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Museum of State Historical Society to Host Smithsonian Sunday Program about Video Games on April 13

The Museum of the South Dakota State Historical Society will host a special webcast of the Smithsonian Institution’s American Art Museum’s program from video game pioneer Nolan Bushnell, “Nolan Bushnell: Video Games in Retrospect” at 2 p.m. CDT on Sunday, April 13, at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre.

The program, in the center’s education room, is hosted by The American Art Museum and features a pioneer of early gaming who will share his observations about the past and future of gaming. Bushnell is the founder of Atari and a key player in the growth and popularity of the first video games. Bushnell, who is often considered “the father of electronic gaming,” will discuss how far video games have come and how it all started.

There is no fee to view the program, but standard admission fees apply for visitors wanting to go into the museum galleries.

“We are very excited about this program,” said Jay Smith, director of the Museum of the State Historical Society. “Gaming is an important industry in the United States and the world, and it has grown to be a part of the social fabric since the early days of Atari systems right up to the present day. Bushnell’s presentation will be a memorable stroll through the history of gaming for our audience.”

“Nolan Bushnell: Video Games in Retrospect” was originally broadcast on March 16, 2012, at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

The State Historical Society became a Smithsonian Affiliate in January 2013 and is the only one in South Dakota. Shortly thereafter, the society began hosting a Smithsonian program the second Sunday of each month, which the society calls is Smithsonian Sunday Programs.