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Are 'Pac-Man,' 'Tetris' Art? MOMA Says Yes

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Video games are big business, but are they art? The answer is yes, according to New York's Museum of Modern Art.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And that's our last word in business today.

MOMA announced yesterday that it's acquired the first 14 titles for its new video game collection. In the collection so far, are titles including, "Pac-Man," "Sim City" and "Tetris."

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

GREENE: Renee, I swear, that song makes me shiver. I was terrible at that game, it's really hard.

MONTAGNE: Well, of course, it is an 80s classic, I guess, a fun, hard game of skill. But, a senior curator at MOMA's Department of Architecture and Design says it is so much more than just a game. He wrote, on the museum's website, that video games are not only art, but they're also design.

GREENE: And design is among the criteria for the video games selected. Curators are also considering historical, cultural relevance. They hoped to have about 40 titles when the exhibit opens in March, including "Pong," "Donkey Kong," and yes, "The Legend of Zelda."

That's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

MONTAGNE: And I'm Renee Montagne. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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