‘The Art of Video Games:’ still in beta

Hordes of young school children march up the steps to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC on a cloudless Friday morning. As they run around yelling and chasing one another, the security guard on duty echoes Ecclesiastes using only his eyes: there’s nothing new under the sun, he tells me. But I’m not terribly worried about the situation — surely these children are on their way up to see work from Annie Leibovitz or some other culturally suitable collection. But contrary to my natural assumption, they file into the elevators, and head straight up to grab controllers in The Art of Video Games exhibit. Things are starting to make sense to me, now: The Art of Video Games is all clearly a clever plot to lure children off of their couches and into a museum. Or, apparently, adults.