More than 240 games were nominated, and the public voted the top 80 titles they believe will allow exhibit viewers to best "examine video games as an artistic form and witness their evolution over time." Among those titles will be Irrational Games's BioShock.
"The thought of seeing BioShock on display next to Georgia O'Keeffe and Thomas Hart Benton is, well, humbling," Ken Levine, president and creative director of Irrational Games, said in a statement. "The fact that gamers put us there makes it all the better."
Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and the Smithsonian's guest curator for the exhibition, said BioShock exemplifies what The Art of Video Games is all about.
"When I worked to put together the list of games, with input from the advisory group, for The Art of Video Games, I looked for games that ran the gamut of art, social commentary, storytelling and artistic license, and BioShock combined these elements in new ways," said Melissinos. "Ultimately, the fans got the final say regarding the games they believe best represent the medium and we're extremely pleased with the results."
All 80 winners, listed below, will be on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. when the exhibit opens on March 16 2012:
1943: The Battle of MidwayIn addition to the 80 games above, five playable games will be included in the exhibition: Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and World of Warcraft. The Art of Video Games is set to run through September 30, 2012.
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons
After Burner
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Bioshock
Boom Blox
Br�tal 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 Waker
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
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