The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center is going to collaborate with other museums around the world as well.
The Smithsonian Lemelson Center has taken a big step towards establishing video games as an art form. In an initiative called The Videogame Pioneers Initiative, gaming history will be preserved. The announcement was made by Christopher Weaver, the chairman of the Videogame Pioneers Initiative Advisory Board, at the DICE Summit, which is a gaming event held in Las Vegas.
Oral histories, original documents and other materials of video game history will be preserved at the center. Weaver said that the Center aims to trace the development of the video game industry. The gaming industry is worth over $100 billion globally, today. “We have lost some important voices like Ralph Baer, who started it all, but most of the pioneers are still alive,” said Weaver.
Further, it seems the preservation of gaming history and let the public experience this history through both virtual and personal exhibitions. The Center will apparently also be collaborating with other museums around the world. The Smithsonian has already showcased interviews with pioneers of gaming, like Peter Samson, Steve Russel, Brenda Laurel, Don Daglow and Richard Garriot.
