Art exhibitions have been curated on video games (as relics for a museum, historical curiosities, or as memorabilia), and gallery space has been allocated to art inspired by the legacy of video games. But games themselves as portable exhibitions? The future has already arrived.

I recently purchased Taito Legends (2005) on a whim because of its discounted price. I was not disappointed. Compilations have existed for years. One of the more exciting aspects of the recent generation of game consoles has been the ways in which they have rescued (some would say, milked of value) the games of past eras. Since storage space has exponentially increased, so too have the number of games that can fit on a compilation. 20+ titles, even if old, are a bargain for the cost of one disc.

What is new (to me at least) are the possibilities that these discs present in terms of providing historical material in conjunction with the games. Taito Legends takes tentative steps toward this idea - poster art, a company history, and other various visual documents are part of the package. While this has been the reality for DVDs for years (commentary, supplemental essays, the accumulated efforts of film fandom and scholarship), it is relatively revelatory for games. True, most of the material on the Taito Legends disc is promotional and apologetic, but I can foresee a time where dissent and accommodation both accompany a collection of games. An art exhibit, with dynamic possibilities, mass-produced on a large scale? Sure sounds interesting to me!

¶ 8:30 PM