The show, organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, traces five eras of progress, each with four categories of games. Consider it a story arc that starts with Space Invaders on an Atari, progresses to The Legend of Zelda on a Nintendo, and evolves to the graphically rich epics now available on PlayStation and other platforms.

You don’t have to remember Mutant Camels, Earthworm Jim or Sonic the Hedgehog to appreciate this exhibition, and if you’re brand new to the field, you’ll have a chance to play Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., The Secret of Monkey Island, Myst, and Flower as part of the exhibition.