Never Alone

Prompted by a collection display coming in the Museum galleries in the fall of 2022, and fueled by a recent acquisition of 13 video games--which complement MoMA's existing holdings bringing the total to 36 and expanding the timeline to 1972-2018--this publication will feature games that are notable examples of interaction design. They have been selected based on interaction design criteria, and therefore based on their insightful analysis of human behavior; their formal elegance, where form is seen as a means of communication; their attention to how the digital space is designed, flows, and morphs, and to the architecture of the code; their ability to receive and convey instructions and information via screens and input devices according to set goals; and the way in which a person interacts with them, whether digitally or physically.

The games included in this book will be divided into three sections: input, designer, and player. The book will explain how MoMA pioneered criteria for inclusion of video games in a design collection as well as protocols for their acquisition, display, and conservation. By creating a three-part structure that focuses on the input, the designer, and the player, moreover, the publication will investigate the power that interfaces can have on human behavior.