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AU Game Lab Opened a Video Game Arcade at theSmithsonian Over the Holidays

Image via Sam Howzit/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Right before winter break began, the American University Game Lab opened up a one­day pop­upindie arcade at the Smithsonian American Art Museum stocked with what you'd expect a gamer todream of come nightfall.

More than 4,000 people of all ages and sizes entered the museum on Dec. 7 to play a whole series ofaction­packed shoot 'em up games, virtual board games and even classic arcade games.

“Visitors learned that games are more than Super Mario Brothers, Halo, and Call of Duty,” saidLindsay Grace, director of the AU Game Lab and Studio after a successful Smithsonian launch.“They experienced games that experiment with emotion, affection, storytelling, history, politics, and

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more. The indie games we selected helped to open people’s eyes to the wide variety of games beingmade today.”

Video games are a growing part of American culture, which is why when the AU Game Lab was firstapproached by the Smithsonian the idea of a pop­up arcade became a reality. Creative game­makingis art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum's recognition of the culturally relevant industryproved to be quite the hit when the indie arcade came to life.

Four organizations partnered to create the indie arcade: the AU Game Lab, the International GameDeveloper's Association, MAGFest and the Smithsonian Art Museum. AU spearheaded the efforts bydeveloping many of the games in the pop­up arcade itself and choosing other games create din themid­Atlantic region.

As most games were developed in D.C., Maryland or Virginia, arcade visitors also got the chance tomeet the creators of the games and learn from the developers how to build their own.

“When I was growing up, games seemed to be made by mystery guys who lived far away,” said ChrisTotten, AU Game Lab's artist­in­residence and chair of the Washington, DC, IGDA chapter in aninterview (http://www.american.edu/cas/news/indie­arcade­smithsonian­american­art­museum.cfm) with the university. “This is no longer true, and we want the general public to meetreal, local people just like them who make games. We want them to know that they can make gamestoo—and that they can express themselves through games they create.”

Totten and Grace agree that the arcade proved video games aren't solely for entertainment purposes:many are capable of changing the way people think. They plan to hold a similar event with theSmithsonian and possibly other museums in 2015.

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AU Game Lab Opened a Video Game Arcade at the Smithsonian Over the Holidays dcinno.streetwise.co/2015/01/22/au­… via @DC_Inno3:47 PM ­ 22 Jan 2015

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AU Game Lab Opened a Video Game Arcade at the Smithsonian Over the Holidays dcinno.streetwise.co/2015/01/22/au­… via @DC_Inno4:57 PM ­ 28 Jan 2015

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Did you check out the video game arcade at the @smithsonian? bit.ly/1y3mzBc12:32 PM ­ 22 Jan 2015

       

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AU Game Lab Opened a Video Game Arcade at the Smithsonian Over the Holidays dcinno.streetwise.co/2015/01/22/au­… via @DC_Inno2:34 PM ­ 22 Jan 2015

       

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