CURATING THE ARCADE

STRATEGIES FOR THE EXHIBITION OF VIDEOGAMES

Abstract

Videogames can be found in a diversity of museums as tools for engagement, mediation, and interpretation, but their relatively recent inclusion as collection objects in institutions such as the MoMA and the V&A raises tensions between the medium and the exhibition spaces. This paper aims to present an overview of the strategies employed in the exhibition of videogames, and to suggest curatorial methodologies that can be adapted in order to effectively introduce videogames into spaces dedicated to the exhibition of art. Curators are currently at a stage of experimentation in the field of videogames in museums, a time of both challenges and opportunities to study, develop and test new practices. More than providing a comprehensive guide to the history of videogames exhibitions, the intention of this paper is to devise suggestions for curatorial strategies and models for consideration and testing, and future work will determine their potential advantages and disadvantages.