Video game art has evolved rapidly since the advent of the first home games consoles. Images from some games are going on display at the Smithsonian American Museum of Art in Washington. In Pitfall! (1982), Pitfall James has 20 minutes to find his way out of a jungle (Atari VCS/Activision Publishing)

Super Mario Brothers 3 (1990): The third installment in the adventures of Mario and Luigi in Toadstool World (Nintendo)

Earthworm Jim (1994): An earthworm discovers a supersuit that allows him to fight like a human in order to resuce Princess What's-Her-Name (SEGA Gensis/Interplay Entertainment)

Diablo 2 (2000): A fantasy/horror game with three difficulty levels: Normal, Nightmare, and Hell (DOS/Windows/Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.)

Rez (2001): A hacker must fight off viruses and firewalls inside of a futuristic supernetwork (SEGA Dreamcast)

Okami (2006): Based on Japanese mythology, this game also incorporates elements of traditional Japanese art (Sony Playstation 2/Capcom Entertainment)

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolve 2 (2008) Players must destroy shapes before shapes destroy them (Microsoft XBox 360/Bizzare Creations)

2009: Minecraft. Players build, mine and fight for survival in a virtual world. (Modern Windows/Notch Development AB)