -- Super NES : Super Mario world ; The legend of Zelda: a link to the past ; Star fox ; SimCity -- Transition. DOS/Windows : DOOM II ; Fallout ; StarCraft ; Diablo II -- Nintendo 64 : Super Mario 64 ; GoldenEye 007 ; The legend of Zelda: the ocarina of time ; Worms armageddon -- Sega Dreamcast : Sonic adventure ; Shenmue ; ChuChu rocket! ; Rez -- Sega Saturn : SimCity 2000 ; Panzer dragoon II: zwei ; Panzer dragoon saga ; Tomb raider -- Sony Playstation : Final fantasy VII ; Metal gear solid ; Einhänder ; Final fantasy tactics -- Next generation. Microsoft Xbox : Tom Clancy's Splinter cell ; Fable ; Panzer dragoon orta ; Halo 2 -- Microsoft Xbox 360 : Mass effect 2 ; Lord of the rings: the battle for Middle-Earth II ; BioShock ; Geometry wars: retro evolved 2 -- Modern Windows : Flow ; Portal ; Fallout 3 ; Minecraft -- Nintendo Gamecube : The legend of Zelda: the wind waker ; Metroid prime 2: echoes ; Pikmin 2 ; Star fox: assault -- Nintendo Wii : The legend of Zelda: twilight princess ; Zack & Wiki: quest for Barbaros' treasure ; Super Mario galaxy 2 ; Boom blox -- Sony Playstation 2 : Metal gear solid 2: sons of liberty ; Gradius V ; Shadow of the Colossus ; Okami -- Sony Playstation 3 : Uncharted 2: among thieves ; Heavy rain ; Brütal legend ; Flower -- Interview. Nolan Bushnell -- Steve Cartwright -- Don Daglow -- Ron Gilbert -- Kevin Bachus -- Tommy Tallarico -- Warren Spector -- R.J. Mical -- Jane Pinckard -- Jon-Paul Dyson -- Jen MacLean -- Chris Charla -- Jesse Schell -- Robin Hunicke -- Tim Schafer.
"The forty-year history of the video game industry, the medium has undergone staggering development, fueled not only by advances in technology but also by an insatiable quest for richer play and more meaningful experiences. From the very beginning, with the introduction of the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972, countless individuals became enthralled by a new world opened before them, one in which they could control and create, as well as interact and play. Even in their rudimentary form, video games held forth a potential and promise that inspired a generation of developers, programmers, and gamers to pursue visions of ever more sophisticated interactive worlds. As a testament to the game industry's stunning evolution, and to its cultural impact worldwide, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and curator Chris Melissinos conceived the 2012 exhibition The Art of Video Games. Along with a team of game developers, designers, and journalists, Melissinos selected an initial group of 240 games in four different genres to represent the best of the game world. Selection criteria included visual effects, creative use of technologies, and how world events and popular culture influenced the games. The Art of Video Games offers a revealing look into the history of the game industry, from the early days of Pac-Man and Space Invaders to the vastly more complicated contemporary epics such as BioShock and Uncharted. Melissinos examines each of the eighty winning entries, with stories and comments on their development, innovation, and relevance to the game world's overall growth. Visual images, composed by Patrick O'Rourke, are all drawn directly from the games themselves, and speak to the evolution of games as an artistic medium, both technologically and creatively"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Video Games ARE an Art Form submitted by Meginator on July 1, 2023, 5:19pm This book was created as an accompaniment to a 2012 exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum but serves as an intriguing standalone volume of video game history in its own right even if its driving thematic point of view is ultimately a bit unclear. Instead of looking solely (or even primarily) at the visual artwork of the featured games, which is what I expected from the title, the book goes into depth about the games’ experiential qualities, which makes sense given the medium’s unique interactive elements. The book is divided into broad eras and further by console, highlighting games in four categories: action, adventure, tactics, and target shooting. While limited in both good and bad ways (the book goes beyond the familiar greatest hits rosters but also excludes major genres such as sports), the organizational scheme does help readers naturally follow both technological and artistic developments over time; supplemental interviews also help fill in some of the details while exposing differing viewpoints about the history, future, and purpose of video games (although these are, unsurprisingly yet still sadly, primarily conducted with white men). Anyone who enjoys video games, particularly readers who have experienced several generations thereof, should appreciate this thoughtful look at what makes gaming unique as a medium and how its history has been, and continues to be, shaped by rapid technological development. This isn’t a comprehensive history by any means, but it is a compelling argument for the power, artistry, and importance of video games.