We can't say that video game art exhibits are rare, but the latest one will surely be monumental for this many a person's favorite past time. Smithsonian Art Institute, an institution that needs no introduction has announced an exhibit dubbed "The Art of Video Gaming" for the period from March 16th to September 9th, 2012 (They're probably busy playing CoD until then. sub.ed).

The numbers say that more than seventy percent of American households plays video games on a regular basis, and the time when each household had only one computer is long behind us. This means that video games, just like movies and various performances, "can be considered a compelling and influential form of narrative art".

To say that this exhibition is just about showing video games would be wrong however, as Smithsonian plans to be the first to look at the evolution of video games as an artistic medium. Of course, visual and aesthetic development will be included in the exhibit as well as "emergence of games as a means of storytelling" and the impact these have made on the society.

Those who visit the exhibit will get a chance to see multimedia presentations, video interviews with devs and artists and even a selection of working game systems for the visitors to play.

You can check out Smithsonian's official announcement here.