Mortal Kombat creator interview; Games officially 'art'

Thursday, 12 May 2011 by IrwanKch

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May 12, 2011


Video games are art, eligible for your tax dollars One man's Duke Nukem Forever is another's Botticelli. That's the view of the National Endowment for the Arts, which announced this week that "interactive games" will be just one of the new media formats eligible for federal funding through the NEA's Arts in Media program. That's right, the agency that's brought you countless Shakespeare, ballet, and classical music productions is trying to get hip with all the stuff the kids are into these days. Read more The latest gaming news from Crave		Jeff Bakalar Associate editor, CNET.com Contact editor

This week's gaming headlines

Super Mario, Doom II, WoW in Smithsonian show

Are video games a form of art? Whatever your views are, the Smithsonian American Art Museum has released a list of titles to be showcased in its exhibition "The Art of Video Games"--and the choices are bound to fuel debate.

Call of Duty: Black Ops best-seller on 360, PS3, PC

That Activision Blizzard had a hit on its hands with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops last November is no surprise, considering the game made more than $1 billion in less than two months. However, the publisher recently clarified just how big of a hit Black Ops is, announcing during Activision Blizzard's first-quarter earnings report that it is the highest-earning game of all time on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC platforms in the U.S. and Europe.

'Tron: Legacy' pinball looks like a quarter quencher

Get ready to load your fanny pack full of quarters. Stern Pinball and Disney recently unveiled a full-featured "Tron: Legacy" pinball machine perhaps worthy enough for Flynn's Arcade. The playfield features light cycles, deadly discs, and other notable imagery from the film. The audio doesn't disappoint either, as the original Daft Punk soundtrack and character sound clips emit during gameplay.

preGame 51: Interview with Ed Boon; Outland demo

On preGame we interview Mr. Mortal Kombat himself, the co-creator of the entire franchise, Ed Boon. It's been a few weeks since the latest iteration of Mortal Kombat hit store shelves, and we ask Mr. Boon all about the game as well as the series' history.

Top consoles

	1.	Sony PlayStation 3 Slim (160GB)
	2.	Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim (Black, 250GB)
	3.	Nintendo Wii Hardware Bundle (Black, Remote Plus)
	4.	Nintendo 3DS (Cosmo Black)
	5.	Sony PSP 3000 (Black)

Top games (PS3)

	1.	God of War III: Ultimate Edition (PlayStation 3)
	2.	Red Dead Redemption (PlayStation 3)
	3.	Call of Duty: Black Ops (PlayStation 3)
	4.	Gran Turismo 5 (PlayStation 3)
	5.	Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (PlayStation 3)