One-Day Event Highlighted Videogames In Art

WASHINGTON -- MagFest (short for Music and Gaming Festival) recently partnered with American University Game Lab and the Smithsonian American Art Museum to stage a pop-up event in Washington, DC. Called Indie Arcade, the Jan. 16 event featured a wide array of games from classic arcade cabinets to state-of-the-art virtual reality units.

"We feel that videogames belong in an art collection, just like photography had to fight for its place in the fine art canon," said Smithsonian new media programs coordinator Kaylin Lapan.

The one-day event came in advance of MagFest's four-day festival, which features a host of bands, guest speakers and all things gaming. MagFest is takes place Feb. 18-21 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in National Harbor, MD.