Beginning March 16, 2012, The Smithsonian Institute will celebrate the art of video games. The exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum will run through Sept. 30, 2012. The Smithsonian likens the art of video games to the art of film, animation and performance because of the use of “images, actions, and player participation to tell stories and engage their audiences.”

The exhibit will span the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, focusing on visual effects and the creative use of new technologies. The exhibit will be curated by Chris Melissinos, founder of Past Pixels and collector of video games and gaming systems.

And the Smithsonian wants to include you in the exhibit. From now through April 7, the public is invited to help select the 80 games to be included in the exhibit by voting online.

Check out Steve Chiotakis’ coverage of the Art of Video Games exhibit on the Marketplace Morning Report.

Don’t miss Steve Chiotakis’ review of Microsoft’s newest game system — click here to watch Steve try his hand at the Microsoft Kinect.